BATAVIA, OH (August 1, 2018) - After a brief "summer break", the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama will return to action this week for Rounds 9 and 10 at Road America. The weekend is poised to be nothing short of exciting for the Batavia Ohio-based team as Max Root, Charlie Luck, Anthony Imperato and Fred Poordad prepare to take on the longest course on the schedule.
Charlie Luck continues to ride his championship lead as he heads into Elkhart Lake with a 5-point advantage in the Platinum Masters category. While he's yet to leave a 2018 event without a podium, the momentum is high as he looks to return to the top step at Road America.
Having shown tremendous speed and race craft in the opening rounds of the championship, Hurley Haywood scholar, Max Root is prepared to take on what will be the first familiar track on the schedule. After his double-podium at Watkins Glen, the California native hopes to impress at the classic Wisconsin road course.
Another one to watch is Anthony Imperato, who is certainly no stranger to Road America. Home to Henry Rifles, the road course is the site of Imperato's first IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge podium, which he saw in 2017. The New Yorker has already raced at the track this year, having driven a Porsche 911 GT3 R to the podium in Pirelli World Challenge competition. After facing challenges outside of his control at Watkins Glen, Imperato is determined to finish strong at Road America.
After starting off the year strong with two podium finishes in Sebring, Fred Poordad is eager to bounce back at Road America. Having shown tremendous pace within the field and driven to the pole position at Watkins Glen, the Texas native has proved that he knows exactly what it takes to do so.
The first of this weekend’s two 45-minute races takes the green flag at 11:30AM CT (12:30 PM EDT) on Saturday, Aug. 4, with the second starting Sunday, Aug. 5 at 9:40AM CT (10:40AM. ET). Both races will be streamed live on IMSA.tv with IMSA Radio commentary.
Driver Comments:
Max Root | Driver, No. 7 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup – “After quite a learning curve, through the first part of the season, we’ve figured out what we need to do to put the car on podium and our weekend at Watkins Glen was a great example of that. Since then, I’ve put a lot more time and effort into my training and perfecting my practice for Road America. I’m excited to see what we can do here as this is the first track I’ve been on prior to racing there.”
Anthony Imperato | Driver, No. 91 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup – "Road America is one of my favorites and it’s the home track for Henry Rifles so it’s always nice to come here. We’ve tested here a few times and I’ve had some good runs in the past so I feel confident that we will have some good results."
Fred Poordad | Driver, No. 20 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup –“Coming off a rough weekend at Watkins Glen, I am looking forward to getting in the car again. I haven’t raced at Road America for two years, and won’t have had much track time, so that will pose a challenge. I am confident the team will have the No. 20 car ready to go, and I will be ready as well.”
Charlie Luck | Driver, No. 45 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup- “Road America is one of my favorites. You can really race on the track which is what makes it really enjoyable. I love the speed and the long straights. At this point in the season, it’s extremely competitive because everyone's had a half a season to sharpen up their skills, which makes for super racing. I really want to come out of Road America with a podium finish and I’m looking forward to it.”