0 Items

Thompson Joins SportsCarBoutique to Take on the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada

May 15, 2019

Thompson Joins SportsCarBoutique to Take on the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada

TORONTO, ONTARIO – Parker Thompson is excited to announce that he will join the 2019 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada with Toronto based SportsCarBoutique. Thompson will pilot the #3 Platinum Cup entry. He will join the team this weekend as the season begins with two races included in the Victoria Day Speedfest Weekend held at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, outside of Toronto.  

Thompson, an experienced open-wheel racer, expanded into sports cars this year. Early in this season, he has competed in Indy Pro 2000 on the Road to Indy. Thompson has also raced in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA. In both series, he is currently sitting 2nd in overall championship points standings, after four races. 

Now in its 9th season of competition, SportsCarBoutique has a clear goal in mind: winning the 2019 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Championship! Over the past seasons, SportsCarBoutique has coached and introduced young Canadian talents to the series, and is proud to work with Parker Thompson. 

Parker Thompson
“In my limited experience with the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge, I’ve come to really appreciate both the race car and the competitors in the series. I’m looking forward to joining the team at SportsCarBoutique. Many thanks to team principal Ilker Starck for making this opportunity possible. I intend to work hard and continue the success that I’ve had in this series south of the border.”  

Ilker Starck – SportsCarBoutique Team Principal
“We love the sport, the series and most of all these Porsche Cup cars. Over the past few years we have established ourselves as a team that introduces and supports talented young race car drivers.”

 

Porsche GT3 Cup Race #1 & #2 – Event Schedule

Castrol Victoria Day Speedfest at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Ontario

Test Session 1 – Thursday May 16th, 2019, 8:50 – 9:30 EST
Test Session 2 – Thursday May 16th, 2019, 11:20 – 12:00 EST
Test Session 3 – Thursday May 16th, 2019, 14:30 – 15:10 EST
Practice Session 1 – Friday May 17th, 2019, 9:10 – 9:50 EST
Practice Session 2 – Friday May 17th, 2019, 13:35 – 14:15 EST
Qualifying – Saturday May 18th, 2019, 7:30 – 7:50 EST
*Race 1 – Saturday May 18th, 2019, 10:55 – 11:40 EST
*Race 2 – Sunday May 19th, 2019, 11:55 – 12:40 EST

Official Series Website
*Watch Live on IMSA.TV

Thompson Earns His First Sports Car Win in a Wet Weekend at Mid-Ohio

May 6, 2019

Thompson Earns His First Sports Car Win in a Wet Weekend at Mid-Ohio

MID-OHIO SPORTS CAR COURSE, LEXINGTON, OHIO

In a weekend mired in rain and cool temperatures, Parker Thompson navigated treacherous conditions to win his first sports car race in Race 3 of the 2019 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA at Mid-Ohio. For Race 4, the second of two races at the Acura Sport Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio, Thompson finished 2nd. That result put him on the podium four times in four races to kick off his career in sports cars.

 Weather was a big factor for official practice sessions on Friday, where many cars did not even venture out on track. Thompson however, showed promising pace in the #3 JDX Racing / Hertz / Byers Porsche, eclipsing the fastest lap time of his competitors by nearly 3 seconds.

 With wet conditions continuing into Saturdays qualifying session, there were high expectations for Thompson. Multiple incidents on track however, ended the session with no timed laps completed. As a result, the starting order for Race 3 was determined by driver championship points standings. Thompson would start in third position, on the inside of the second row.

 In steady rain, Thompson cleanly piloted the #3 car past championship contenders Riley Dickinson and Roman DeAngelis, before pacing away from the pack. In an incident filled race, with eleven out of 22 laps driven under a yellow flag, all except for five cars would fall a lap down to Thompson. In only his third race in the car, Thompson showed a dominant victory and solidified the fact that he is a contender for the overall championship.

 With clearer conditions on Sunday, Race 4 began with Thompson on pole position, and championship leader Roman DeAngelis immediately behind him on the second row. The two Canadian drivers battled hard for ten laps before DeAngelis squeezed by to take the lead position. Thompson held second for the remainder of the race. Four races into the 2019 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA season, and Thompson’s sports car career, he has found the podium in each of four races.

 “The results this weekend are truly exciting. With the help of Hertz and Byers Porsche, the JDX Racing crew has put together a great race car. While I was happy with my pace right from the start of the season, there is still room for improvement. This weekend was a great indicator of progress, and a sure sign that we can contend for the overall championship. I’m honored to work with a great team of people, and so excited for what the future holds.” – Parker Thompson

Now sitting second in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA championship standings, Thompson finds himself vying for two unique racing championships. He is the current championship leader in Indy Pro 2000, where he will be competing May 10th– 12that the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. The Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA season resumes June 7that the Montreal F1 Grand Prix.

IMSA Results:

Qualifying
Race 3 Results – Unofficial
Race 4 Results – Unofficial
Overall Championship Points – Provisional

Thompson Takes Double Podiums at Porsche GT3 Cup Debut

Apr 8, 2019

Thompson Takes Double Podiums at Porsche GT3 Cup Debut

BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK, ALABAMA – Touting #DriveAnything, Parker Thompson got behind the wheel of the #3 JDX Racing – Hertz – Byers Porsche GT3 Cup Car this weekend for his first experience in fender-to-fender racing action at the 2019 IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA season opener. As an experienced open-wheel race car driver, Thompson’s debut in the series generated significant intrigue about his potential in sports car racing. The final results did not disappoint. At the conclusion of each race, Thompson found himself celebrating on the podium. Third-place finishes in both race one and race two, position him 3rd overall in the GT3 Cup Challenge USA Championship standings.

