Daytona Beach, Florida - The Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama series will reach the ever-important halfway point of its 2016 season June 30-July 2 at Watkins Glen International.

The 11-turn, 3.4-mile circuit in the beautiful Finger Lakes region of upstate New York will set the scene for the second and final combined races between the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama and its northern neighbor, the Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama.

Rounds 7 and 8 of the 2016 USA championship represent the halfway mark for the 16 rounds of racing action and a benchmark for championship battles. After Rounds 5 and 6 on June 10-12 at Montreal, the competition is even closer. Jesse Lazare, from Montreal, closed the gap to first place to just one point behind Upstate New York-based driver Lucas Catania.

Lazare swept both rounds at his home race in the No. 21 Kelly-Moss Road and Race Porsche, bringing his win total to five on the season. Catania, from Cazenovia, New York, is hoping to do the same at his home track of Watkins Glen to retain his Platinum Cup driver championship lead, which is down to just 104-103 after a season-low fifth-place finish in Round 6 in the No. 26 NGT Motorsport Porsche.

Round 7 starts at 4:45 p.m. (ET) Friday, July 1, with Round 8 following at 9:10 a.m. Saturday, July 2. There will be two practices Thursday with qualifying at 10 a.m. Friday.

Racing is divided into two classes - Platinum Cup, featuring the 2014-2016 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car, which is based on the current seventh, and current, generation of the street car, and Gold Cup, which is comprised of the previous iteration (model years 2010-2013) of the race car. A Masters Championship is also conducted in the Platinum Class. Each class is awarded with its own podium at the end of every race and individual champion at the end of every season. Points are awarded by finish in class.

The multi-class structure of the series teaches drivers essential skills for an eventual career in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship or professional GT races worldwide.

Chris Green, from Montreal, and Andrew Longe, from Naples, Florida, will both battle the top two for podium positions after strong performances in Montreal for Rounds 5 and 6. Green has finished on the podium in each of the four races he's competed in this season in the No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche.

Longe earned his first podium of the season in Round 6 in the No. 47 Wright Motorsports Porsche, placing third to keep him within reach of the championship with 80 points. Also in the podium chase will be Ricardo Perez, from Mexico City, who already has three third-place finishes this season in the No. 02 JDX Racing Porsche.

The Platinum Masters race is even closer with five drivers within 25 points of each other. Jeff Mosing, from Austin, Texas, leads by just one point, 97-96, over fellow Texan Fred Poordad, from San Antonio. Mosing rebounded from a sub-par Round 5 to take his third victory of the season in Round 6 in the No. 01 TOPP Racing Porsche. Consistency has been the key for Poordad who has not finished lower than fifth through six rounds in the No. 20 Wright Motorsports Porsche.

The top four drivers in Gold Cup have started to distance themselves from the field. Michael de Quesada, from Tampa, Florida, leads the championship with 112 points, the result of four class wins in the No. 31 Alegra Motorsports Porsche. He has a 12-point lead over TPC Racing teammates Sebastian Landy and Michael Levitas.

That trio, combined with Philip Bloom, from New York, have accounted for all of the podium finishes through six races.

All drivers in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama compete in a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car based on the street version of the current Porsche 911. The 3.8-liter power unit featured in the 911 GT3 Cup car produces 460 horsepower and a maximum engine speed of 8,500 rpm. The 911 GT3 Cup also includes a Porsche six-speed sequential gearbox with a mechanical slip differential, with an electropneumatic paddle shift system creating faster, more efficient gear changes.

The engines and transmissions of all the cars in the series are prepared and sealed by Porsche Motorsports North America, creating a level playing field on which driving talent and team setup skill prevail.

IMSA sanctions an eight-venue, 16-round schedule for the 2016 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama. The series will run 14 of its 16 rounds during WeatherTech SportsCar Championship events.

Follow IMSA on Facebook and @IMSA on Twitter with the hashtag #GT3USA for updates on the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama. Live timing for every race is available at IMSA.com, with live streaming video of all races at IMSA.tv.

Schedule

Practice: 9:30-10 a.m. (ET), 1:10-1:50 p.m. Thursday, June 30
Qualifying: 10-10:20 a.m. Friday, July 1
Round 7 (45 minutes): 4:45-5:30 p.m. Friday, July 1
Round 8 (45 minutes): 9:10-9:55 a.m. Saturday, July 2

Driver Autograph Session: 12:30-1 p.m. Friday, July 1, Yokohama Tire Service Center in Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge combined paddock

Race Coverage

Live timing: All on-track sessions at scoring.imsa.com and on the official IMSA App for iOS, Android and Windows

Live streaming: All on-track sessions will be broadcast on imsa.tv.

TV: Delayed television coverage will be provided on major network affiliates in numerous U.S. markets by Sinclair Broadcast Group July 23-24, and the broadcast will be available on YouTube after it airs on television.

Twitter: Live text commentary from all sessions at @IMSALive

For more information about Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama, visit www.gt3cupchallengeusa.com, follow hashtag #GT3USA @IMSA on Twitter or IMSA on Facebook.

About Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama

The Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama enters its 12th season in 2016 as one of Porsche's 20 single-make Cup Challenge series in the world. The series produces intense, exciting competition for semi-professional and aspiring professional drivers in the world's most produced and iconic race car, the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.

Racing is divided into two classes - Platinum Cup, featuring the 2014-2016 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car, which is based on the current seventh, and current, generation of the street car, and Gold Cup, which is comprised of the previous iteration (model years 2010-2013) of the race car. A Masters Championship also is conducted in the Platinum Cup class. Each class is awarded with its own podium at the end of every race and individual champion at the end of every season. Points are awarded by finish in class.

For more information about Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama, visit www.gt3cupchallengeusa.com, follow hashtag #GT3USA @IMSA on Twitter or IMSA on Facebook.

About IMSA

The International Motor Sports Association, LLC (IMSA) was originally founded in 1969 and owns a long and rich history in sports car racing. Today, IMSA is the sanctioning body of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the premier sports car racing series in North America. IMSA also sanctions the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge and the Mazda Prototype Lites Presented by Cooper Tires, as well as four single-make series: Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama; Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama; Ferrari Challenge North America; and Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America. IMSA - a company within the NASCAR family - is the exclusive strategic partner in North America with the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) which operates the 24 Hours of Le Mans as a part of the FIA World Endurance Championship. The partnership enables selected IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship competitors to earn automatic entries into the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans. For more information, visit www.IMSA.com, www.twitter.com/IMSA or www.facebook.com/IMSA.

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