By: Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama 
July 11 2017 

Daytona Beach, Florida - The Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama returns to the streets of Toronto July 14-16 in one of the premier destinations on the five race, 10-Round series schedule in support of the Indy Grand Prix.

One of two street circuits on the schedule, it's a favorite among the competitors due to its downtown Toronto location and the challenge of adjusting to street circuit setup and racecraft.

After a harried combined series competition weekend with the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama at Watkins Glen International, plagued by inclement weather and on-track incidents, the change is welcomed by the Canadian teams and drivers.

Due to a significant incident on the first lap of competition in Round 5 at The Glen that caused track blockage and significant course cleanup, the race was abandoned and will be rescheduled for later in the season.

Saturday brought better news for Round 6 and a successful 45-minute race, with the Canadian contingent in full competition mode. The two points leaders - Jake Eidson for the USA, and Scott Hargrove for Canada - started side by side, with Canada's Zacharie Robichon, second in Canadian points to Hargrove, in Row 2.

Eidson was part of the early fight for the lead, but soon it became an all-Canadian affair, as Hargrove and Robichon, looking for his first win, battled side-by-side. With two laps to go, contact was made and Robichon spun, losing only one position, to second. But after a review of the contact by IMSA, Hargrove was given a drive-through penalty and dropped to sixth place, giving the win to Robichon and his No. 98 Mark Motors Racing car.

Once again Hargrove, of Tsawwassen, British Columbia, is entered in the potent Pfaff Motorsports No. 9. And also on the entry list is Zacharie Robichon, of Montreal, Quebec, in the No. 98 Mark Motors car - you have to think now that Robichon has had that taste of victory, he'll be a genuine factor in races the rest of this season.

The 2015 Gold Cup Champion Orey Fidani of Woodbridge, Ontario, has been fast in his Platinum Cup No. 13 Pfaff entry. Two other drivers racing for Pfaff are Shaun McKaigue of Gilford, Ontario in the No. 34, and Ed Killeen of Buffalo, New York in the No. 37. Both those drivers also compete in the Masters series, a class-within-a-class in for Platinum Cup for drivers aged 45 and up.

Hargrove has a firm grasp on Platinum points, followed by Robichon just 11 markers back. Third is Michael de Quesada, driver of the Alegra Motorsports No. 31, followed by Remo Ruscitti, a consistent presence in his OpenRoad Racing No. 69. In the Masters points, Marco Cirone, driver of the Mark Motors Racing No. 88 - teammate to Robichon - is leading, followed by Tim Sanderson in his No. 07 DFC Motorsport/Speedstar Motorsport car.

In the GT3 Cup Challenge Canada Gold category - where the cars are previous-generation GT3 Cup Porsches from 2014 through 2016 - Roman De Angelis of Belle River, Ontario, has the points lead solidly in hand, driving the No. 78 entry from Mark Motors. Fidani challenged De Angelis early this season, but moved to the Platinum class after Rounds 1 and 2 with a new car.

The Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama will run a pair of 45-minute races on the 1.755-mile street circuit - the first Saturday, July 15 at 5:20 p.m. EDT, with the second taking the green flag just before the IndyCar Series race Sunday, July 16 at 1:40 p.m.

For more information about the Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama, visit IMSA.com, and follow hashtag #GT3CAN, at @IMSA on Twitter or IMSA on Facebook.

The Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge by Yokohama season will be highlighted with four televised races on The Sports Networks (TSN), Réseau des sports (RDS) and Motorsport.tv in Europe.

Schedule (all times ET):
Practice: 9:20 - 9:50 a.m. and 4:50 - 5:20 p.m. Friday, July 14
Qualifying: 9:15 - 9:45 a.m. Saturday, July 15
Round 1: 5:20 - 6:05 p.m. Saturday, July 15
Round 2: 1:40 p.m. - 2:25 p.m. Sunday, July 16

Race Coverage
Live timing: All on-track sessions at scoring.imsa.com and on the official IMSA App for iOS
Twitter: Live text commentary from all sessions at @IMSALive

About Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama

The IMSA-sanctioned Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama enters its seventh season in 2017 ready to produce more 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. The championship is one of 20 Porsche single-make Cup Challenge series in the world.

Racing is divided into two classes - Platinum Cup, featuring the new-for-2017 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car, which is based on the current generation of the street car and Gold Cup, which is comprised of the previous iteration (model years 2014-2016) of the race car. A Masters Championship also is 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.

For more information about the Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama, visit www.imsa.com, follow hashtag #GT3CAN @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 Prototype Challenge presented by Mazda, 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.