Sonoma Raceway was doubly significant for Porsche competitors, as the track hosted the Porsche Sprint Challenge by Yokohama finale and the third round for the Porsche Endurance Challenge. The track in Northern California wrapped up seven rounds for Sprint Challenge’s North American series and six rounds for its counterpart USA West series.
While Sprint Challenge action concluded this past weekend, the Endurance Challenge continues on with one round remaining later this year at Circuit of The Americas on November 22-24.
Porsche Endurance Challenge North America:
In a solo effort, Aaron Jeansonne won the third Porsche Endurance Challenge event of the season in a Porsche 992 GT3 Cup after starting third and managing traffic throughout the hour-long race.
Jeansonne cycled to the lead after the mandatory pit stop and finished more than three seconds ahead of the rest of the class.
BR Racing, with polesitter Blake McDonald and co-driver Riley Dickinson, finished second after Dickinson used the lapped traffic to make a pass for the runner-up spot.
The BR Racing squad wound up third after the pit stops behind JTR Motorsports Engineering and Anthony McIntosh, but the two cars diced between lapped cars in the closing minutes, with Dickinson taking the spot and McIntosh finishing third.
The Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport finish came down to the final corners, with Rafa Racing Team by JDX finishing 1-2 and Ian Porter leading the way. The team swept both races in Porsche Sprint Challenge North America earlier in the weekend and Porter found himself once again holding off teammate Caroline Candas by mere car lengths.
The two similarly navigated traffic – with Porter having a close call that allowed Candas to close in – but the two crossed the finish line ahead of the Wright Motorsports Porsche driven by Patrick Dempsey and Patrick Long.
Porsche Endurance Challenge North America – Race Results
Porsche Sprint Challenge North America:
In the Sprint Challenge North America finale, Jared Thomas was crowned the 992 GT3 Cup Pro-Am champion and sealed his success with a victory on Sunday. The JTR Motorsports Engineering driver tallied eleven wins in 2024 en route to the title.
While Thomas was victorious in Race 2, it was Aaron Jeansonne who snatched the Race 1 win – and his first overall – on Saturday with two minutes remaining. Paul Bocuse finished runner-up in both 992 GT3 Cup races at Sonoma, his eighth and ninth of the season. His MDK Motorsports teammate Conrad Geis finished third in Race 1, and Ashley Freiberg finished third in Race 2.
In the 992 GT3 Cup Masters class, the battle between Scott Blind and Mark Boden was down to a narrow 14 points entering the weekend.
However, Blind finished with two podiums to capture the title for Ruckus Racing.
Northern California driver Kayden Kelly with Throttle Therapy Motorsports won both races at Sonoma – the team’s first appearance with the series this year – while Rob Walker also finished on the podium Saturday and Sunday.
In the 991 GT3 Cup class, Niels Meissner secured the title at the drop of the green flag on Sunday with the Kellymoss team. He went on for the win the same day, while Tony Malito and Thomas Herb took second and third-place, respectively, in the championship.
Ian Porter added ‘Porsche Sprint Challenge North America Champion’ to his resume alongside ‘Call of Duty Champion’ with a victory on Saturday at Sonoma.
He and teammate Caroline Candas split the Porsche 718 Cayman RS GT4 Clubsport wins of the weekend, with Candas taking advantage of her pole position on Sunday to do so. Loni Unser finished third place in both races and ended the season with four consecutive podium finishes.
In the Cayman GT4 Clubsport Masters class, Michael Clarke earned the class championship with Kellymoss while Patrick Dempsey scored his inaugural win in the Sprint Challenge series. Dempsey was at the front in both races, but finally stood atop the podium in Race 2 after lengthy battles with William Peluchiwski.
Peluchiwski, Bill Fenech and Daniel Ammann all scored podium finishes of their own at Sonoma, while Clark capped off his championship efforts with a third-place result on Sunday.
Porsche Sprint Challenge North America GT3 Cup Results – Race 1 and Race 2
Porsche Sprint Challenge North America 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport Results – Race 1 and Race 2
Porsche Sprint Challenge USA West:
The final races for Porsche Sprint Challenge USA West ended in identical fashion at Sonoma, featuring restarts with seven minutes remaining for competitors to fight to the checkered flag.
Blake McDonald with BR Racing was poised for a weekend sweep and made his way to Victory Lane on Sunday, but a starting penalty in Race 1 took him from the lead with just minutes remaining.
Anthony McIntosh took advantage for the class win, his second of the season, ahead of Patrick Mulcahy in second and James Li in third. McIntosh was the only driver with a double podium in USA West at Sonoma, finishing third on Sunday behind Casey Dennis who powered to second place. However, McDonald went on to win the class championship by more than 100 points.
Meanwhile, Kevin Woods collected two wins at Sonoma en route to his USA West Masters championship also with BR Racing, finishing seven seconds in the lead on Saturday and two seconds on Sunday.
Woods started both races from pole position and finished ahead of Kyle Washington and Laura Ely in Race 1. Reinhold Krahn and Dmitri Novikov completed the podium on Sunday.
OTTO WERKS teammates Eli Kogan and Richard Kinsey won their two respective Cayman GT4 Clubsport races of the weekend, with Kinsey leading the way in the Masters class. Kogan was the undisputed champion in his category, while Michael Gaulke was the 2024 title winner in Masters.
Porsche Sprint Challenge USA West Results – Race 1 and Race 2
The Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama season has concluded, but one race remains for Porsche competitors to join in for a final endurance event of the year.
Circuit of The Americas will host an unprecedented six-hour enduro for Porsche Endurance Challenge North America on November 22 – 24, with details available at www.porschesprint.com.
Porsche Sprint Challenge race replays are available on the Porsche Motorsport North America YouTube channel
