In both GT3 Cup classes at Road America, the leaders ran within a half second throughout the opening stint of the race, and it was the mandatory pit stop that ultimately decided the victors.
Brannan Hankins started second but assumed the top spot on Lap 1 over Blake McGovern, but the latter regained first just prior to pitting. However, the two cars swapped spots again after changing drivers – Hankins to Andy Lee and McGovern to Dan Clarke. Despite Clarke’s best efforts, he was unable to catch Lee, and it was the first victory this year for the Loftus Motorsports pair.
“At first, I was really nervous that I left too soon because I was like, ‘Oh man, we should probably still be in second,’” Lee said.
“But I’ve got to give that one to our crew.. They did a stellar job, got us out perfectly on time. Everything was just spot on.”
“And Brandon just put us in such a good position when we went to the pit box. So, yeah, I couldn’t ask for anything else. I mean, it was just a total team effort and our first win in this series, so we’re really happy about it.”
McGovern and Clarke (Kellymoss) finished second to retain the championship lead, while Rob Walker and Nick Shaeffer (JTR Motorsports Engineering) finished third. Hankins and Lee are expected to jump from third place in the standings following their win.
In the Am category, Dan Ammann, Frank Vitiello, and Henry Marshall ran close before pit stops of their own. Ammann changed over to Owen Trinkler and Marshall to Charles Espenlaub, while Vitiello ran a solo campaign.
Vitiello stayed on track the longest before pitting, and the lead eventually cycled to Trinkler for the remainder of the contest. It was Ammann and Trinkler’s second consecutive win following victory at Sonoma Raceway in April, and the duo will catapult to just outside of the title lead ahead of the finale.
William Peluchiwski sealed three victories in three races at Road America after having previously swept the Porsche Sprint Challenge North America races earlier in the weekend. And with co-driver Andrew Davis, the pair have now gone three-for-three in Endurance Challenge competition thus far in 2026.
Peluchiwski advanced from the Cayman Am category to Pro-Am on Sunday, and sought to climb as high on the leaderboard as possible. He and Davis wound up 13th, first among Cayman entries, and hold a nearly untouchable championship gap heading into the final round.
Meanwhile, the Porsche racing community is no stranger to family affairs, and this time in the spotlight was the father-son duo of Griff and Brent Asplundh. After running earlier in Sprint Challenge, the pair successfully tried their hand for the first time in the Endurance Challenge Cayman Am class. The Kellymoss crew executed a perfect pit stop to jump the Asplundhs into the lead and never looked back.
In second place, Joey Atterbury swapped his spot on the Sprint Challenge commentary booth for a spot behind the wheel, joining longtime Porsche driver Jim Jonsin. Jonsin took his turn in the lead during the opening stint before handing the car over in third, and Atterbury chased down second place over Justin Lewis (who suffered a post-race penalty for a short pit stop) in the closing minutes.
Porsche Endurance Challenge North America by Yokohama has one contest remaining in the 2026 season, and will charge from Road America to Road Atlanta for its conclusion. After runs at Sebring International Raceway and Sonoma Raceway earlier in the year, Road Atlanta will decide the title-winners during its event from 11–13 September.
Sprint Challenge North America will also reach its conclusion that weekend, while Sprint Challenge USA West wraps up seven days prior at Laguna Seca.
Road America and its 4.048 miles of twists and turns played host to the penultimate Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama event of 2026, alongside sister series Sprint Challenge USA West and the third of four rounds for Endurance Challenge North America.
Danny Dyszelski, Mark Boden, Anna Cecchi and William Peluchiwski each swept their classes as championship battles continued to take shape ahead of the season finale.
After joining the Porsche Sprint Challenge North America GT3 Cup field two events ago, Danny Dyszelski (TOPP Racing) quickly emerged as a challenger to Pro-Am championship leader Karel Staut (Kellymoss). At Road America, Dyszelski finally turned that pace into results, sweeping both races after finishing second to Staut three times across the previous four contests.
