Bowmanville, Ontario - Elliott Skeer produced another smooth, composed drive to win Round 8 of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama on Sunday, sweeping both rounds of the series at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

Skeer, from Carlsbad, California, drove the No. 14 Wright Motorsports Porsche to victory by .886 of a second over Angel Benitez Jr. in the second straight caution-free race of the weekend for the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA)-sanctioned Single-Make Series. He won both 45-minute races this weekend from the pole, leading every lap.

"This has just been an absolutely incredible weekend," Skeer said. "More than anything I could have imagined. From the moment we unloaded, the Wright Motorsports team did an incredible job with the car.

"Qualifying went to plan with the two poles, and then to lead every lap of both races is amazing. I couldn't have even dreamed to do that. I just have to thank everyone - Porsche, IMSA, Yokohama and Wright Motorsports for putting me in this position to race this year."

The two victories helped Skeer build a 121-114 lead over Jesse Lazare in the Platinum Cup standings after seven of 16 rounds this season. Round 4 was rained out at NOLA Motorsports Park and Watkins Glen International and will be rescheduled later this season.

"There's only a small gap halfway through the year, so this is setting up for an amazing second half of the season," Skeer said.

Benitez, from Miami, ended up with his second runner-up finish of the weekend in the No. 05 JDX Racing Porsche. He trailed Skeer by 1.286 seconds in Round 7 Saturday.

Marco Cirone, the reigning Platinum Masters champion in the Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Michelin, finished third overall in the No. 88 Mark Motors Racing Porsche. Cirone, from Toronto, was the top Platinum Masters finisher in both races this weekend.

Lazare, from Montreal, finished fourth in the No. 21 Kelly-Moss Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car. Kasey Kuhlman, from Cincinnati, rounded out the top five overall in the No. 15 Wright Motorsports entry.

Sebastian Landy, from Falls Church, Virginia, won the Gold Cup class from the pole in the No. 49 Atlanta Motorsports Group Porsche.

Skeer managed his Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car, Yokohama tires and competition in sublime style for the second consecutive day. He started from the pole and built a lead of 1.481 seconds after 10 minutes on the 10-turn, 2.459-mile (3.957 km) circuit.

That gap held steady until about 12 minutes left in the race, when Skeer and Benitez started to reach lapped traffic. That let Benitez pull to within .658 of a second with seven minutes remaining.

Benitez got as close as .332 of a second with two minutes, 30 seconds remaining. But Skeer pulled away over the final two laps for victory.

"We struggled a little bit on qualifying, but we saw in the race that we had the pace for the leader, Elliott," Benitez said. "He did an awesome job driving, with no mistakes. I was just right behind him, trying to push him into making a mistake, but he did a good job."

Cirone resisted early pressure from Lazare to drive to his first overall podium finish in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama since March 2014 at Sebring International Raceway, his only event last year in the American series. Cirone ended up 7.662 seconds behind winner Skeer and 2.195 seconds ahead of Lazare.

Platinum Masters

Cirone controlled the Platinum Masters class from start to finish for the second straight day as he moonlighted in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama. He ended up 10.9 seconds ahead of reigning USA Platinum Masters champion Kuhlman.

"Today went a lot better than yesterday," Cirone said. "I had a mistake at the start yesterday that cost me two spots. But today I just decided I needed to get behind (Angel) Benitez and have absolutely zero mistakes. I tried to focus on that. At this level of racing, no mistakes will get you close to the front.

"The Yokohamas kept up incredibly well, and when you feel comfortable on your tires and a driver feels comfortable with their car, they can hold a really good pace. I didn't have the pace to keep up with Benitez and (Elliott) Skeer. Those guys are just unbelievable drivers. They're incredible, my hat's off to them. I love those guys. I was just happy to keep Jesse Lazare behind me because man, can that guy drive, as well. Everything worked out well."

Kuhlman never threatened Cirone for the top spot of the Platinum Masters podium, but he was forced to push the pace due to pressure from young Platinum Cup driver Andrew Longe, from Naples, Florida. Kuhlman kept his cool as Longe's No. 47 Fall-Line Motorsports Porsche climbed closer and closer to his rear bumper, holding off Longe by .457 of a second at the finish.

"I really have to thank Andrew Longe for a great race," Kuhlman said. "He pushed me the whole time. It was a lot of fun. This is what I signed up in the series for, races like that. It was a great, sportsman-like drive from him."

