Porsche Sprint Challenge USA West by Yokohama welcomed many new drivers in 2025, and Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch was the backdrop for their introduction this past weekend for the opening event in 2025.
After finishing on the podium multiple times but eluding victory in 2024, Luke French conquered the top step for the first time in both rounds, driving a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup for Competition Motorsports. French was untouchable at Spring Mountain, starting from pole, and leading every lap en route to the win.
Behind French, however, was an avid battle between drivers Daniel Hanley and Brannan Hankins, with Competition Motorsports and Loftus Motorsports, respectively.
Hanley bested Hankins by an even three-tenths of a second in Race 1 for runner-up, while Hankins flipped the deck on Sunday to secure second by nearly 11 seconds.
In the 992 GT3 Cup Masters category, Premier Racing’s Douglas Brandt led home his teammate Micheal Lando in both races.
While the weekend sweep by Henry Marshall will go down in the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport victory books, it was not easy to achieve. However, a home-track advantage certainly helped, as his HM Road Racing team – based out of Spring Mountain – started both rounds first and finished first.
Following behind were a handful of pursuits. Tim Smith – a data team specialist-turned-driver for BR Racing – finished runner-up within two seconds of Race 1 behind Marshall and in third place after Race 2.
Meanwhile, Greg Herback – Smith’s teammate at BR Racing – fought for his inaugural podium of the season after finishing fourth in Race 1 and climbing past his competitors in Race 2 for the runner-up spot.
It will be a quick turnaround for Porsche Sprint Challenge USA West by Yokohama, as teams travel from Nevada to Northern California within the next two weeks.
Sonoma Raceway hosts the second event of the season for both Sprint Challenge USA West and Porsche Sprint Challenge North America, and various competitors from both series will join in the second of four Porsche Endurance Challenge North America races in 2025 on Sunday.
992 GT3 Cup Pro-Am Podium
Race 1:
- Luke French
- Daniel Hanley
- Brannan Hankins
Race 2:
- Luke French
- Brannan Hankins
- Daniel Hanley
992 GT3 Cup Masters Podium
Race 1:
- Douglas Brandt
- Michael Lando
Race 2:
- Douglas Brandt
- Michael Lando
Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport Masters Podium
Race 1:
- Henry Marshall
- Tim Smith
- Tom Rogers
Race 2:
- Henry Marshall
- Greg Herback
- Tim Smith
Full Race 1 results can be found here. Full Race 2 results can be found here.
All photos can be found here.
