With 24 cars entered and powerhouse Porsche customer teams on the grid, the 2026 Porsche Endurance Challenge North America by Yokohama season begins March 8 at Sebring International Raceway.
Introduced in 2024, the championship has quickly become a proving ground for drivers transitioning from sprint racing into professional endurance competition, becoming a key step in the North American Porsche Motorsport Pyramid. That pathway is clearly reflected on this year’s entry list.
Reigning Porsche Carrera Cup North America champion Ryan Yardley, now a 2026 Porsche Motorsport North America Selected Driver, used Endurance Challenge as a stepping stone before moving into full-season GT3 competition in GT World Challenge America presented by AWS.
Yardley and David Musial Jr crossed the line first as an invitational entry in the final race of the 2025 season – the four-hour Road Atlanta battle and the duo is now headed to World Challenge this season in a Wright Motorsports-entered Porsche 911 GT3 R.
The same can be said for Zachary Vanier, the 2025 Porsche Global Junior Shootout North American representative. Vanier was an Endurance Challenge regular in the past two seasons alongside Mike Mim. This season, he too will drive a 911 GT3 R in World Challenge – teamed with fellow Carrera Cup ace Michael McCann.
Other racers to use the series as a stepping stone to open competition in GT World Challenge North America powered by AWS include John Gilliland, Todd Parriott, Michael Clarke, Scott Blind plus Reinhold Krahn and Loek Hartog who are also flying the flag internationally.
Their progression demonstrates what the championship is built to do: provide one-make drivers with a clear, structured path to learn endurance racing before moving up to global GT competition.
The 100-minute Sebring opener will feature 24 cars across four classes – a grid packed with IMSA and SRO regulars.
Leading Porsche One-Make teams well represented. TOPP Racing, JTR Motorsports Engineering, JDX Racing, Kellymoss, ACI Motorsport, Charlie Hayes Racing, Competition Motorsports, Vintage Racing Company, and HM Road Racing headline a paddock that reads like an all-star line-up of the Porsche customer racing ecosystem.
At the front of the Pro-Am field, outright contention is expected to be fierce.
Ryan Yardley returns alongside Dave Musial Sr., Trenton Estep teams with Joel Johnson, while Dan Clarke partners with Blake McGovern. International experience is well represented by Dutchman Jeroen Bleekemolen alongside Tim Pappas and Daniel Morad forming an all-Canada pairing with Roberto Tutino.
Additional Pro-Am contenders include a “who’s who” from Porsche Carrera Cup North America race winners, including Yves Baltas with Matt Joffe and Aaron Jeansonne paired with Keith McGovern.
2024 Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama champ and Carrera Cup Pro class contender Jared Thomas is running three cars with his JTR Motorsports Engineering squad – winners of the final round of 2025. Thomas himself will co-drive with Chris Hutter.
The Cayman category brings its own compelling storylines. Veteran Andrew Davis joins William Peluchiwski for Kellymoss. Second-generation racer Taylor van Overbeek, son of Porsche IMSA-legend and Rolex 24 winner Johannes van Overbeek, teams with Dan Drohan as the next generation continues to carve its own path within Porsche competition.
The mix of 911 GT3 Cup cars and 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsports create a true multi-class race that will test strategy, traffic management, and consistency – all essentials at the demanding Sebring circuit.
Fans can witness the opening round in person; tickets are available to the public via https://am.ticketmaster.com/sir/buy/USAC.
The Sebring event will also feature the opening round of Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama, with track action kicking off with testing from Wednesday, March 4. Official practice kicks off on Thursday, March 5, with separate GT3 Cup and Cayman Sprint Challenge races scheduled for Friday, March 6, and Saturday, March 7.
The Porsche Endurance Challenge North America by Yokohama opening round will take the green at 2:55 pm on Sunday, March 8. All qualifying sessions and the five races will be streamed live on Porsche Motorsport North America’s channels on YouTube, X, Facebook, and Linkedin.
From slick conditions on Saturday to wet conditions on Sunday, Porsche Sprint Challenge USA West by Yokohama competitors experienced varying racetrack dynamics at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
In the series’ penultimate round of the season, two of four classes featured repeat winners, but the victories did not come easily.
The Porsche 992 GT3 Cup Pro-Am class had wins split between Brannan Hankins in Race 1 and Josh Conley in Race 2.
Hankins with Loftus Motorsports started from the pole position on Saturday, but after a poor start, had to rework his way back to the top spot, which he did by Lap 16.
In the meantime, Jake Chu – making his series debut with BR Racing – led laps en route to a second-place finish ahead of Daniel Hanley in third.
On Sunday, Conley rocketed to the top after starting fifth in class, also with BR Racing and in his first outing with Porsche Sprint Challenge USA West after contesting the sister North America series.
The battle then ensued behind Conley as Mark Wilgus finished second by less than two-tenths ahead of Hanley again in third.
Hankins sadly suffered a spin on the formation lap and had to start from the back of the pack, but fought back to finish fourth in class.
