BRASELTON, GA (October 11, 2019) – The Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA season closer at Road Atlanta proved to be a double-edged sword for the Wright Motorsports team. The double-header event was highlighted with pair of podiums along with runner-up championships for both Max Root and Fred Poordad in their respective classes.
Race 1:
Poordad kicked off the weekend on a high after earning what was the pole position in the Platinum Masters category and fifth overall. At the start of Race 1, the Texan dipped back down to second, but wasn’t prepared to back down just then. He continued to chase down the leaders until the final ten minutes when a mechanical failure came into play, forcing him into an early retirement.
An untraditional fourth place qualifying position for set the tone for Root’s Race 1. After slipping behind Metni at the start, Root found himself in a high-pressure battle for the final podium slot. The battle didn’t let off until the final lap, when the 19-year old ultimately earned fourth place overall and third in class.
Adapt and overcome was the phrase of the weekend for Luck. Just a few laps into Race 1, trouble struck when an off in Turn 10 required him to be retrieved from the gravel. Despite the setback, Luck was able to maintain his composure, battle through traffic and take the checkered flag only one lap down.
Race 2:
The early end to Race 1 lit a fire underneath Poordad, who stuck second place at the start of today’s race. Through a combination of speed and heads up driving, he held onto the position through the duration of the 45-minute event. This put a stamp on the season for Poordad, earning him the runner-up position in the Platinum Masters championship.
At the drop of the green flag, Root dove around Kingsley for third place overall. From there, the Californian made his presence known, knocking out the quickest race lap on lap five and not letting the leaders out of his sight. When the checkered flag came out, Root was third in the overall standings, which was enough for him to secure the runner-up in the Platinum championship.
A strong start for Luck allowed him to maintain his third place starting slot until five laps in, when trouble in Turn 3 sent him back to the twenty-second spot. The Virginia-native proceeded to put his head down, gaining six positions to finish the year with a sixth place result in the Platinum Masters category.
While the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge season has come to a close, preparations are already underway for the 2020 season. The Wright Motorsports team will finish out the year with the final race of the SRO America championship at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (October 17-19).
About Wright Motorsports
Wright Motorsports is the premier Porsche race engineering facility in Ohio and a multi-series, international racing team known for superb car preparation, expert race strategy and driver development. Located in Batavia, Ohio, it is owned and directed by John Wright, a certified Porsche factory-trained technician. As a crew chief John Wright has played a key role in winning eight driver and seven team championships in World Challenge, IMSA (ALMS) and the Grand-Am Rolex Series. Wright Motorsports won the team championship in Porsche GT3 Cup USA in 2012, 2013 and 2015. After a most successful 2017 season, the team holds the Pirelli World Challenge Overall, Sprint, Team and Manufacturer’s titles. For the 2019 season, the group is campaigning two Porsche 911 GT3 Rs in SRO America – a PRO entry for Patrick Long and Scott Hargrove and a PRO/AM entry for Anthony Imperato, Dennis Olsen and Matt Campbell