LEXINGTON, Ohio – The Porsche Carrera Cup North America, a one-make series featuring the new Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, is scheduled to debut in 2021.
As with all national Carrera Cups worldwide, Porsche, through Porsche Motorsport North America, will manage the single-driver per-entry series. IMSA will act as official sanctioning body as well as manage scrutineering and steward on-track activity.
The series will open its season in March 2021 at Sebring Int’l Raceway. Brian Blocker of Porsche Motorsport North America has been named the Series Manager by Dr. Daniel Armbruster, CEO & president, Porsche Motorsport North America.
The inaugural season of the championship will host 16-rounds at eight venues in the eastern United States and Canada. Each 45-minute race will count toward a season-long driver and team championship in each of three classes: Pro, Pro-Am and Rookie.
All drivers can contend for Pro class victories but must utilize the newest Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race car to do so. The Pro-Am class is eligible for Gentlemen drivers – a driver who does not make a primary profession of automobile racing. A driver in the Pro-Am category may use the newest machine or the previous generation. The Rookie class is only open to drivers who are 23-years-old or younger.
All drivers age 23 and under enjoy the additional benefit of inclusion in the Porsche Carrera Cup North America Junior program. As a Junior, drivers receive valuable training tools for those wishing to make a career of professional motorsport. A driver will be selected from the Porsche Carrera Cup North America Junior program to represent the region in the annual Porsche Junior Shootout in Germany at the end of the year.
The Team Championship is eligible for full season entries running the current generation race car.
The Porsche Carrera Cup North America joins the 21 Porsche one-make championships competing in 31 countries on five continents. It becomes the 10th Carrera Cup worldwide. Each race will enjoy live streaming accessible through the IMSA app and Porsche Motorsport North America web page at www.PorscheCarreraCup.us. Additional broadcasting and production plans are being finalized and will be communicated in the coming weeks.
“For those aware of the Carrera Cup tradition worldwide, they will understand that this is a new and unique series to anything we have ever had in North America,” said Armbruster. “Carrera Cup is the ultimate regional step in the one-make championships globally. While we have always run our Cup Challenge program at the highest level possible, and closely on par with any Carrera Cup, the Porsche Carrera Cup North America provides us the opportunity to present an even greater product to our customer and to racing fans.
“We are very excited and very pleased to continue our partnership with IMSA, who has proven so vital to the growth of Porsche one-make racing. Through the addition of Michelin as our tire partner, we bring in a longtime associate of Porsche Motorsport and now completely align Porsche Carrera Cup North America with the other nine championships worldwide. We will have several more exciting additions to announce in the coming months. For now, we could not be more pleased with the future for Porsche Motorsport here on this continent and for what the Porsche Carrera Cup North America means to the global racing scene. We look forward to this next chapter starting at Sebring, 2021.”
The original Carrera Cup concept was founded in 1990 with the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland (Germany). One year later, France had its own one-make championship. By 1993, with the opportunity to race from within the Formula One paddock, Porsche Supercup was created. The Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup remains the highest single make series globally utilizing the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race car.
A fourth Carrera Cup was added in 2001 when Japan began its own series. 2003 saw further growth of the concept with the addition of Great Britain, Australia and an overall Asia championship coming online. One year later, Carrera Cup Scandinavia was added into the mix while Brazil and Italy debuted the following two years. Since 2007, those nine regional Carrera Cups have been part of the global Porsche Motorsport Pyramid funneling the very best of their champions to Porsche Mobil Supercup and into professional sports car and GT racing.
Provisional 2021 Porsche Carrera Cup North America Schedule
March 17-20 – Sebring Int’l Raceway – Sebring, Fla.
May 20-23 – Canadian Tire Motorsport Park – Bowmanville, Ontario
June 24-27 – Watkins Glen Int’l – Watkins Glen, N.Y.
July TBA – Honda Indy Toronto – Toronto, Ontario
Aug. 6-8 – Road America – Elkhart Lake, Wis.
Aug. 20-22 – Virginia Int’l Raceway – Alton, Va.
Sept. TBA – TBA – TBA
Oct. 6-9 – Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta – Braselton, Ga.