Bowmanville, Ontario - Elliott Skeer regained the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama championship lead by winning Round 7 on Saturday at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

Skeer, from Carlsbad, California, started from the pole and held off Angel Benitez Jr. by 1.286 seconds at the finish of a compelling 45-minute race in bright sunshine and in temperatures approaching 80 degrees (26 C). It was the second victory of the season for Skeer in the No. 14 Wright Motorsports Porsche.

Series rookie Skeer took a one-point lead, 101-100, over Jesse Lazare in the Platinum Cup championship standings. Lazare, from Montreal, finished third in the No. 21 Kelly-Moss Motorsports Porsche in the only Canadian event in the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA)-sanctioned Single-Make Series.

"It was a really good day overall, from qualifying to the race," Skeer said. "The whole team has been on point since the very start of the weekend.

"Angel and I were very clean with each other, and it was a very good fight. I just can't thank the team enough for this amazing result. It really is a team effort out there, and without them working on the car, that wouldn't have happened."

Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Michelin regular Marco Cirone, from Toronto, finished fourth overall and was the top Platinum Masters finisher in the No. 88 Mark Motors Racing after starting second overall.

Andrew Longe, from Naples, Florida, rounded out the top five in the No. 47 Fall-Line Motorsports Porsche.

Jeff Mosing, from Austin, Texas, padded his Gold Cup and Gold Masters points leads with his second Gold Cup victory of the season in the No. 01 TOPP Racing Porsche.

Skeer led from the drop of the green flag and never trailed thereafter. After starting third, Benitez dove under Cirone in Turn 1 on the first lap and then set sail for Skeer.

The gap between Skeer and Benitez held steady between eight-tenths of a second and a second for approximately 10 minutes. Then Skeer stretched his lead over Benitez to 1.914 seconds on the 10-turn, 2.459-mile (3.957 km) circuit with 27 minutes left in the race.

"Early on, it was just get the lead and do some tire management," Skeer said. "The Yokohamas were amazing through the whole race. You just had to make sure not to slide them too much. We caught the lap traffic there, and there was a little bit of chaos, but we all managed it great."

Skeer and Benitez reached lapped traffic with about 15 minutes remaining, and that let Benitez close to within .362 of a second in the No. 05 JDX Racing Porsche. But Skeer rebuilt his lead once traffic was navigated and pulled away to the win. Benitez, from Miami, was forced to settle for the second step on the podium after winning his first two starts of the season in Rounds 5 and 6 in late June at Watkins Glen International.

"I'm pretty happy that nothing happened in the lap traffic," Benitez said. "There were some dangerous moves, but for the most part we could run side by side with no problems. I had a good car. The track conditions were hard and it was very hot, so we had to push more than normal.

"Everyone here did a great job, and I have to congratulate Elliott (Skeer) on his win. He did a great job maintaining his position."

Lazare hung on for his fourth podium finish of the season despite intense pressure from Cirone. The two drivers marched in lockstep for many laps on the circuit, with no mistakes from either. Lazare prevailed by .454 of a second.

Platinum Masters

Cirone used a strong qualifying session, starting second overall behind Skeer, and a smooth performance in the race to beat Kasey Kuhlman in a duel between the reigning Platinum Masters champions in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge championships in Canada and the United States, respectively.

The victory by Cirone snapped a four-round winning streak for Kuhlman this season in the series in the No. 15 Wright Motorsports Porsche.

Kuhlman, from Cincinnati, stayed within three to four seconds of Cirone through the first 30 minutes of the race, hoping to gain ground as they sliced through lapped traffic. But Kuhlman ended up 13.932 seconds behind Cirone.

Bill Peluchiwski, from Chicago, finished third in the No. 74 Kelly-Moss Motorsports Porsche after prevailing in an exciting duel with teammate Jay Patel. Peluchiwski earned his second podium finish of the season.

Patel and Peluchiwski swapped third place a few times during the race. Peluchiwski passed Patel for good in the tight, challenging, double-apex Turn 5 by the narrowest of margins, with no contact, with two minutes remaining.

"As close as you can get," Peluchiwski said. "It was a great race with Jay. Jay and I kind of battled back and forth. We had (Jeff) Mosing in between us, and then it became just he and I. It was a wonderful battle. Ultimately, I'm not sure the best man won, but I managed to get ahead of Jay. It was a lot of fun."

David Baker, from Colleyville, Texas, earned the Yokohama Hard Charger Award after starting 14th and finishing 11th overall in the No. 56 TOPP Racing Porsche.