Staut still finished on the podium in both races, taking second on Friday and third on Saturday to maintain a sizeable championship advantage. Through 6 rounds, only once this season has the Belgian driver finished outside the top three.
Meanwhile, Porsche Junior Program driver Riley Giacomazzi (Competition Motorsports) matched his best performance of the season in Race 2, passing Staut on the penultimate lap for second place. The young driver also completed the podium in Race 1 with a third-place finish.
In the GT3 Cup Masters class, Road America may prove to be a turning point for Mark Boden (Fall-Line Motorsports) and his championship efforts. Boden entered the weekend holding a slim nine-point advantage over Alain Scalzo (Scalzo Autosport), but departed Wisconsin with a pair of victories and additional breathing room heading into the final two races of the year.
Four different drivers occupied the remaining podium positions across the weekend. Keith McGovern (Kellymoss) and Todd Treffert (CRP Racing) finished second and third, respectively, in Race 1 after several competitors ahead ran off course and out of contention.
In Race 2, Scalzo rebounded from a difficult Friday to finish second and collect valuable championship points, while Matt Smith (ACI Motorsports) secured a podium finish on the final lap.
Anna Cecchi and William Peluchiwski left little doubt in the Cayman categories, each sweeping the weekend in Pro-Am and Masters competition, respectively.
Both drivers led flag-to-flag in each race at the fan-favorite Wisconsin circuit, extending impressive runs of form heading into the season finale. For Porsche Mobil 1 Female Driver Program driver Cecchi (CHR), the victories marked three consecutive wins, while Peluchiwski (Kellymoss) added a third victory in four races.
Cecchi kept the Grant brothers (Grant Motorsports) behind her at the start of Friday’s race. While David Grant faded backward early, Keith Grant secured second place ahead of Cody Knight (TOPP Racing) in third.
Keith Grant appeared headed for another runner-up result on Saturday before being called to pit lane during a late restart. David Grant inherited second place, while Todd Ruttura (HM Road Racing) held onto third despite late pressure from Griff Asplundh. A post-race penalty ultimately kept Asplundh fourth in the final results.
With two more victories, Cecchi’s narrow championship lead over Keith Grant expanded to 14 points entering the final event of the season.
Peluchiwski also gained ground in the Cayman Masters title fight. Entering Road America 11 points behind championship leader Greg Cecchi, the Kellymoss driver capitalized on a near-perfect weekend to close the gap.
Greg Cecchi (CHR) finished third behind Tom Rogers (Tatum Racing) in Race 1 before being caught up in an incident on Saturday. Rogers added another runner-up finish in Race 2, while Brent Asplundh (Kellymoss) completed the podium.
Greg Herback (ACI Motorsports) initially appeared headed for third after a last-lap pass on Dominique Lequeux (Goldcrest Motorsports), but a post-race penalty reshuffled the order. Lequeux then spun in the final corners, elevating Asplundh onto the podium.
From Road America to Road Atlanta, the 2026 Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama season will conclude in Braselton, Georgia. Round 7, scheduled for 11 – 13 September brings the 13th and 14th races of the year that began the first week of March and has taken the series from coast-to-coast.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Karel Staut (Kellymoss) continued his winning form in Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama with a GT3 Cup sweep at VIRginia International Raceway, while Ford Koch (Kellymoss) and Anna Cecchi (CHR) split Cayman Pro-Am class victories during the series’ fifth event of the season.
Karel Staut (Kellymoss) added two GT3 Cup victories to his season tally at VIR, although Sunday’s race proved to be his closest challenge of the weekend.
Race 1 was interrupted almost immediately when Chris Hutter (JTR Motorsports Engineering) was involved in a heavy accident on the opening lap. The incident brought out an extended caution period before the field returned to green-flag racing.
