Will Martin scored his inaugural win in the Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup North America in what was only his fourth start in the category. The win also marked the first of the young season for defending Pro class champion JDX Racing.
In an overall battle that covered the top five Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars, Martin exchanged the lead with fellow series rookie Tom Sargent in the No. 17 McElrea Racing and points leader Riley Dickinson behind the wheel of the Race 1-winning No. 53 Kellymoss Porsche over the course of the 40-minute event.
“Coming here, I have never done a street circuit before,” said Martin. “It was hard to get used to but we managed very quickly and the team did a great job with the car. I had pressure the whole way through.
“The start of the race was really good. I had a great launch and then on the restart as well. I was really pleased with that. After that it was just a matter of staying consistent and keeping the pressure under control.
“Miami is another street race but I have more confidence going into there. No one has really been to Miami there before, so I have a lot of confidence going into there. It going to be really interesting and a level playing field for me.”
Marco Cirone took the Pro-Am class victory in the No. 82 ACI Motorsports Porsche while Mark Kvamme repeated in the Am class with a win in the No. 43 MDK Motorsports Porsche.
“I am thankful that I have Parker [Thompson, 2022 Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup North America champion] and my teammate Grant Talkie here,” said Cirone. “We went through a ton of video as I have never been here before. They accelerated the learning curve very quickly for me.
“Without them I wouldn’t have been able to do so well. I want to thank Parker, the team ACI, Mark Motors and of course Porsche Motorsport and Michelin.”
Sargent took the early lead over Dickinson and Martin but a yellow flag five minutes into the feature tightened the field. Once the race returned to green flag racing, Dickinson and Martin battled with the Brit sneaking by the Texan and setting the sights of the No. 9 on the No. 17.
Martin would take the lead and, despite several strong attempts to regain the top spot by Sargent, the JDX Porsche returned to the top step of the podium. Sargent was in second place, Dickinson in third while Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama champion Jimmy Libre (Dominican Republic) was in fourth place ahead of Alex Sedgwick (UK) who closed out the top five.
Next up for the Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup North America is Rounds 5 & 6 at the Grand Prix of Miami at Miami International Autodrome on May 5-7.
All Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup North America races air on the Peacock streaming app, on IMSA.tv and at PorscheCarreraCup.us before being archived on Porsche Motorsport North America TV: (https://www.youtube.com/c/PorscheMotorsportNorthAmerica)