Gold Cup/Gold Masters

Mosing ended a streak of four consecutive runner-up finishes in Gold Cup with a comfortable victory over Sebastian Landy. Reigning Gold Masters champion Mosing started from the overall Gold Cup pole and never trailed.

Landy, from Great Falls, Virginia, stayed within one to 1.5 seconds of Mosing throughout the first half of the race in the No. 49 Atlanta Motorsports Group Porsche before Mosing pulled away over the closing laps.

"We had a lot of fun out there, and the car was set up really well and working really well for us," Mosing said. "The Yokohama tires held up despite the heat and conditions. The track was definitely going away, but the times didn't drop off a huge amount.

"I just went into tire preservation mode once I had a gap. Landy was still back there in my thoughts, so I wanted to make sure I kept my head down and ran some consistent laps."

GT3 Cup Challenge Canada regular Shaun McKaigue, from Gilford, Ontario, finished third overall in Gold Cup and second in Gold Masters in the No. 34 Fiorano Racing Porsche after a spirited, race-long battle with Joe Catania and Mark Llano.

McKaigue's podium finish came just six days after his Porsche was damaged in a crash at a Canadian series event at Calabogie Motorsports Park.

"Fiorano gave me a great car," McKaigue said. "We were very lucky (with crash at Calabogie). There was not that much damage. As always, the Porsche truck was right there. We were able to get the parts right there, fixed it up, and Pfaff Autoworks were great. They fixed the bodywork for us really quickly, did a great job. I was really happy about that."

Series rookie Catania, from Cazenovia, New York, earned his first career podium finish by placing third in Gold Masters in the No. 24 NGT Motorsport Porsche.

Up Next

Round 8, a 45-minute race, is scheduled to start at 9:40 a.m. (ET) Sunday.

Live streaming of Round 8 will be available at www.imsa.com. For live timing, visit scoring.imsa.com or the new IMSA mobile app for iOS, Android or Windows.

For live updates on all the action, follow @IMSALive on Twitter.

For more information about Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama, visit www.gt3cupchallengeusa.com, follow hashtag #GT3USA @IMSA on Twitter or IMSA on Facebook.

ROUND 7 POST-RACE QUOTES:

ELLIOTT SKEER (No. 14 Wright Motorsports, winner): "It was a really good day overall, from qualifying to the race. The whole team has been on point since the very start of the weekend. Bobby (Viglione) and the whole crew here at Wright have done an amazing job with the setup. I've been very happy with it throughout. Early on, it was just get the lead and do some tire management. The Yokohamas were amazing through the whole race. You just had to make sure not to slide them too much. We caught the lap traffic there, and there was a little bit of chaos, but we all managed it great. Angel (Benitez Jr.) and I were very clean with each other, and it was a very good fight. I just can't thank the team enough for this amazing result. It really is a team effort out there, and without them working on the car, that wouldn't have happened."

ANGEL BENITEZ JR. (No. 05 JDX Racing, second): "I'm pretty happy that nothing happened in the lap traffic. There were some dangerous moves, but for the most part we could run side by side with no problems. I had a good car. The track conditions were hard and it was very hot, so we had to push more than normal. Everyone here did a great job, and I have to congratulate Elliott (Skeer) on his win. He did a great job maintaining his position. We're happy to be here. We're doing what we came to do - getting points and showing people that the Hertz car is fast. And we're going to continue to do that."

JESSE LAZARE (No. 21 Kelly-Moss Motorsports, third): "Unfortunately, the first two (drivers) today were really quick. They really took off, so I was really racing for third. With the lap traffic, they should definitely make them just let us go. We're a lap ahead of them. But I took it cautious and went through and stayed safe. And hopefully I can grab the top step tomorrow."

MARCO CIRONE (No. 88 Mark Motors Racing, first Platinum Masters): "I had different competitors at a familiar track today, but these guys in the U.S. series are extremely talented and extremely fast, and they proved that today. Even though this is my home track, I had difficulty keeping up. I'm proud that I finished in the top five because these guys are so good. I want to thank my team because they did such a good job switching from Michelins to Yokohamas. It was extremely difficult to find the right setup, and they did an amazing job. Thank you to them and a special thank you to Liza and Michael Mrak for allowing me to participate in the U.S. race. Thank you to them."

