Thompson on the Podium Twice in Carrera Cup Opener at Sebring

Mar 19, 2022

Thompson on the Podium Twice in Carrera Cup Opener at Sebring

SEBRING, FL

Forty-three Porsche 992 race cars lined up at Sebring Circuit this week to launch a new season of Carrera Cup North America presented by Cayman Islands. Parker Thompson earned second and third-place pro-class finishes, driving the white, red, and yellow JDX Racing #9 car of Shell Tap-Up / Surgere / Byers Porsche / Renier Construction / Jersey Mike’s in two races around the Florida circuit. The result marks a solid start to 2022 as 24-year-old Thompson and the Colorado-based JDX Racing look to build on their 3rd-place finish in last year’s championship.

Through all sessions at Sebring Circuit, Thompson was a top performer. Wet conditions in Wednesday mornings practice sessions presented challenges to all entrants as they looked to refine car setups for qualifying. While Thompson managed excellent times through practice, he was not among the leading drivers when qualifying began on a dry Sebring track. With the session winding down, the team called Thompson into the pits for an aggressive setup change in a last-ditch effort to find more speed. The measures worked. While navigating traffic in the session’s final minutes, Thompson clinched third-place starting positions for races on Thursday.

Thompson and JDX continued to take a bold stance when racing launched on Thursday morning. In contrast to the majority of the field, the team started the #9 on brand new rubber for Race 1, looking for an advantage early in the race that would allow Thompson to pass rivals with Kelly Moss Racing to take the lead. The strategy nearly paid off. Thompson cleared American driver Riley Dickinson on the opening lap to take second-position and then battled with race leader Kay Van Berlo for multiple corners before expending his tire advantage. After twenty laps, he would cross the finish line in second place.

With his tire allotment for the weekend used up, Thompson started Race 2 on a used set of tires, knowing that most of his competitors were on fresh rubber. Despite that disadvantage, a strong start allowed him to gain a spot on the opening lap, moving from third into second. A forceful maneuver from Dickinson saw him give that position back just a lap later. Although Thompson appeared to be under pressure in the third position early on, he earned a comfortable gap for himself as the race progressed. When the checkered flag fell, he stood on the final podium position.

Second and third-place finishes put Thompson third in the overall standings and in a good position as the series heads to Long Beach Street Circuit on April 8th. With tight quarters racing expected there and at all fourteen remaining rounds, Thompson is focused only on one race at a time, aiming to use the team’s experience from 2021 to reach a higher goal in the new season.

Parker Thompson
“This is just the beginning! Last year when the season launched at Sebring Circuit, we may have felt a little out of sorts. This season’s performance is a sure sign of our progress as a team. Two podiums here is a solid result. Still, from our team leader Jeremy Dale to our incredible partners at Surgere, Shell Tap-Up, Byers Porsche, Renier Construction, and Jersey Mike’s, our end goal is something greater than podiums. After a full season here in Carrera Cup, we’re figuring out what that will take. We made some great notes here at Sebring. Now our focus shifts to Long Beach, where we believe we can do even better.”

Images credit Bob Chapman / Autosport Image

IMSA 2022 CARRERA CUP NORTH AMERICA – Rounds 1 – 2, Sebring Circuit

Qualifying- Official (PDF)
Round 1 – Provisional (PDF)
Round 2 – Provisional (PDF)
Overall Standings – Provisional (PDF)

Complete results are available at results.imsa.com

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Parker Thompson Rejoins Carrera Cup North America for 2022

Mar 13, 2022

Parker Thompson Rejoins Carrera Cup North America for 2022

SEBRING, FLORIDA

Parker Thompson returns to JDX Racing and Porsche Carrera Cup North America presented by Cayman Islands for a new year. Using spec Porsche 992 Cup race cars, Carrera Cup represents the pinnacle of one-make racing with eleven Carrera Cup series run in regions around the globe every year. In Canada and the United States, Carrera Cup North America promises some of the most exciting racing action on the IMSA schedule with a multi-class sprint race format. Thompson returns to the Pro-class for 2022 with his sights set on the championship title.

Surgere, Byers Porsche, and Renier Construction continue the new campaign effort, supporting Thompson as he pilots the #9 Shell Tap Up / JDX Racing entry. After noteworthy success in his 2021 Carrera Cup North America campaign, the 24-year-old Canadian is a prominent figure in the series. In his first full-season of SportsCar racing south of the border, Thompson was one of only three drivers to earn a race win, standing atop the podium at Circuit of the Americas, Road America, and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The final result was third place in the championship series. For the new season, Thompson is looking to improve on that result. Still, with other top drivers returning to the series, the close rivalries and competition we saw last year are expected to intensify further.

The 2022 Carrera Cup North America schedule launches March 15 with a doubleheader race weekend at Sebring Circuit. An additional fourteen races will follow as the series follows the IMSA SportsCar Championship to seven of the continent’s most famed sports car circuits.

Parker Thompson
“It’s a new season, and I am as hungry as ever to get back behind the wheel and into a Porsche for another year with Carrera Cup. Last year I joined the series, feeling a bit like an open-wheel racer trying to learn sports cars. With an entire season under my belt now, I feel great about our chances in 2022. The competition in this Porsche series is exceptionally close, and it takes a complete team effort to hang out at the front of the field. With JDX Racing, and an incredible group of partners returning for the campaign, I have full confidence in our abilities! In 2021 we didn’t quite reach our championship aspirations. Everyone in our program, Jeremy Dale at JDX Racing, Michael Wappler at Surgere, and even our transportation crew and marketing team, are as hungry as I am for that top step of the podium. It’s going to be an exciting year!”

