The 2026 Porsche Sprint Challenge USA West by Yokohama season begins to wind down, but the competition is not letting up.
Road America hosted the penultimate event for four classes – two featuring the Porsche GT3 Cup (Type 992.1) and two featuring the 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport. The series welcomed additional drivers between the two races, as numerous entries were onsite for the joint weekend with Porsche Sprint & Endurance Challenge North America by Yokohama.
GT3 Cup leader Hankins endures challenge from Pratt for win & runner-up finish.
Brannan Hankins has all but secured the GT3 Cup Pro-Am championship with two races remaining in the season, but the Loftus Motorsports driver could not fully capitalize his point opportunities after a weekend-long challenge from Alex Pratt.
Pratt (ACI Motorsports) started both GT3 Cup races from the pole position, but succumbed early to Hankins in Race 1. It would be Hankins’ eighth win of the year, further extending his title advantage over Marc Crigler in second place, who forwent the rounds this weekend.
Yet Pratt learned from his missteps and built a strong gap at the start of Race 2, earning the win and keeping Hankins in second at the checkered flag by more than 13 seconds. Pratt previously joined the field at Circuit of The Americas in May, so is therefore not in championship contention.
The GT3 Cup Masters class wins were also split between Laura Ely on Saturday and Matt Smith on Sunday. Ely (Black Sheep Racing) was in a similar position to Hankins, where her championship lead ballooned following second-place Manuel Gil Del Real not traveling to Road America.
Despite her Race 1 win, Ely gave way to Smith (ACI Motorsports) in Race 2, the latter of whom joined the class after previous runs this year in Porsche Sprint & Endurance Challenge North America. Henry Marshall (HM Road Racing) completed the class podiums both days.
Bradford, Herback lead the way in Cayman competition.
While the GT3 Cup victories were up for grabs, the fight for 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport success clearly laid with Zach Bradford in the Pro-Am field and Greg Herback in the Masters field.
Following his fifth and six wins of the season, Bradford (ZRB Motorsports) is all-but the decided class champion prior to the final two races of the season. However in the Masters class, Herback’s double victory inches him closer to title frontrunner Justin Lewis (Lewis Racing).
Lewis captured two runner-up finishes at Road America to manage his gap over Herback, but the season-long battle between the two will come down to the final races of the year.
The pair were joined by series newcomer John Mollenkopf (Loftus Motorsports), who finished third in both rounds and showed improvement over the weekend in Wisconsin while learning the Cayman race car.
Season finale approaches at Laguna Seca INDYCAR weekend.
In fitting fashion, Porsche Sprint Challenge USA West will conclude its season in California over Labor Day weekend, visiting Laguna Seca for the first time in 2026.
Drivers will take on the historic track – and world renowned Corkscrew Turn – alongside the INDYCAR Monterey Grand Prix for the final two races that will determine this year’s championship winners.
Results.
Race 1
GT3 Cup Pro-Am
- Brannan Hankins, #295
- Alex Pratt, #206
GT3 Cup Masters
- Laura Ely, #209
- Henry Marshall, #278
Cayman Pro-Am
- Zach Bradford, #14
Cayman Masters
- Greg Herback, #49
- Justin Lewis, #75
- John Mollenkopf, #4
Race 2
GT3 Cup Pro-Am
- Alex Pratt, #206
- Brannan Hankins, #295
- Muzaffar Gafurov, #200
GT3 Cup Masters
- Matt Smith, #274
- Laura Ely, #209
- Henry Marshall, #278
Cayman Pro-Am
- Zach Bradford, #14
Cayman Masters
- Greg Herback, #49
- Justin Lewis, #75
- John Mollenkopf, #4