Once the race resumed, Staut quickly settled back into the lead and maintained control through the remainder of the contest. Behind him, Riley Giacomazzi (Competition Motorsports) secured second place while Matthew Siegal (JDX Racing) completed the podium in third. Danny Dyszelski (TOPP Racing) finished fourth and Jens Hantson (ACI Motorsports) rounded out the top five.
Sunday’s Race 2 developed into a much tighter battle.
Dyszelski moved into second place on the opening lap and immediately attached himself to the rear of Staut’s Kellymoss Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race car. The pair gradually pulled away from the pack and spent much of the race separated by less than a second.
While Dyszelski remained close enough to pressure the race leader, Staut never relinquished his position. Each time the gap tightened, the Kellymoss driver responded and maintained his advantage at the front.
The pair crossed the finish line separated by less than a second, with Staut securing the sweep and Dyszelski claiming his best finish of the weekend. Siegal completed the podium after another consistent race.
The GT3 Cup Masters category saw victories split between Alain Scalzo (Scalzo Autosport) and Mark Boden (Fall-Line Motorsports).
Scalzo led the Masters field in Race 1 and he secured victory ahead of Todd Treffert (JDX Racing) and Boden. On Sunday, Boden responded by taking the class win ahead of Scalzo and Joel Johnson (JDX Racing), ensuring both drivers left VIR with a victory and a runner-up finish.
The Cayman Pro-Am category produced two different winners across the weekend, with Koch controlling Saturday’s race before Cecchi answered on Sunday.
Koch led Race 1 from the front and gradually built an advantage over the field. Anna Cecchi remained his closest challenger through much of the race, but the Kellymoss driver maintained the gap and dominated before a late caution period neutralized the field.
Koch secured the victory and fastest lap, while Cecchi finished second and Keith Grant (Grant Motorsports) completed the podium in third.
Sunday’s race followed a different script.
Starting from pole position, Cecchi immediately established herself at the front of the pack. By the end of the opening laps she had built a comfortable advantage and continued extending it throughout the race.
While Cecchi maintained the lead ahead of the pack, the biggest movement came from Koch.
After starting 13th on the grid, Koch quickly began moving forward. He climbed into the top five within the opening laps and reached fourth place by lap six. He eventually would move into second position.
Although Koch recorded the fastest lap of the race, the gap to Cecchi proved too large to overcome. Cecchi led every lap and took the checkered flag with a margin approaching 10 seconds.
Koch’s drive from 13th to second secured another podium finish, while Grant completed the podium in third for the second consecutive race.
The Cayman Masters category also produced split victories between William Peluchiwski (Kellymoss) and Greg Cecchi (CHR).
Saturday’s race featured an extended battle between the pair. Greg Cecchi controlled the early stages before Peluchiwski closed the gap and eventually took over the class lead. Once in front, Peluchiwski pulled away and secured the victory, while Cecchi finished second and Tom Rogers (Competition Motorsports) completed the podium.
Race 2 initially appeared to be heading in the same direction.
Peluchiwski started from class pole position and led the opening stages while building an advantage over the rest of the Masters field. The Kellymoss driver looked on course to complete a weekend sweep before the race turned midway through the contest.
A pair of mistakes allowed Cecchi to erase the gap and move into the lead. Once in front, the CHR driver steadily increased his advantage through the closing laps and secured the victory.
Peluchiwski recovered to finish second, while Rogers again completed the podium in third.
The result gave both Cecchi and Peluchiwski a victory and a runner-up finish during the weekend.
Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama returns August 14-16 at Road America for the sixth event of the 2026 season, joining both Sprint Challenge USA West & Endurance Challenge North America for a packed weekend of racing
The Wisconsin circuit will host the penultimate race weekend of the year as competitors continue their campaigns following the VIR round. Road America will feature two races each for the GT3 Cup and Cayman categories as the season moves toward its conclusion.
A return to Sonoma Raceway brought familiar results for Porsche Sprint Challenge USA West by Yokohama, as Brannan Hankins remained undefeated, Anna Cecchi completed a Cayman Pro-Am sweep, and Matt Dusek scored his first victories of the season during Velocity Invitational.
