Belgian young star Karel Staut and female racer Anna Cecchi emerged as the standout winners of the 2026 Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama season opener at Sebring International Raceway.
15-year-old Staut captured both 992 victories across the weekend, while Porsche Mobil 1 Female Driver Program racer Cecchi completed a Cayman sweep with back-to-back victories.
This year marks the series’ sixth season of competition after its inaugural run in 2021, and drivers from across the country – and even abroad – gathered in central Florida to kick off the calendar.
Different races, same result: Staut and Smith snatch 992 wins.
Two stories could be told about the two 992 races at Sebring, which featured a relaxed Race 1 on Friday and a hectic Race 2 on Saturday.
Despite the varying conditions and with nearly 40 entries, the Pro-Am and Masters classes saw the same victors – Karel Staut with Kellymoss and Matt Smith with ACI Motorsports, respectively – on both days.
Friday’s race ran green flag for the full duration and both winners led every lap en route to the first checkered flag of the season.
However, rain began to pour over the 3.74-mile circuit at the start of Race 2, leading to a nearly 15-minute red flag stoppage to give the teams an opportunity to change to wet weather Yokohamas.
Racing resumed with seven minutes to go, but several cars fell victim to the slippery surface and brought out a race-ending yellow flag.
In both races, Staut’s closest competition was Porsche Junior Program’s Riley Giacomazzi & Matthew Siegal, seeing the trio have a spirited start to Race 2 before Staut ultimately pulled away.
It was the Belgian’s first outing in Porsche One‑Make competition, stepping up from single‑seater racing in F4 with his only prior Porsche 911 GT3 Cup experience coming from European testing at the end of 2025.
Giacomazzi, another young driver but no stranger to the Porsche family, finished second in Race 1, while Matthew Siegal finished third on Friday and second on Saturday. Tony Malito also took a turn on the podium, finishing third in Race 2.
The 992 Masters class saw a similar podium sequence. Alain Scalzo finished second on Friday, while Todd Trefferet finished third in Race 1 and second in Race 2.
Longtime Porsche single-make racer, Mark Boden, completed Saturday’s podium in third.
The Cayman Queen of Sebring: Anna Cecchi sweeps weekend with pole and pair of wins.
Starting her second full season of professional racing and ahead of International Women’s Day on Sunday, Anna Cecchi cruised for back-to-back Cayman Pro-Am class victories at Sebring in her Charlie Hayes Racing #27 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport machine.
Only once in 2025 did the up-and-comer win in Porsche Sprint Challenge North America USA West, but Cecchi’s seamless performances on Friday and Saturday could be a sign of what’s ahead for the Porsche Mobil 1 Female Driver in 2026.
She started on pole position and led flag-to-flag in both races, and anytime runner-up finisher Keith Grant closed in, she expanded the deficit back again.
Grant’s closest opportunity came on the final lap of Race 1, but he finished a narrow .205 seconds behind Cecchi and again in Race 2 by 1.623 seconds.
His brother and Grant Motorsports teammate, David Grant, finished third in Saturday’s race, while Spencer Propper rounded out the podium in Race 1 the day prior.
The Cayman Masters class saw a variety of faces on the podium at Sebring, and Dan Drohan was first to strike on his series debut with a Race 1 win on Friday.
Drohan – teammates with Cecchi at CHR – found himself in the lead on lap 1 after the polesitter William Peluchiwski was caught in a scuffle with another competitor.
Series newcomer Drohan would hold on to the lead for the remainder of the race, finishing ahead of Anna Cecchi’s father, Greg, in second and Ramy Farid in third.
The elder Cecchi and Farid provided some of the most entertaining battles of the day, concluding with Cecchi nipping Farid at the checkered flag by just .018 seconds.
In Race 2, 2025 Sprint Challenge USA West champion Tom Rogers prevailed for the win after a difficult first race on Friday, and Peluchiwski also enjoyed a rebound performance by finishing second.
The only Cayman Masters driver to finish on the podium in both races was Farid, who finished third again on Saturday.
The return of Barber Motorsports Park.
After a year away, Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama returns to Barber Motorsports Park in three weeks, joining IndyCar at the immaculate Alabama circuit for Round 2 of the 2026 season.
Results.
Race 1
992 Pro-Am
- Karel Staut #243
- Riley Giacomazzi #296
- Matthew Siegal #267
992 Masters
- Matt Smith #274
- Alain Scalzo #222
- Todd Treffert #214
Cayman Pro-Am
- Anna Cecchi #27
- Keith Grant #40
- Spencer Proper #30
Cayman Masters
- Dan Drohan #98
- Greg Cecchi #72
- Chad Knight #32
Race 2
992 Pro-Am
- Karel Staut #243
- Matthew Siegal #267
- Tony Malito #203
992 Masters
- Matt Smith #274
- Todd Treffert #214
- Mark Boden #246
Cayman Pro-Am
- Anna Cecchi #27
- Keith Grant #40
- David Grant #29
Cayman Masters
- Tom Rogers #44
- William Peluchiwski #62
- Ramy Farid #53
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