Kuhlman leads second place Jay Patel, 134-96, in the Platinum Masters standings.

Bill Peluchiwski, from Chicago, used a late pass of teammate Patel to earn third place Platinum Masters in Round 7 Saturday, but he held off Patel by 2.186 seconds with no drama for his second podium result of the weekend in the No. 74 Kelly-Moss Motorsports Porsche. Peluchiwski is third in the standings with 93 points.

Gold Cup/Gold Masters

Landy drove away from pole for his second Gold Cup victory of the season. He also won Round 2 in mid-March at the season-opening event at Sebring.

After finishing second to Jeff Mosing in Round 7, Landy beat Mosing to the finish by 6.088 seconds today in Round 8.

"Yesterday we struggled a little bit with the setup, and I don't think I could have held up to Jeff's pace the whole race," Landy said. "So the team did a great job making a couple of changes overnight. I had a great car today, so I was able to get a good start and a clean break and put a nice little gap between me and Jeff."

Mosing, from Austin, Texas, expanded his Gold Cup championship lead to 51 points over Joe Catania and Mark Llano with his fifth runner-up finish of the season in the No. 01 TOPP Racing Porsche. He also has two victories.

GT3 Cup Challenge Canada rookie Orey Fidani, from Woodbridge, Ontario, finished third at his home track in the No. 13 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche. Fidani also won the Yokohama Hard Charger Award.

Fidani, Catania, GT3 Cup Challenge Canada regular Shaun McKaigue and Mark Llano engaged in a fierce fight for the final spot on the Gold podium in arguably the best multi-car action of the race. Just 1.1 seconds separated the four drivers with 30 minutes left, a gap that didn't vary much for the entire round.

Catania, from Cazenovia, New York, held third overall in Gold for the first half of the race in his No. 24 NGT Motorsport Porsche until Fidani passed him with an outside move in Turn 8 with 22 minutes left. Series rookie Catania then resisted pressure from McKaigue's No. 34 Fiorano Racing Porsche and Llano's No. 22 NGT Motorsport Porsche to finish second in Gold Masters for his second podium finish of the weekend.

It was the second straight round in which Catania, McKaigue and Llano raced in close quarters without incident in an impressive display of calculated, composed driving.

"We have absolutely tremendous drivers are far as character and sportsmanship," Catania said. "There wasn't a driver that didn't respect another driver out there. There were no dive bombs, no risky moves. You either had to earn the pass or you didn't take the pass. I have to compliment all of the drivers in the Gold class."

2011 GT3 Canada Gold Cup champion McKaigue, from Gilford, Ontario, ended up third in Gold Masters for his second podium finish of the weekend.

Up Next

Rounds 9 and 10 are scheduled for Aug. 8-9 at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Both races are 45 minutes each.

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 8 POST-RACE QUOTES:

ELLIOTT SKEER (No. 14 Wright Motorsports, winner): "This has just been an absolutely incredible weekend. More than anything I could have imagined. From the moment we unloaded, the Wright Motorsports team did an incredible job with the car. Qualifying went to plan with the two poles, and then to lead every lap of both races is amazing. I couldn't have even dreamed to do that. I just have to thank everyone - Porsche, IMSA, Yokohama and Wright Motorsports for putting me in this position to race this year. It's been an amazing experience, and I can't already wait for Road America." (About leading standings entering second half of season): "It's close, but we're rolling in with the momentum. The first half is more of a learning experience and getting comfortable with the car. I'm comfortable with it and comfortable with everyone around me now. I know how Angel (Benitez Jr.) would battle, and I know how Jesse (Lazare) would battle. I'm very happy with them both. They've both done a spectacular job this year. There's only a small gap halfway through the year, so this is setting up for an amazing second half of the season."

ANGEL BENITEZ JR. (No. 05 JDX Racing, second): "We did a good job this weekend. We struggled a little bit on qualifying, but we saw in the race that we had the pace for the leader, Elliott (Skeer). He did an awesome job driving, with no mistakes. I was just right behind him, trying to push him into making a mistake, but he did a good job. JDX and Hertz did a great job with the setup. I had a great car in the second race. We had a good effort. I would like to thank IMSA, Yokohama and all of the supporters from the series. This series is very impressive, and it's so tough to win."

