|
The internationally successful Porsche GT3 Cup series was introduced to Canadian fans and participants in 2011.
The championship is one of twenty-three similar GT3 Cup series contested throughout the world.
Last season, the Canadian Championship debuted at Calabogie Motorsports Park in mid-May with a doubleheader weekend. Similar event formats followed at ICAR and Mosport International Raceway. After six races, champions were crowned in three categories. The Platinum Cup was won by Perry Bortolotti, Shaun McKaigue claimed the Gold Cup and the Silver title went to Robert Seitz. This year’s Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Michelin kicks off on the Victoria Day Speedfest Weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP). Drivers will collect championship points during Saturday and Sunday races. Then the series travels to Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve as a support event for the Canadian Grand Prix. This is the only track on the calendar that does not host a doubleheader weekend. The series stays in Quebec with teams competing at Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant in early July. Next on the schedule is the series second visit to CTMP during the Mobil 1 presents the Grand Prix of Mosport. Championships are determined during the final rounds at Calabogie Motorsports Park in August. As was the case last season, drivers compete in one of three classes.
A 4.0-liter aluminum six-cylinder engine powers the current generation Porsche GT3 Cup. The motor produces 450-horsepower at 7,500-rpm and is fitted to a six-speed sequential transmission. Stopping the Porsche are aluminum six-piston calipers on the front – while the rear is equipped with four-piston calipers. The alloy rims on the front of the Porsche are 9.5J X 18 and use 24/64-18 Michelin tires. And, on the rear are 12J X 18 wheels with 30/68-18 tires. The GT3 Cup weighs just over 1,180-kg. The penultimate weekend of the 2012 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Michelin was contested on Canadian Tire Motorsport Park’s 2.459-mile ten-turn road course during the Mobil 1 presents the Grand Prix of Mosport. |
|
|
The pace lap for Sunday’s race – round six – of the 2012 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Leading the field is the non-point scoring pro-driver, Kyle Marcelli, in the No. 9 Castrol sponsored Porsche GT3 Cup and the No. 2 GT Racing prepared Porsche GT3 Cup driven by Etienne Borgeat. In the second row are the third and fourth fastest qualifiers, Ilker Starck and Perry Bortolotti. |
|
|
After earning a pair of runner-up results in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada, Carlos de Quesada captured his first overall and Platinum Cup series victory. De Quesada driving the No. 21 Fiorano Racing Porsche GT3 Cup started race one at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in eighth, but as the quicker competitors encountered issues, he moved to the top spot for the win. On Sunday, de Quesada finished ninth in class. |
|
|
Chris Green made an impressive series debut in rounds six and seven at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Green drove the No. 38 SCB Racing Porsche GT3 Cup. In Saturday’s race, he started in the fifth spot and when some of the quicker Platinum Cup drivers experienced problems, Green finished second overall and won the Gold Cup class. In the finale, he earned another category victory after finishing sixth overall. |
|
|
|
The Platinum Cup points leader entering rounds six and seven at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park was Etienne Borgeat. Borgeat was third fastest in the qualifying session for Saturday’s race, but issues during the contest relegated him to a fourteenth place result. However, he recorded the quickest race lap and started on the pole the next day. Borgeat led flag-to-flag for the victory and left on top of the points standings. |
|
|
|
Entering the penultimate weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Silver Cup competitor Robert Seitz was five for five – winning his class in every round of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada. Races six and seven would not be any different. The driver of the No. 58 6th Gear Racing prepared Porsche GT3 Cup started on the class pole both days and went unchallenged for his sixth and seventh victories of the season. |
|
|
|
The reigned Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada Platinum Cup champion is Perry Bortolotti. Bortolotti was driving the No. 84 Cee-Jay Micro sponsored Porsche GT3 Cup. He had five top-five finishes entering the series second visit to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, with his best result being a pair of third-place finishes. At rounds six and seven, Bortolotti would finish on the podium both days, scoring second and third-place finishes. |
|
|
|
Entering rounds six and seven at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Gold Cup competitor Robert Maranda had finished on the class podium in every event to date. Unfortunately, that would come to an end on Sunday. The driver of the No. 57 Porsche GT3 Cup qualified and finished second in the weekend’s first race. Maranda started fourth in the finale in his category and would lose a position to finish in the tenth spot. |