The 992 GT3 Cup Masters category was also split between championship leader Scott Blind and last year’s Porsche Carrera Cup North America Masters champion, Chris Bellomo, entered with CHR.
Blind passed Bellomo for the lead early in Saturday’s contest in his Ruckus Racing Porsche, while Bellomo stole the lead from Blind in Race 2 with less than two minutes remaining.
Jim Walsh completed the podium on Saturday, while Matt Dusek – also in his Porsche Sprint Challenge USA West debut – finished second on Sunday ahead of Blind in third.
In a captivating story, the father-daughter pair of Greg and Anna Cecchi tried their hand at Porsche Sprint Challenge USA West, and both drivers were victorious across both days in the 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport Masters and Pro-Am classes, respectively.
It was the first Porsche Sprint Challenge win of Anna’s career. It came one week after the Porsche Mobil 1 Female Driver Program and Porsche EBOOST Junior Program racer attended the Porsche Motorsport North America annual workshop at Porsche Team Penske last week.
Her father, Greg was previously victorious at Sonoma Raceway in April running in Porsche Sprint Challenge North America. Anna is currently second in the North America 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport Pro-Am standings, while Greg is fifth in the Masters class.
In second place behind the younger Cecchi was Jack Parriott, who maintains his championship lead as part of a full-season effort.
In the Masters class, Tim Smith and Greg Herback followed the elder Cecchi in Race 1, while the two drivers swapped places to complete the Race 2 podium on Sunday.
Only one event remains for Porsche Sprint Challenge USA West by Yokohama, as the finale is scheduled for Road Atlanta on September 12 – 14.
Meanwhile, Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama returns to action in two weeks time at Road America from August 8 – 10.
Race replays throughout the season are available on the Porsche Motorsport North America YouTube Channel.
992 GT3 Cup Race 1 Podium:
Pro-Am
Masters
718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport Race 1 Podium:
Pro-Am
Masters
992 GT3 Cup Race 2 Podium:
Pro-Am
Masters
718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport Race 2 Podium:
Pro-Am
Masters
Full results from all sessions can be found here.
All photos can be found here.
The intensity ramped up at VIRginia International Raceway, where dominant drives and repeat winners stole the spotlight across every class in Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama.
It was a steamy weekend in Alton, Virginia, but the victors were just as hot as 15 cars contested the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport categories, and more than double that number ran in Porsche 992 GT3 Cup.
From start to finish, Cole Kleck and Kayden Kelly both dominated their 992 GT3 Cup classes at VIR. Kleck, running in the Pro/Am category, tallied his sixth and seventh wins of the season with Topp Racing, while Kayden Kelly and Kellymoss were victorious for the second and third time this year in the Masters class.
While both drivers were dominant en route to winning, Kelly finished third on the overall podium in both races to compete alongside the Pro-Ams.
The remaining Pro-Am podium spots were mirrored from Race 1 to Race 2, with Danny Dyszelski finishing second and Evan Hinkle finishing third.
17-year-old Dyszelski impressed in his GT3 debut. The South Carolina youngster drove his Cayman to a pair of wins at Sonoma earlier this year and is also campaigning the same car in PIrelli GT4 America this season with Alex Ellis.
In the Masters class, championship leader Scott Blind walked away from VIR with a double runner-up finish, while Mark Boden had his best performance of the year on Saturday in third place. John Gilliland completed the Masters podium on Sunday.
For the third time this season, Jens Hantson found himself atop the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport podium in both races during an event weekend.
After sweeping performances at Sebring International Raceway at Circuit of The Americas earlier this year, Hantson and Speedsport Tuning did the same at VIR to expand their championship lead in the Pro-Am class.
As has been the case throughout 2025, Hantson has had a pack of racers from the Porsche Mobil 1 Female Driver Program chasing him throughout the weekend. Hantson came under pressure from the female duo of Anna Cecchi – who started from pole on Saturday for the first time in her career – and Loni Unser.
Both drivers finished within a second of Hantson in Race 1, with Cecchi in second and Unser in third, while the women swapped spots on Sunday’s podium. Unser’s efforts in pursuit of Hantson came up just .417 seconds shy in Race 2.
In the Cayman GT4 Clubsport Masters category, Daniel Ammann had his best showing of 2025 with a double victory of his own for Vintage Racing Company. Ammann inherited the Race 1 win after the leader was issued a drive through penalty, but started and finished first on Sunday prior.
Tom Kopczynski finished second on Saturday, while Bill Fenech recovered from a Race 1 incident to finish second on Sunday. Will Peluchiwski finished third in both contests.
The next round of Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama is set for Road America in less than one month from August 8 – 10.
Race replays throughout the season are available on the Porsche Motorsport North America YouTube Channel.
992 GT3 Cup Race 1 Podium
Pro-Am
Masters
992 GT3 Cup Race 2 Podium
Pro-Am
Masters
718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport Race 1 Podium
Pro-Am
Masters
718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport Race 2 Podium
Pro-Am
Masters
Full results from all sessions can be found here.
All photos can be found here.
| 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 |
