The 2025 Porsche Sprint Challenge North America season kicked off in thrilling fashion at Sebring International Raceway over the weekend, where over 60 cars took the green flag for an intense weekend of racing.
The event featured a breakout performance from teenage newcomer Cole Kleck, who made an immediate impact by sweeping both Pro-Am races in the GT3 Cup category with Topp Racing.
In the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport class, Jens Hantson followed suit, securing back-to-back victories in dominant fashion.
The GT3 Cup Masters class saw an intense battle between Daryn Dean and Scott Blind, with each driver claiming a victory to split the weekend’s honors.
Meanwhile, Alain Scalzo asserted his dominance in the Cayman Masters class, claiming both wins with commanding performances.
With fierce battles, standout rookie performances, and tight competition across the field, the season opener set the stage for an exciting year ahead.
Newcomer Kleck makes presence known with winning weekend
Nearly 40 cars took the green flag at Sebring International Raceway to start the Porsche Sprint Challenge North America GT3 Cup season – a number consistent to the year prior, showing the series’ year-over-year strength.
Perhaps that strength is what attracted teenage phenom Cole Kleck to the series, and the newcomer was quick to success with two victories in the Pro-Am class with Topp Racing.
Because both 35-minute plus one-lap races on Friday and Saturday saw a handful of cautions, Kleck’s performance with the 992 GT3 Cup was limited except when blasting off on the restarts.
The rookie finished ahead of fellow Texas driver and 2024 Porsche Carrera Cup Pro-Am champion, Alan Metni with Kellymoss, in both instances. Robert Tutino – who was a two-time polesitter at the historic circuit in 2023 – finished third twice with his Canadian outfit, VPX Motorsports.
In the 992 GT3 Cup Masters class, David Williams controlled the first race of the weekend to win with TPC Racing, in addition to finishing third on the overall podium.
The battle for the remaining Masters podium positions, though, was a duel between Daryn Dean and Scott Blind. While the latter held the runner-up spot at the start, he gave way to Dean with 20 minutes in the contest.
It was a reversal in Race 2 on Saturday, however, as Blind – the 2024 Sprint Challenge 992 GT3 Cup Masters champion – captured his first victory of 2025. Blind started second behind Dean, but emerged unscathed from a contact maneuver to pass for the lead and go on to finish fourth overall.
Dean finished second, while Race 1 winner Williams finished third for a double podium weekend.
Next, Porsche Sprint Challenge North America takes part in a joint event with its series counterpart, Porsche Sprint Challenge USA West, at Sonoma Raceway on April 4 – 6.
992 GT3 Cup Pro-Am Podium
Race 1:
- Cole Kleck
- Alan Metni
- Robert Tutino
Race 2:
- Cole Kleck
- Alan Metni
- Roberto Tutino
992 GT3 Cup Masters Podium
Race 1:
- David Williams
- Daryn Dean
- Scott Blind
Race 2:
- Scott Blind
- Daryn Dean
- David Williams
Full Race 1 results can be found here. Full Race 2 results can be found here.
All photos can be found here.
Hantson graduates from PCA club racing to Sprint Challenge victory lane
At Sebring International Raceway, Jens Hanston added his name to a long list of drivers who successfully continue to climb the Porsche motorsport ladder.
In 2023, Hanston emerged atop the PCA Club Racing GTD2 podium charts. Just two years later to open the 2025 Porsche Sprint Challenge North America season, he finished atop both races for the Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport class.
Hantson started from pole position on Friday and Saturday for Speedsport Tuning, and led flag-to-flag in both instances for the double victory. Prior to the rounds at Sebring, his Sprint Challenge experience only consisted of two starts at Road America in 2024 with a best finish of seventh.
The lack of professional experience is hard to believe based on Hanston’s efforts to hold off the fierce Porsche Cayman of Loni Unser. In Race 1, Unser raced door-to-door with him at the start, but gave way before the winding sequence of Turns 3, 4 and 5 at the historic circuit. The two volleyed for the fastest lap times in the closing minutes, but Unser finished two seconds behind her competitor.
In Race 2, Unser loomed larger than ever in Hanston’s mirror throughout the 35-minute plus one-lap race. Despite being within tenths of the lead, the Kellymoss driver collected her second runner-up finish of the weekend by .609 seconds.
Unser wasn’t the only female on the grid who had an impressive opening weekend, as Anna Cecchi scored a double podium – third in both rounds – of her own with CHR. It was Cecchi’s second and third race behind the wheel of a Porsche racecar.
In the Cayman Masters class, Alain Scalzo – who finished second in the 2024 Cayman Masters championship – had a dominant performance in both races. The Scalzo Autosport driver finished 13 seconds ahead of second place in Race 1 and 18 seconds ahead by the checkered flag of Race 2. He also finished third place on the overall podium in both contests.
Bill Fenech with JDX Racing kicked off his 2025 campaign with two podiums at Sebring, finishing third on Friday and second on Saturday. Meanwhile, Tom Kopczynski finished second in Race 1 and Dan Ammann finished third in Race 2.
Next, Porsche Sprint Challenge North America takes part in a joint event with its series counterpart, Porsche Sprint Challenge USA West, at Sonoma Raceway on April 4 – 6.
Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport Pro-Am Podium
Race 1:
- Jens Hantson
- Loni Unser
- Anna Checchi
Race 2:
- Jens Hantson
- Loni Unser
- Anna Checchi
Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport Masters Podium
Race 1:
- Alain Scalzo
- Tom Kopczynski
- Bill Fenech
Race 2:
- Alain Scalzo
- Bill Fenech
- Dan Ammann
Full Race 1 results can be found here. Full Race 2 results can be found here.
All photos can be found here.