Both races saw hard battles and close quarter racing that is characteristic of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge, but race two was particularly close. Thompson’s #3 car took damage on lap four, destroying the front splitter and significantly challenging his pace from that point forward. As a result, Thompson found himself on the defense against sophomore drivers Maxwell Root, and JDX Racing teammate, Jeff Kingsley. Root showed tremendous pressure, often going side-by-side with Thompson on the winding road course, but he never managed to execute a full pass. Root would eventually collide with lapped traffic, leaving Thompson to defend Kingsley alone. The battle between the two young Canadians lasted right to the checkered flag, with Thompson managing to hold his spot and earn the final podium position.

With this outstanding result, Thompson is excited about future opportunities to race in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge, but remains focused on the Indy Pro 2000 Championship. After winning the opening two races at the season opener in St. Petersburg last month, Thompson holds a significant lead in the Championship points standings.

Parker Thompson
“I know Barber Motorsports Park very well with my background in open wheel cars, but this was a huge learning weekend for me. I think I learned more about racing in the last four days than I have in the past year! I was driving a car that I’d never driven before; I had a new team and new crew behind me and the JDX Racing guys were just awesome. We all gelled really quickly and the atmosphere and communication under the tent was outstanding. The #3/JDX Racing/Hertz/Byers Porsche got better with every change and my understanding of what it takes to drive this car fast also grew. I’m ecstatic with our performance this weekend, but I’m equally as hungry for more results.”

IMSA Results:

Qualifying
Race 1 Results – Provisional
Race 2 Results – Provisional
Overall Championship Points – Provisional

Parker Thompson Signs with 2018 GT3 Cup Series Champions as the Driver of the #3/JDX Racing/Hertz/Byers Porsche

Apr 3, 2019

Parker Thompson Signs with 2018 GT3 Cup Series Champions as the Driver of the #3/JDX Racing/Hertz/Byers Porsche

LOVELAND, CO. – JDX Racing is excited to announce the signing of Open Wheel Standout Parker Thompson to drive the #3 JDX/Hertz/Byers Porsche in the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama beginning this weekend at Barber Motorsports Park.

Parker, a 21 year-old from Red Deer, Alberta, Canada, began racing go-karts at the age of 8, quickly establishing himself as a racer who grabbed the attention of the entire karting community. At age 13, he was ranked 3rd in the world in Rotax Max karts. Entering open-wheel racing in 2015, Parker competed in the US F2000 series, claiming eleven Top-10 finishes in 16 starts. He would continue to craft his racing skills the next two seasons, capturing 25, Top-5 finishes in 30 starts. Following his dominating performance in the 2017 Canadian F1600 Super Series Championship Parker moved to The Road to Indy in 2018 where he managed to finish second in the overall Championship. Having twice finished second in the season championship, he’s more determined than ever to claim an overall Championship title.

Parker Thompson
“I haven’t been this excited to jump behind the wheel of a racecar in a very long time! It’s going to be a baptism by fire coming into a strong field in the Porsche GT3 Cup USA series with no prior experience, but I couldn’t have a better team behind me than the guys at JDX Racing. I’m extremely thankful for the faith that Jeremy Dale – plus the folks from Hertz and Byers – have put in me to create this amazing opportunity. I look forward to working hard with the #3/JDX Racing/Hertz/Byers Porsche crew to pick up where they left off last year.”

Jeremy Dale- Managing Partner / JDX Racing:
“Parker is a perfect fit for JDX Racing and the IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge by Yokohama Championship. I can’t say how excited and proud we are to have him driving the #3/Hertz/Byers Porsche in 2019. He’s a proven winner with a huge amount of talent. There’s a hugely competitive atmosphere in the GT3 Cup paddock and I know Parker’s work ethic and enthusiasm will keep us at the top of the field. We can’t wait to get to Barber next week and get to work.”

About JDX Racing:
Founded in 2008 and based outside of Denver, CO, JDX Racing represents the very best in professional motorsports. Competing in the IMSA sports car series, JDX Racing campaigns cars in eight events throughout North America. JDX Racing features world-class drivers, outstanding crew members and dynamic marketers from Champ Car, IndyCar, NASCAR, ALMS and the Champ Car Atlantic Championship series. For more information, follow JDX Racing on Facebook, on Twitter and on Instagram.

Follow Byers Porsche on Facebook at https://facebook.com/byersporsche

 

Event Schedule

Barber Motorsports Park

Practice 1 – Friday April 5th, 2019, 10:35-11:05 AM EST
Practice 2 – Friday April 5th, 2019, 2:50-3:35 PM EST
Qualifying – Saturday April 6th, 2019, 11:15-11:30 AM EST
Race 1 – Saturday April 6th, 2019, 2:40-3:40 PM EST
Race 2 – Sunday April 7th, 2019, 12:45-1:40PM EST

Official Series Website
Watch Live on IMSA.TV