Circuit of The Americas provided an assortment of experiences for Porsche Sprint Challenge USA West by Yokohama drivers ranging from first wins to scorching temperatures, and to arguably the most crucial of all – additional track time at one of the country’s most technical road courses.
A new name topped the GT3 Cup Pro-Am leaderboard for the first time at COTA, as Mark Crigler celebrated his inaugural series victory on Saturday afternoon. It came during the hottest race seen throughout the weekend, as track temperatures reached above 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
Crigler and his Crigler Sport LLC team finally broke through after four consecutive podium finishes dating back to the opening weekend at Apex Motor Club. But, Brannan Hankins – Friday’s winner at COTA in the same class – had been dominant since the season’s first green flag with Loftus Motorsports.
Hankins did face strong competition, though, en route to his Race 1 win. Class newcomer Alex Pratt was posting fastest laps of the day in second place and clawed to within a second of Hankins, but eventually fell off his rival’s pace.
Both drivers took their learning experience to the sister Porsche Sprint Challenge North America races at COTA, also on Friday and Saturday.
In Race 2, the closest competitor to Crigler was Manuel Gil Del Real (Paradaime Performance Engineering) in the 992 GT3 Cup Masters class. Gil Del Real also became a first-time winner in Sprint Challenge USA West at COTA, and took home Saturday’s top trophy as well.
The father-daughter duo of Greg and Anna Cecchi (Charlie Hayes Racing) popped back onto the Sprint Challenge USA West scene at COTA.
The younger Cecchi ran uncontested in the 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport Pro-Am class for two wins.
Meanwhile, the elder Cecchi joined two fellow Porsche single-make drivers – Greg Herback and Justin Lewis – in the Cayman Masters class. Herback and Lewis are poised for a season-long showdown in Sprint Challenge USA West and the former only led by 14 in the championship arriving at COTA.
The duo alternated victories in Austin, Texas, with Herback winning on Friday and Lewis winning on Saturday. The elder Cecchi finished second in both contests and crucially, Herback forwent points after an out-lap incident prevented him from competing in Race 2.
All four Cayman class drivers hopped between both the Sprint Challenge USA West and North America fields at COTA for a total of four races apiece.
Porsche GT Track Day made its Circuit of The Americas debut, giving participants the chance to drive the world-famous Austin circuit alongside the combined Porsche Sprint Challenge North America and USA West race weekend.
Drivers tackled COTA’s demanding 3.4-mile layout in their own Porsche road cars through lead-follow and open-lapping sessions as changing Texas weather added to the experience throughout the day.
Porsche Austin supported the event with three Porsche 911 GT3 lead-follow cars and professional driver coaches.
Participants also received behind-the-scenes access to the Porsche Sprint Challenge paddock, including meet-and-greet opportunities with drivers and tours of Porsche Motorsport North America operations.
The day concluded with high-speed hot laps in Porsche one-make race cars driven by Alec Udell and Riley Giacomazzi.
Karel Staut’s unbeaten Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama run finally came to an end at Circuit of The Americas on Friday, only for the Kellymoss driver to respond the next day by returning straight to victory lane in Race 2.
JDX Racing’s Matthew Siegal would win the first race of the weekend, his first in the series.
After starting on pole in Race 1, Danny Dyszelski (TOPP Racing) was nudged off the racetrack by Staut in the Esses on the opening lap. After claiming all pole positions and wins to date throughout 2026, Staut was issued a 20-second penalty despite leading the rest of the race, ultimately finishing ninth-in-class.
But behind him in a last-lap shootout, Matthew Siegal (JDX Racing) powered past Dyzselski for second place and grabbed the win – his first in Sprint Challenge North America after finding success in the sister USA West series.
Dyszelski, in his return to the series since last season, held onto second with Riley Giacomazzi claiming his second podium of the year in third.
