In what has become known as the “Battle of the Dans,” Dan Clarke and Blake McGovern toppled of Daniel Morad and Roberto Tutino at Sonoma Raceway, one month after the results were reversed.
Dan Clarke and Blake McGovern mastered damp conditions for Kellymoss to secure overall victory in their Porsche 911 GT3 Cup in round two of the championship in Sonoma, California, holding off a strong showing from the JDX Racing duo of Daniel Morad and Roberto Tutino.
The result capped a strong weekend for Blake McGovern, who had already
Kellymoss duo defeats rivals and Mother Nature.
McGovern started from the pole and jumped into the lead in turn one. He held that spot until the round of pit stops kicked off, where he swapped for Clarke.
Morad’s charge through the pack was impressive, but despite setting the fastest lap of the race (1m 38.886s), the Canadian still came up 5.627 seconds short at the flag.
“It was wet out there, ever-changing conditions, but luckily throughout the week at the Sprint Challenge races, we got quite a bit of experience with that,” said McGovern.
“Yesterday, it was very similar – starting wet and drying out throughout the race, so we kind of knew what we were getting ourselves into. We were confident we were going to be pretty quick in those conditions.
“It worked in our favor, and we were able to run a clean race, and it all worked out in the end.”
McGovern grabbed the lead from the opening lap, and it was former Champ Car racer Clarke who brought it home at the end of the 100-minute battle.
“It was a lot of slipping around and figuring things out,” Clarke added. “The weather has changed so much this weekend.
“Blake's been here with Sprint Challenge and was on the podium in race 2. We were having a dry session, then a wet session, and a dry session all weekend. Blake did a lot of heavy lifting there and just stayed really calm the whole time, which was fantastic.”
After taking over from Tutino, Morad tried to repeat his race-winning dash from Sebring International Raceway last month. However, once he moved into second place, there were not enough minutes left on the clock to chase down Clarke.
Morad and Tutino claimed runner-up, followed by Brannan Hankins and Andy Lee in third for the duo’s first podium of the year.
In the GT3 Cup Am class, Daniel Ammann and Owen Trinkler were victorious together with Vintage Racing Company. Trinkler was running second in the final half hour of the race, and despite the leader having a post-race time penalty, Trinkler still made an on-track pass for the lead and eventual win.
Matt Dusek and Charlie Hayes finished second after a victory at Sebring, while Charles Espenlaub and Henry Marshall completed the class podium.
Kellymoss doubles up with Cayman Endurance victory.
Sunday’s mixed weather conditions tested even the best of Porsche One-Make series drivers, yet William Peluchiwski and co-driver Andrew Davis finished at the top of the Cayman class in their 'Nerds' liveried Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport. Peluchiwski had a first lap spin, but valiantly recovered to give Davis the winning car.
The father-daughter duo of Greg and
One day after a Porsche Sprint Challenge USA West by Yokohama victory, Justin Lewis returned to victory lane after driving solo in the endurance round. Lewis’ win in the Cayman Am class vaults him into the championship lead with two rounds remaining.
Extended break until Road America.
The next round of Porsche Endurance Challenge North America by Yokohama is set for Road America on August 14 – 16, following a mid-season break.
All Porsche Endurance Challenge North America by Yokohama races stream live – and are available to watch anytime – on the Porsche Motorsport North America's
Results.
GT3 Cup Pro-Am
Blake McGovern / Dan Clarke #240
Roberto Tutino / Daniel Morad #260
Brannan Hankins / Andy Lee #295
GT3 Cup Am
Dan Ammann / Owen Trinkler #268
Matt Dusek / Charlie Hayes #251
Henry Marshall / Charles Espenlaub #278
Cayman Pro-Am
William Peluchiwski / Andrew Davis #62
Anna Cecchi / Greg Cecchi #72
Dan Drohan / Taylor Van Overbeek #98
Cayman Am
Justin Lewis #75
