JTR Motorsports Engineering capped off the Porsche Endurance Challenge North America four-hour finale with a statement-making 1-2 finish in the final race of the season at Road Atlanta.
The invitational class entry of Carrera Cup North America standout Ryan Yardley and teammate Dave Musial Jr. delivered the overall victory. New Zealander Yardley’s outright pace — including the fastest lap in class — and Musial’s steady stints gave JTR the top step and an emphatic showcase of the team’s strength.
Right behind them, JTR’s duo of Chris Hutter and team boss Jared Thomas secured second overall and the Pro-Am class victory.
Adding even more drama to the weekend, Scott Blind — the Am category ace — sealed the overall championship title by delivering a stunning class win with co-driver Alan Metni.
Metni was able to cross the line third after a dramatic chase of championship rival, and COTA winner Charlie Hayes (again teamed with Reinhold Krahn). Their dramatic battle came to a head when they made contact entering turn 10a with 17 minutes remaining.
While Metni was able to recover quicker, he was given a drive-through penalty by race officials. Despite the penalty, Hayes was unable to bridge the gap with his now damaged No. 233 entry and eventually crossed the line in fifth place (second in the Am class).
The result gave Blind a perfect three-for-three championship result at Road Atlanta, winning not only the Endurance Challenge 992 GT3 Cup Am title on Sunday, but also securing trophies in both Sprint Challenge North America and USA West, all with Ruckus Racing.
While Blind eased to his Sprint Challenge titles earlier in the weekend, he claimed a narrow victory in the Endurance Challenge, beating the season-long pair of Hayes and Krahn by just seven points.
In the 992 GT3 Cup Pro-Am class, Kellymoss racer John Gilliland solely took home the Endurance Challenge title with a third-place finish on Sunday with Riley Dickinson.
Of the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport Pro-Am cars, William Peluchiwski and Andrew Davis took home the final Endurance Challenge win of the year for Kellymoss. The winning pass by Davis – in his first Endurance Challenge outing – came before the half-hour mark and delivered teammate Peluchiwski’s best finish of the season.
The pair shared the podium with title winners Charles Espenlaub and Brandon Chappell, who captured the award by 64 points.
In the Cayman GT4 Clubsport Masters class, Reginald Tartaglione stamped his class championship with a win at Road Atlanta, pairing with Gary Bufkin for the first time of the season. In the previous three rounds, Tartaglione partnered with his son Emanuel, and their two wins with ProSport Competition set up the former for success on Sunday.
Porsche Endurance Challenge North America champions
- GT3 Cup Pro-Am: John Gilliand
- GT3 Cup Am: Scott Blind (overall champion)
- Cayman Pro-Am: Brandon Chappell/Charles Espenlaub
- Cayman Am: Reginald Tartaglione
- Team’s Champion: Kellymoss
A special thank you to Porsche Motorsport North America partner, PenFed Credit Union, for sponsoring an unforgettable P-51 Mustang flyover during the National Anthem, performed by American Idol contestant Jordan Sasser.
All Porsche Endurance Challenge North America by Yokohama races are available for replay on the Porsche Motorsport North America YouTube channel, and the 2026 calendar announced in August can be found here.
992 GT3 Cup Podium
Pro-Am
- #281 Chris Hutter/Jared Thomas
- #251 Matt Dusek/Aaron Jeansonne
- #280 John Gilliand/Riley Dickinson
Am
- #245 Alan Metni/Scott Blind
- #233 Reinhold Krahn/Charlie Hayes
- #299 Kayden Kelly/John Conley
718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport Podium
Pro-Am
- #62 William Peluchiwski/Andrew Davis
- #19 Roland Krainz/Stevan McAleer
- #73 Charles Espenlaub/Brandon Chappell
Am
- #59 Reginald Tartaglione/Gary Bufkin
Invitational Podium
- #231 Dave Musial Jr/Ryan Yardley (overall win)
Full results from all sessions can be found here.
All photos can be found here.
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