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The seventh season of the International Motor Sports Association Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada presented by
Yokohama kicks off on May 19-21 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. In 2017, there are six race weekends with two forty-five-minute
rounds at every series event. Following Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, teams will travel to Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve,
acting as a support event for the Canadian Grand Prix. Then competitors travel south of the border where the Canadian and
American series will be combined. In mid-July, it is back to Ontario for a doubleheader at Toronto’s Exhibition Place.
Rounds nine and ten will be conducted on the temporary street circuit at Trois-Rivieres, Quebec.
The championship weekend will take place where the season started, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.
Competitors score points in one of three classes – Platinum Cup, Gold Cup and Silver Cup. The series also offers a Masters division for drivers 45-years of age or older.
The vehicles in the Platinum and Gold Cup categories use the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car. This particular model was developed by Porsche for the one-make series that takes place throughout the world. The 911 GT3 Cup racing version is based on the production 911 GT3 RS road car. The latest cars are powered by a motor similar to those used in the 911 GT3 RS model. The engine is a 4.0-liter flat six-cylinder that produces 485-horsepower. The vehicles weigh 2,645-lbs.
The racing version of the Cayman uses a 3.8-liter naturally aspirated flat-six, which produces 385-horsepower. The car is also equipped with a PDK automatic transmission. Rounds seven and eight of the 2017 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada series were held at Toronto’s Exhibition Place. Drivers would compete in two forty-five-minute races around the eleven-turn 1.786-mile temporary street circuit. |
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The points leader, Scott Hargrove, started the weekend at Toronto’s Exhibition Place with another dominant performance. Hargrove qualified on the pole in the No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche GT3 Cup. He dominated the first race but had to hold off Zacharie Robichon in a final lap shoot-out for the victory. In Sunday’s event, Hargrove started on the pole and went flag-to-flag for his sixth win of the year. |
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Chasing Scott Hargrove all weekend was Zacharie Robichon in the No. 98 Mark Motors Racing Porsche GT3 Cup. Robichon was fresh off, scoring two victories in the combined Canadian and American series event at Watkins Glen International. At Toronto, he qualified on the outside of the front row and despite a late-race opportunity for the win, Robichon finished second. He delivered the same results on Sunday. |
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Newcomer Gianmarco Raimondo scrapped together the funds to make it possible to drive the No. 76 GT Racing prepared Porsche GT3 Cup, usually piloted by series regular Etienne Borgeat. Raimondo qualified behind the only other Gold Cup entrant Roman De Angelis for the first race of the weekend. He moved in front of De Angelis on lap one and was first to the checkered flag. Both drivers failed to finish the finale. |
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Another first-time competitor in this year’s championship is Patrick Dussault. The driver of the No. 77 GT Racing Porsche GT3 Cup had five top-five results in six starts. But he outdid himself at the Honda Indy Toronto weekend. After starting fifth for Saturday’s contest, Dussault advanced two positions during the race and earned his first podium finish. In Sunday’s race, he started and finished in the fourth position. |
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The reigning Master’s champion, Marco Cirone, was having a solid season. A miscue in race two at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park resulted in a second-place result and he finished behind Etienne Borgeat at Montreal. At Toronto, Cirone was on form in the No. 88 Mark Motors Racing Porsche GT3 Cup. He would finish fourth and fifth overall in rounds seven and eight and capture two more Masters victories. |
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Michael De Quesada’s weekend in Toronto played out just like the opening rounds at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. De Quesada qualified third fastest for race one in the No. 31 Alegra Motorsports Porsche GT3 Cup. Unfortunately, his race came to an end with a retirement on lap-24. De Quesada was gridded third for Sunday’s event and redeemed himself by earning the final position on the Platinum Cup podium. |
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| FINISH | CLASS | DRIVER | CAR / SPONSOR | LAPS | RETIREMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Platinum | Scott Hargrove | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / Pfaff Motorsport | 34 | - |
| 2 | Platinum | Zacharie Robichon | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / Mark Motors Racing | 34 | - |
| 3 | Platinum | Patrick Dussault | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / GT Racing | 34 | - |
| 4 | Platinum | Marco Cirone | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / Mark Motors Racing | 34 | - |
| 5 | Gold | Gianmarco Raimondo | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / GT Racing | 34 | - |
| 6 | Gold | Roman De Angelis | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / Mark Motors Racing | 34 | - |
| 7 | Platinum | Tim Sanderson | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / Speedstar Motorsport | 34 | - |
| 8 | Platinum | Shaun McKaigue | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / Pfaff Motorsports | 33 | - |
| 9 | Platinum | Martin Harvey | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / Wingho Motorsport Racing | 33 | - |
| 10 | Platinum | Michael De Quesada | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / Alegra Motorsports | 24 | Did Not Finish |
| 11 | Platinum | Ed Killeen | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / Pfaff Motorsports | 24 | Did Not Finish |
| 12 | Platinum | Jim Walker | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / Tullman Walker Racing | 23 | Did Not Finish |
| 13 | Platinum | Peter Baljet | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / Porsche Centre Victoria | 16 | Did Not Finish |
| FINISH | CLASS | DRIVER | CAR / SPONSOR | LAPS | RETIREMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Platinum | Scott Hargrove | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / Pfaff Motorsport | 36 | - |
| 2 | Platinum | Zacharie Robichon | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / Mark Motors Racing | 36 | - |
| 3 | Platinum | Michael De Quesada | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / Alegra Motorsports | 36 | - |
| 4 | Platinum | Patrick Dussault | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / GT Racing | 36 | - |
| 5 | Platinum | Marco Cirone | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / Mark Motors Racing | 36 | - |
| 6 | Platinum | Tim Sanderson | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / Speedstar Motorsport | 36 | - |
| 7 | Platinum | Shaun McKaigue | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / Pfaff Motorsports | 35 | - |
| 8 | Platinum | Martin Harvey | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / Wingho Motorsport Racing | 35 | - |
| 9 | Platinum | Peter Baljet | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / Porsche Centre Victoria | 35 | - |
| 10 | Platinum | Jim Walker | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / Tullman Walker Racing | 34 | - |
| 11 | Gold | Roman De Angelis | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / Mark Motors Racing | 32 | Did Not Finish |
| 12 | Gold | Gianmarco Raimondo | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / GT Racing | 24 | Did Not Finish |
| - | Platinum | Ed Killeen | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / Pfaff Motorsports | - | Did Not Start |
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