Daytona Beach, Florida - Whether Shaun McKaigue crosses the checkered flag first or last, there is one constant he brings to each race weekend - whole-hearted commitment.

McKaigue is entering his fifth Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Michelin season, faithful to Fiorano Racing and its team owner, Gianni Panico, since the IMSA (International Motor Sports Association)-sanctioned Single-Make Series started in 2011.

"Shaun started as a customer, but we've since become great friends," Panico said. "We have committed to each other. We go out on

Shaun McKaigue

the racetrack and have fun. He's getting better and better race-by-race with some coaching. For us, it really is a lot of fun."

McKaigue's commitment does not end when steps out of his Gold Cup Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car and takes off his helmet. His devoted attitude spills across the IMSA paddock and beyond as he lends a helping hand through charitable work.

One charity that hits close to home is Hearth Place Cancer Support Center, an organization in Oshawa, Ontario, that helps families with children experiencing different types of cancer.

"We try to help them raise funds, and we also have an ability to have the children come to the tracks with their parents to get the full racing experience with us for a day," McKaigue said.

McKaigue, from Gilford, Ontario, hopes to provide 12 families with a behind-the-scenes look into the IMSA paddock in 2015.

"It just gives them a break from the daily grind," he said. "These are families that are going through a difficult time, so for them to have a day when they can forget about their troubles is inspiring."

FER-PAL Infrastructure, McKaigue's business, his team at Fiorano Racing and IMSA work together to make the days at the track run smoothly for Hearth Place families.

"I think I get more out of it than the kids do," McKaigue said. "It can really break you up to see what they are going through. To witness how brave they are and to see the trials and tribulations their parents are going through helps me to certainly put things in perspective.

"Admittedly, I'm a weekend warrior, and as a racer you're always striving to do better, and sometimes things occur where an accident happens or maybe things don't go as well as you want. To understand that there are people dealing with a lot more important issues certainly helps us realize just how lucky we are as racers in the paddock to enjoy this sport."

Aside from charitable work, McKaigue is looking forward to another season competing in IMSA. 2011 Gold Cup Champion McKaigue enjoys the camaraderie between his competitors.

"We enjoy when new people come in," McKaigue said. "We enjoy embracing them and getting to know everybody within the paddock, and we think there's a great togetherness within the series. Obviously, everyone is competitive - by nature that's what racers are. But all in all, there's an ability to race hard and race clean but have a beer at the end of the day and a couple of laughs.

"Geographically the series works well for us, which makes it fun. We enjoy the level of competition, and we appreciate the organization that IMSA brings to it. There's a level of professionalism with the IMSA group - and that's across everyone, from Tech to Registration - and we really appreciate that."

The 2015 Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Michelin starts on Victoria Day Weekend, May 15-17, at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario.

For updates on the series, follow @IMSA on Twitter with the hashtag #GT3CAN and on Facebook. The latest news can be found by visiting IMSA.com.

Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Michelin

The Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Michelin enters its fifth season in 2015 ready to produce more intense, exciting competition for semi-professional and aspiring professional drivers in the world's most produced and iconic race car, the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. The International Motor Sports Association (IMSA)-sanctioned series is one of Porsche's 20 global single-make Cup Challenge series and is the perfect platform for aspiring drivers to ascend to the highest levels of GT competition, such as the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.

Racing is divided into two classes - Platinum Cup, featuring the 2014 and 2015 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car, which is based on the seventh, and current, generation of the street car; and Gold Cup, which is comprised of the previous iteration (model years 2010-2013) of the race car. A Masters Championship also is conducted in the Platinum class. Each class is awarded with its own podium at the end of every race and individual champion at the end of every season. Points are awarded by finish in class.

ABOUT IMSA

The International Motor Sports Association, LLC (IMSA) was originally founded in 1969 with a long and rich history in sports car racing. Today, IMSA is the sanctioning body of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, the premier sports car racing series in North America. IMSA also sanctions the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge and the Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda, as well as four single-make series: Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama; Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Michelin; Ferrari Challenge North America; and Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America. IMSA - a company within the NASCAR Holdings group - is the exclusive strategic partner in North America with the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO), which operates the 24 Hours of Le Mans as a part of the FIA World Endurance Championship. The partnership enables selected TUDOR Championship competitors to earn automatic entries into the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans.