By: Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama
August 10 2016

Daytona Beach, Florida - The Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama championship race is entering the home stretch this weekend at the Grand Prix of Trois-Rivières (GP3R) in Trois-Rivières, Quebec, as just four rounds remain in the season.

Rounds 9 and 10 - both 45-minute races - will take place on the 10-turn, 1.5207-mile (2.433 km) temporary street circuit during the 47th edition of the popular street race. Round 9 is scheduled for 11:10 a.m. (ET) Saturday, Aug. 13, with Round 10 at 10 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 14.

Qualifying is scheduled for 8:35 a.m. Saturday, with practice sessions at 1:45 p.m. and 5:50 p.m. Friday, Aug. 12.

2015 Platinum Cup runner-up Daniel Morad and 2014 Platinum Cup champion Scott Hargrove are locked in a tense duel for the title this year. Morad leads Hargrove, 137-134.

Morad and Hargrove have split victories in the two rounds at each of the last two events, in early July at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International and in mid-July at Toronto. Hargrove has won four races this season in the No. 28 OpenRoad Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car, while Morad has earned three victories in the No. 17 Porsche Centre Oakville/Alegra Motorsports Porsche.

Past history nudges the scales of prediction toward Hargrove at GP3R in this ultra-competitive race.

Hargrove, from Tsawwassen, British Columbia, swept both rounds last season at GP3R and finished second in both rounds in 2014. But Morad, from Toronto, also has shown to be a street-circuit ace, as he won on the temporary circuit at Toronto in 2015 and this year.

There could be a spoiler this weekend in the race, too. 2015 Platinum Cup champion Chris Green is making only his second appearance of the season in the series in the No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche. Green, from Montreal, has two career Platinum Cup victories at GP3R.

Zach Robichon also will challenge for podium positions in both races as he continues his outstanding rookie season in the No. 78 Mark Motors Racing Porsche. Robichon, from Ottawa, won Round 2 in mid-May at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP) and has produced five other podium finishes. He is third in the standings with 126 points.

Marco Cirone will look to close in on his fourth consecutive Platinum Masters championship in the No. 88 Mark Motors Racing Porsche at GP3R. Cirone, from Toronto, has won five of the eight rounds this season to take a 152-144 lead over Tim Sanderson, from Pickering, Ontario, in the No. 07 Porsche Centre Oakville/Alegra Motorsports Porsche.

2011 Gold Cup champion Shaun McKaigue will continue his drive toward a second title in the class in the No. 34 Fiorano Racing Porsche. McKaigue, from Gilford, Ontario, leads Quebec native Martin Harvey, 114-106, in the standings.

Competition also will take place at GP3R in the new Cayman GT4 Clubsport race car that comprises the Silver Cup class. Andrew Danyliw, from Toronto, has won all four races this season in the No. 38 SCB Racing Porsche.

Four drivers with Quebec roots will race on home asphalt this weekend at GP3R.

Green, Etienne Borgeat, from Montreal, and Valerie Chiasson, from Mont-Tremblant, will drive in the Platinum Cup class. Chiasson is the first full-season female competitor in the six-year history of the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA)-sanctioned Single-Make Series, driving the No. 27 Porsche prepared by Montreal-area GT Racing.

Series veteran Harvey, from Berthierville, will contend for Gold Cup victory in the No. 08 Wingho Racing Porsche.

For more information about Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama, visit www.imsa.com, follow hashtag #GT3CAN @IMSA on Twitter or IMSA on Facebook.

Schedule

Practice: 1:45-2:20 p.m. (ET) and 5:50-6:25 p.m. Friday, Aug. 12
Qualifying: 8:35-8:55 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 13
Round 9 (45 minutes): 11:10-11:55 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 13
Round 10 (45 minutes): 10-10:45 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 14
Driver Autograph Session: 12:45-1:15 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 13, Yokohama Tire Service Centre in Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama paddock

Race Coverage

Live streaming: www.imsa.tv
TV: Delayed television coverage will be provided on TSN, with the schedule announced soon.
Live timing: All on-track sessions at scoring.imsa.com and on the official IMSA App for iOS, Android and Windows
Twitter: Live text commentary from all sessions at @IMSALive

About Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama

The Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama enters its sixth season in 2016 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, and the new Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport. The International Motor Sports Association (IMSA)-sanctioned championship is one of 20 global Porsche single-make Cup Racing series and is the perfect platform for aspiring drivers to ascend to the highest levels of GT competition, such as the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

Racing in the Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama is divided into three classes - Platinum Cup, featuring the 2014-16 model Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car, which is based on the seventh, and current, generation of the street car; Gold Cup, which is comprised of the previous iteration (model years 2010-2013) of the race car; and the Silver class consisting of competitors in the new Cayman GT4 Clubsport. 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.

For more information about Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama, visit www.imsa.com, follow hashtag #GT3CAN @IMSA on Twitter or IMSA on Facebook.

About IMSA

The International Motor Sports Association, LLC (IMSA) was originally founded in 1969 and owns a long and rich history in sports car racing. Today, IMSA is the sanctioning body of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the premier sports car racing series in North America. IMSA also sanctions the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge and the Mazda Prototype Lites Presented by Cooper Tires, as well as four single-make series: Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama; Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama; Ferrari Challenge North America; and Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America. IMSA - a company within the NASCAR family - 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 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship competitors to earn automatic entries into the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans. For more information, visit www.IMSA.com, www.twitter.com/IMSA or www.facebook.com/IMSA.