However, Staut returned to his winning ways in Race 2, familiarly starting from first and finishing first. Dyzselski ran second-place throughout the contest, while the fight for third highlighted the opening half of the 35-minute, plus one-lap race. Blake McGovern would secure the spot, marking his fourth third-place finish of 2026.
The GT3 Cup Masters season-long battle between Mark Boden (Fall-Line Motorsports) and Alain Scalzo (Scalzo Autosport) continued at COTA. The pair split not only the wins, but also the second-place finishes at the Austin, Texas circuit.
Boden finished first on Saturday, with Scalzo in second. The pair swapped positions on Sunday, with Scalzo victorious and Boden finishing runner-up. Scalzo nearly swept the weekend if not for a minor track-limit penalty in Race 1, while Boden settled for runner-up behind his rival by less than a second in Race 2.
As a result, Boden leads Scalzo by 15 points in the championship standings.
Mixing it up with the leading pair in both contests was Todd Treffert, who walked away from COTA with two third-place trophies.
Keith Grant (Grant Motorsports) and Simon Read (ProSport Competition) were the only repeat winners in Porsche Sprint Challenge North America at COTA, sweeping their respective 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport Pro-Am and Masters classes.
Grant became a first-time series winner in Race 1 after starting from the class pole position. Before COTA, Grant’s best finish was a double runner-up at Sebring International Raceway behind Anna Cecchi. On Saturday, the roles were reversed as he finished ahead of Cecchi by two seconds, followed by Spencer Propper in third.
In Race 2, Grant followed Cecchi until the pair approached the white flag. Grant challenged down the inside in Turn 19, and Ceechi subsequently suffered a spin trying to put the power down. Keith straightened up his car for the win, while brother David Grant snuck by in third behind Todd Ruttura in second. Cecchi wound up fourth.
After his double victory, Keith Grant now leads Cecchi by four points in the championship.
In the Cayman Masters category, Simon Read not only ran at the top of his class at COTA, but also overall throughout much of the weekend. Read – who made his season debut last round at Sonoma Raceway – led both Cayman classes for all but one lap in Race 1, and also for the concluding two laps of Race 2 after passing the Pro-Am class turmoil ahead of him.
Saturday’s Masters podium had the top-three drivers finish within 1.5 seconds of each other – Read, Tom Rogers and Greg Cecchi, respectively. On Sunday, Read was out of sight ahead of William Peluchiwski in second and Greg Cecchi in third, although the latter duo were split by just five-tenths after a feisty, race-long battle.
Through four rounds, Rogers maintains a seven-point lead over Cecchi in the standings.
Justin Lewis #75
Mixed conditions and high stakes defined the weekend at Sonoma Raceway, where Porsche Sprint Challenge USA West by Yokohama competitors faced the season’s most demanding weekends. From drying lines to late‑race rain, the unpredictable weather tested driver patience, tire management, and race craft across both races.
| Round | event | date |
|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | Sebring International Raceway | March 6 – 8 |
| Round 2 | Barber Motorsports Park | March 27 – 29 |
| Round 3 | Sonoma Raceway | April 10 – 12 |
| Round 4 | Circuit of the Americas | May 7 – 9 |
| Round 5 | Virginia International Raceway | June 19 – 21 |
| Round 6 | Road America | August 14 – 16 |
| Round 7 | Road Atlanta | September 11 – 13 |
| Round | event | date |
|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | Apex Motor Club | February 6 – 8 |
| Round 2 | Sonoma Raceway | April 10 – 12 |
| Round 3 | Circuit of the Americas | May 7 – 9 |
| Round 4 | Sonoma Raceway | May 29 – 31 |
| Round 5 | Road America | August 14 – 16 |
| Round 6 | WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca | September 4 - 6 |
| Round | event | date |
|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | Sebring International Raceway | March 6 – 8 |
| Round 2 | Sonoma Raceway | April 10 – 12 |
| Round 3 | Road America | August 14 – 16 |
| Round 4 | Road Atlanta | September 11 – 13 |