|
|
|
Jean-Frederick Laberge swept the opening rounds of the 2012 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada. However, since the first weekend of competition, his only bright spot after some dismal results was a runner-up result in race five at Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant. Laberge qualified second for Saturday’s contest at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park but finished seventh in class. The next, he was back on form and finished second. |
|
|
|
The Gold Cup points leader, Bruce Gregory, was looking well-positioned to win the championship at his home track Calabogie Motorsports Park. He had amassed five podium results, of which four were victories. Newcomer Chris Green prevented Gregory from adding more first-places to his win column, but he did leave Canadian Tire Motorsport Park with second and third-place finishes and his lead in the title chase intact. |
|
|
|
| FINISH | CLASS | DRIVER | CAR / SPONSOR | LAPS | RETIREMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Unclassified | Kyle Marcelli | Porsche 997 GT3 Cup / Pfaff Automotive Partners | 25 | - |
| 2 | Platinum | Carlos De Quesada | Porsche 997 GT3 Cup / Fiorano Racing | 25 | - |
| 3 | Gold | Chris Green | Porsche 997 GT3 Cup / SCB Racing | 25 | - |
| 4 | Platinum | Perry Bortolotti | Porsche 997 GT3 Cup / 6th Gear Racing | 25 | - |
| 5 | Gold | Robert Maranda | Porsche 997 GT3 Cup / Speed Merchants | 25 | - |
| 6 | Platinum | John Ellis | Porsche 997 GT3 Cup / Wright Motorsports | 25 | - |
| 7 | Platinum | James Hoddinott | Porsche 997 GT3 Cup / Speed Merchants | 25 | - |
| 8 | Platinum | Anthony Mantella | Porsche 997 GT3 Cup / GT Racing | 25 | - |
| 9 | Platinum | Martin Harvey | Porsche 997 GT3 Cup / Wingho Motorsport Racing | 25 | - |
| 10 | Gold | Bruce Gregory | Porsche 997 GT3 Cup / Speed Merchants | 25 | - |
| 11 | Gold | Shaun McKaigue | Porsche 997 GT3 Cup / Fiorano Racing | 25 | - |
| 12 | Gold | Tim Sanderson | Porsche 997 GT3 Cup / Fiorano Racing | 25 | - |
| 13 | Platinum | Jean-Frederick Laberge | Porsche 997 GT3 Cup / Speed Merchants | 25 | - |
| 14 | Platinum | Etienne Borgeat | Porsche 997 GT3 Cup / GT Racing | 25 | - |
| 15 | Silver | Robert Seitz | Porsche 996 GT3 Cup / 6th Gear Racing | 25 | - |
| 16 | Silver | Leho Poldmae | Porsche 996 GT3 Cup / TPC Racing | 24 | - |
| 17 | Silver | Gabor Foti | Porsche 996 GT3 Cup / Fiorano Racing | 22 | Did Not Finish |
| 18 | Platinum | Ilker Starck | Porsche 997 GT3 Cup / SCB Racing | 15 | Did Not Finish |
| 19 | Platinum | Marco Cirone | Porsche 997 GT3 Cup / 6th Gear Racing | 6 | Did Not Finish |
| 20 | Gold | Michael Levitas | Porsche 997 GT3 Cup / TPC Racing | 6 | Did Not Finish |
| 21 | Gold | Peter Collins | Porsche 997 GT3 Cup / MGM | 6 | Did Not Finish |
| 22 | Platinum | John Baker | Porsche 997 GT3 Cup / Wright Motorsports | 6 | Did Not Finish |
| FINISH | CLASS | DRIVER | CAR / SPONSOR | LAPS | RETIREMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Unclassified | Kyle Marcelli | Porsche 997 GT3 Cup / Pfaff Automotive Partners | 31 | - |
| 2 | Platinum | Etienne Borgeat | Porsche 997 GT3 Cup / GT Racing | 31 | - |
| 3 | Platinum | Jean-Frederick Laberge | Porsche 997 GT3 Cup / Speed Merchants | 31 | - |
| 4 | Platinum | Perry Bortolotti | Porsche 997 GT3 Cup / 6th Gear Racing | 31 | - |
| 5 | Platinum | Marco Cirone | Porsche 997 GT3 Cup / 6th Gear Racing | 31 | - |
| 6 | Gold | Chris Green | Porsche 997 GT3 Cup / SCB Racing | 31 | - |
| 7 | Gold | Bruce Gregory | Porsche 997 GT3 Cup / Speed Merchants | 31 | - |
| 8 | Platinum | Anthony Mantella | Porsche 997 GT3 Cup / GT Racing | 30 | - |
| 9 | Platinum | Martin Harvey | Porsche 997 GT3 Cup / Wingho Motorsport Racing | 30 | - |
| 10 | Gold | Peter Collins | Porsche 997 GT3 Cup / MGM | 30 | - |
| 11 | Gold | Tim Sanderson | Porsche 997 GT3 Cup / Fiorano Racing | 30 | - |
| 12 | Gold | Robert Maranda | Porsche 997 GT3 Cup / Speed Merchants | 30 | - |
| 13 | Gold | Shaun McKaigue | Porsche 997 GT3 Cup / Fiorano Racing | 30 | - |
| 14 | Platinum | Ilker Starck | Porsche 997 GT3 Cup / SCB Racing | 30 | - |
| 15 | Platinum | John Baker | Porsche 997 GT3 Cup / Wright Motorsports | 30 | - |
| 16 | Platinum | Carlos De Quesada | Porsche 997 GT3 Cup / Fiorano Racing | 30 | - |
| 17 | Silver | Robert Seitz | Porsche 996 GT3 Cup / 6th Gear Racing | 29 | - |
| 18 | Silver | Gabor Foti | Porsche 996 GT3 Cup / Fiorano Racing | 29 | - |
| 19 | Silver | Leho Poldmae | Porsche 996 GT3 Cup / TPC Racing | 28 | - |
| 20 | Platinum | James Hoddinott | Porsche 997 GT3 Cup / Speed Merchants | 19 | Did Not Finish |
| - | Platinum | John Ellis | Porsche 997 GT3 Cup / Wright Motorsports | - | Did Not Start |
| - | Gold | Michael Levitas | Porsche 997 GT3 Cup / TPC Racing | - | Did Not Start |
| Copyright Notice: |
| All content (photographs and text) appearing on this website are the exclusive property of © www.zoompics.com and are protected under International copyright laws. The subject matter on this website may not be reproduced, copied, stored or manipulated. |
