Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup North America points leader Riley Dickinson took another step towards becoming the first American-born driver to be crowned as champion after another dominant victory at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday.
After starting from pole, the Kellymoss driver jumped into the lead from McElrea Racing’s Tom Sargent, who held off a hard-charging Alex Sedgwick (JDX Racing).
While Dickinson charged ahead at the front, the Pro-class pack behind him was getting aggressive. Jason Hart (MDK Motorsport) earned a 10-second penalty for contact with Sedgwick — moving him from second at the finish to ninth.
Sargent was looking to record his sixth second-place finish of the season but suffered contact at turn 12 with about 10 minutes remaining. JDX Racing’s Will Martin had to serve a drive-through penalty for the incident, which spun Sargent around but fortunately left him pointing in the right direction. The Australian recovered to finish fifth with Martin in P9 at the checkered flag.
Joining Dickinson on the podium was British-born “local hero” Dan Clarke. The former Champ Car racer and Indianapolis resident crossed the line in second place ahead of Sedgwick.
MDK Motorsports’ Jimmy Llibre equalled his season-best finish with fourth.
“It was a great race for the Kellymoss team. Going into the weekend, we felt pretty confident, but we were able to fine-tune some stuff in practice,” Dickinson said.
“Fortunately, from the start, the people behind us started to get into a fight, and we were able to pull away. The whole race I kept thinking about what to do if there was a full-course caution but that never happened, and we were able to go on to the victory.
“Ultimately, we are here at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and there is no better place to do this. I’m looking forward to what we can do tomorrow. Thanks to everyone at Kellymoss, Racing For Children’s, and Porsche of Austin.”
Should Dickinson triumph in this year’s championship, he will become the first American-born champion. Inaugural champion Seb Prixaulx was born and raised in Guernsey (one of the Channel Islands in the English Channel), while Canada’s Parker Thompson was crowned champion last yaer.
There are now five rounds remaining in 2023 — one more at Indianapolis on Sunday and two each at the upcoming Rennsport Reunion VII at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and the U.S. Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas.
In the Rafa Racing Club Pro-Am class, Dominican Republic racer Efrin Castro won his third race in a row and his fifth in total in 2023. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway has proven to be a happy hunting ground for the Kellymoss racer who has won six races from seven starts at the Brickyard.
Canadian Marco Cirone (ACI Motorsports) crossed the line in second place ahead of GMG Racing’s Kyle Washington.
Remarkably, in the Am class, Saturday’s result mirrored both practice sessions and the qualifying times. Scott Noble took his third win in a row and his fourth in his first season in the championship ahead of his MDK Motorsports team boss Mark Kvamme, and Wright Motorsports’ John Goetz. The trio of drivers have filled the same positions in every session so far this weekend.
The Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup North America will be back on track at Indianapolis at 9:40am on Sunday for round 12 of the 16-round championship.