MARCO CIRONE (No. 88 Mark Motors Racing, third, first Platinum Masters): "Today went a lot better than yesterday. I had a mistake at the start yesterday that cost me two spots. But today I just decided I needed to get behind (Angel) Benitez and have absolutely zero mistakes. I tried to focus on that. At this level of racing, no mistakes will get you close to the front. The Yokohamas kept up incredibly well, and when you feel comfortable on your tires and a driver feels comfortable with their car, they can hold a really good pace. I didn't have the pace to keep up with Benitez and (Elliott) Skeer. Those guys are just unbelievable drivers. They're incredible, my hat's off to them. I love those guys. I was just happy to keep Jesse Lazare behind me because man, can that guy drive, as well. Everything worked out well. We made a few changes to the car. Big thanks to Bestline, who set up the car, and my sponsor, Mark Motors, for allowing me to be here. They're fantastic people, and I'm so proud to be a part of their organization."

KASEY KUHLMAN (No. 15 Wright Motorsports, second Platinum Masters): "That was a great race today. I really have to thank Andrew Longe for a great race. He pushed me the whole time. It was a lot of fun. This is what I signed up in the series for, races like that. So kudos to him and thank you to him for a great race. It was a great, sportsman-like drive from him. Thank you to Wright Motorsports for an even better car than yesterday. Top five overall is always my goal, and I achieved that today. I'm very happy with the weekend."

BILL PELUCHIWSKI (No. 74 Kelly-Moss Motorsports, third Platinum Masters): "Today was a very different race from yesterday. Today was all about the opening of the race. The key was the start and keeping my position within the grid. It was a little close with (Sebastian) Landy. He had a good start, but I managed to keep him in Turn 2. From there I was able to get a gap and hold it through. It was a bit of a lonely race but a controlled race. Kelly-Moss put together a great car, so I have to thank them and Porsche. It's been a great event."

SEBASTIAN LANDY (No. 49 Atlanta Motorsports Group, winner Gold Cup): "Yesterday we struggled a little bit with the setup, and I don't think I could have held up to Jeff's (Mosing) pace the whole race. So the team did a great job making a couple of changes overnight. I had a great car today, so I was able to get a good start and a clean break and put a nice little gap between me and Jeff. He did put his head down at one point and tried and chase me down. But I think we were running even lap times, so I was happy with the gap and even happier with the win."

JEFF MOSING (No. 01 TOPP Racing, second Gold Cup, first Gold Masters): "The race was good. It took a little while for the car to come in, and I had to sacrifice a couple of spots in the beginning. I had to battle it out with one of the Platinum cars and lost time against (Sebastian) Landy. He was really on pace today, and hat's off to them. We were both pretty equal on laps, but the gap was too far to make up in a 45-minute race. Thanks again to TOPP Racing and IMSA, Porsche North America and Yokohama for putting on a great series. And thanks against to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. I love this place."

OREY FIDANI (No. 13 Pfaff Motorsports, third Gold Cup, Yokohama Hard Charger Award winner): "Today I was just capitalizing on some mistakes that I made yesterday and just trying go a little harder. I accomplished that. I managed to get ahead of the guys that were holding me back a little bit yesterday, and once I did that, I managed to get a gap. I tried to catch the leaders, but they were already too far ahead by that point. I just tried to hold my position and finish on podium. It's always good to be on podium but especially here."

JOE CATANIA (No. 24 NGT Motorsport, second Gold Masters): "We have absolutely tremendous drivers are far as character and sportsmanship. There wasn't a driver that didn't respect another driver out there. There were no dive bombs, no risky moves. You either had to earn the pass or you didn't take the pass. I have to compliment all of the drivers in the Gold class. I feel like IMSA is sending the right message, in general, to all of the drivers. But the race was tremendous. I have to say I had a good start, but I worked hard for 45 straight minutes. I couldn't tell anyone who doesn't race cars how exhausting that was - the heat, the focus, correcting your mistakes. All in all, it was really just a good weekend for us. Both cars are rolling back on the trailer, and that is a home run."

SHAUN McKAIGUE (No. 34 Fiorano Racing, third Gold Masters): "It was really fun out there. We diced back and forth, and I made up a couple of positions toward the beginning, and the other guys just made a lot of good moves. It was really fun with Joe (Catania). Orey (Fidani) really, really drove the wheels off the car. He did a great job today. Fiorano gave me a good car. We had a lot of fun and just didn't quite have enough today."

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