KASEY KUHLMAN (No. 15 Wright Motorsports, second Platinum Masters): "My car was good, obviously not good enough for the guys in front. Traffic was helping me catch Marco (Cirone), and I really wanted to have a good battle with him in the end. It didn't work out that way. That's the way traffic goes, sometimes it helps you and sometimes it hurts you, and today it hurt me. I have to thank Wright Motorsports for a great car, Bob Viglione on the radio, my crew chief Rob, Johnny Wright - these guys are awesome. I appreciate the opportunity to drive with them."

BILL PELUCHIWSKI (No. 74 Kelly-Moss Motorsports, third Platinum Masters): "As close as you can get. It was a great race with Jay (Patel). Jay and I kind of battled back and forth. We had (Jeff) Mosing in between us, and then it became just he and I. It was a wonderful battle. Ultimately, I'm not sure the best man won, but I managed to get ahead of Jay. It was a lot of fun." (Is it different to race your teammate so hard than drivers from other teams?): "You have to be respectful to everybody. Obviously, as teammates and friends, you want to make sure you're extra careful. But we've raced close together, and it's been great. He's been a great teammate and partner. He's won a few, and I've won a few. So it's a good battle. Kelly-Moss put a good car for both of us, and we had a great time."

JEFF MOSING (No. 01 TOPP Racing, winner Gold Cup, Gold Masters): "We had a good start. I got around Turn 1 with no incident. (Sebastian) Landy seemed to get tied back with a couple of cars, so right off the bat he had a lot of work cut out for him. I had Eric Foss calling the gaps for me, my 'bro driver' and coach. He was able to let me know where everything was happening so I could just put my head down and drive. We had a lot of fun out there, and the car was set up really well and working really well for us. The Yokohama tires held up despite the heat and conditions. The track was definitely going away, but the times didn't drop off a huge amount. I just went into tire preservation mode once I had a gap. Landy was still back there in my thoughts, so I wanted to make sure I kept my head down and ran some consistent laps. Unfortunately our (Michael) Levitas family wasn't able to make it this weekend. My heart goes out to them. I want to dedicate the win to his daughter, Erin, and hope for a healthy recovery."

SEBASTIAN LANDY (No. 49 Atlanta Motorsports Group, second Gold Cup): "I think it was a pretty good result. This is a great track for this car, and it was a lot of fun. I'm glad to be back here. I think we missed it a little bit with the setup in the race just because we got a good start and I tried to keep my head down, but I just couldn't carry the same speed as Jeff (Mosing). He did a great job with the pressure that was on him most of the race. The car started to fall off a little bit, and I was just trying to hang on for second. So I'm happy with the result."

SHAUN McKAIGUE (No. 34 Fiorano Racing, third Gold Cup, second Gold Masters): "We had a good start. We were kind of disappointed in the qualifying, but we ended up not putting many laps on the tires. I had a good start, made up a couple of positions. Mark Llano was on my door the whole time, pushing me, pushing me, pushing me. After that, another car. They just kept pushing. All I wanted to do was stay consistent. We were gaining on P2. The tires held on really well for us, and I think that was the difference. We kept it neat and tidy. Fiorano gave me a great car, and I'm tired!" (About standing on podium after crashing at end of GT3 Canada race last weekend at Calabogie): "We were very lucky. There was not that much damage. As always, the Porsche truck was right there. We were able to get the parts right there, fixed it up, and Pfaff Autoworks were great. They fixed the bodywork for us really quickly, did a great job. I was really happy about that."

JOE CATANIA (No. 24 NGT Motorsport, third Gold Masters): "I thought we had a great race between the Gold drivers. I think everyone was very respectful. I was patient. I actually had a better qualifying time than I was in the position. I lost a couple of spots, but I was able to stay in and let the race come to me. There were a few mistakes up front, and when the guys are battling, it lets me catch up. They burn their tires out, and then I was able to create a little bit of a gap and take advantage of it. I am very, very happy."

DAVID BAKER (No. 56 TOPP Racing, Yokohama Hard Charger Award winner): "First of all, I want to thank my sponsor Apex Capital for providing the capital to run this operation. But it was a good race. We qualified poorly, so that put us back in the back, and we had to work our way to the front."

Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama

The Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama enters its 11th season in 2015 as one of the largest of Porsche's 20 single-make Cup Challenge series in the world. The series produces 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.

Racing is divided into two classes - Platinum Cup, featuring the 2014 and 2015 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car, which is based on the current 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 Platinum and Gold classes. 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.

Canadians In BOLD