IMSA 2021 CARRERA CUP NORTH AMERICA – Season Schedule

March 16, 2022 – Rounds 1 & 2
Sebring International Raceway, Sebring, FL

April 8, 2022 – Rounds 3 & 4
Long Beach Street Circuit, Los Angeles, CA

April 28, 2022 – Rounds 5 & 6
Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, CA

June 23, 2022 – Rounds 7 & 8
Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, NY

July 15, 2022 – Rounds 9 & 10
Streets of Toronto, Toronto, On

August 5, 2022 – Rounds 11 & 12
Road America, Elkhart Lake, WI

September 2, 2022 – Rounds 13 & 14
Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indianapolis, IN

September 28, 2022 – Rounds 15 & 16
Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, Atlanta, GA

Complete results are available at results.imsa.com

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Double Podium for Thompson as Inaugural Carrera Cup North America Concludes at Road Atlanta

Nov 17, 2021

Double Podium for Thompson as Inaugural Carrera Cup North America Concludes at Road Atlanta

BRASELTON, GA

The inaugural season of Carrera Cup North America concluded this past week with a trio of races at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. Parker Thompson earned two third-place finishes on Thursday’s races and a fourth-place finish on Friday. Thompson’s performance in the season finale was indicative of his performance through the entire season. In sixteen races, he stood on the podium a total of eight times and was one of only three drivers to earn a race win – a feat he accomplished three times. With a total of 258 points, Thompson finished third overall in the season championship and was the top-ranking North American-born entrant.

From the series onset, Thompson battled fiercely to contend for the Carrera Cup North America championship title. After five years in open-wheel race cars on the Road to Indy, the campaign marked Thompson’s first dedicated effort in sports cars. With support from Porsche Canada and Surgere IoT, Thompson joined JDX Racing, earning two top-five finishes when the season opened at Sebring. In the third race of the year, Thompson found his first win at Circuit Of The Americas with an exciting final corner, final lap, pass.

Thompson would win again in races at Road America and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Every race that he did not win was won by Kelly-Moss Racing, whose drivers Priaulx and Van Berlo joined Thompson as the top contenders in the Pro-class Championship. The three Porsche Junior drivers were in a tight contest in nearly every race. Thompson, who never found any better than second pace in qualifying, used dominant race craft to excel during race action. While executing some of the boldest overtaking maneuvers of the season, Thompson drove the #9 JDX Racing car home without incident in all sixteen races.

The young Canadian’s performance will undoubtedly open more doors in sportscar racing, where Thompson is now becoming a familiar name. Next season could present opportunities in various series, and with a short off-season ahead, we can expect news of those opportunities to develop quickly. Following the Carrera Cup North America finale, Thompson was reflective on the season, grateful of his partners in the campaign, and excited about what the future might hold.

Parker Thompson
“Coming into the Porsche Carrera Cup North America Finale at Road Atlanta, I knew that JDX Racing and I needed to find some pace compared to our competition. Again like VIR, I haven’t driven many laps around Road Atlanta, and the ones I had were not in a GT. But from the green flag in FP1, the #9 car and driver were getting along well around one of the most challenging circuits in North America. To bring home two podiums and a front-row starting spot out of three races is something we can be very proud of on the weekend. It was a nice way of finishing out a strong first season in Carrera Cup, with three wins, eight podiums, and 3rd Overall in the Driver’s Championship. I can’t thank Jeremy Dale, Harrison Brix, and the whole JDX Racing team enough for having me here to lead their inaugural first season racing in Carrera Cup. I had one of my most memorable seasons in the sport with an amazing group of people. Huge thanks go out to Porsche Canada, Byers Porsche, Renier Construction, Surgere, SSi Artificial Lift, Curt Swearingin, Bell Helmets, Sparco USA, and Porsche Motorsport North America for an amazing year. Without everyone named here, I wouldn’t have been able to show what I’ve got behind the wheel.”

Images credit Bob Chapman / Autosport Image

IMSA 2021 CARRERA CUP NORTH AMERICA – Rounds 14 – 16, Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta

Round 14 – Official (PDF)
Round 15 – Official (PDF)
Round 16 – Official (PDF)
Final Standings – Official (PDF)

Complete results are available at results.imsa.com

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Thompson Finishes on the Podium at VIR as 2021 Carrera Cup North America Nears Completion

Oct 12, 2021

Thompson Finishes on the Podium at VIR as 2021 Carrera Cup North America Nears Completion

ALTON, VA

The inaugural Porsche Carrera Cup North America visited VIRginia International Raceway this weekend for races 12 & 13 of the sixteen race schedule. The iconic track provided some spectacular racing action as the Pro-Class championship came into focus. Thompson and team JDX Racing entered the weekend holding third in the overall standings, looking to further improve on their position after a strong performance in Indianapolis last month. In each race, Thompson and the #9 of JDX Racing improved on their fifth-place starting position, earning fourth-place and third-place finishes on the weekend.

Through winding esses and dramatic elevation changes, the high-speed VIR road course rendered tremendous bumper-to-bumper racing throughout the weekend. From his starting position on the third-row, Thompson was fully entangled in action early in the two races.

In Race 1 on Saturday, a tough start dropped Thompson back to the sixth spot in the opening corners of the race. Through seven laps, he battled veteran drivers Leh Keen and Erik Johansson to regain his original position and then take fourth place. Finding a gap greater than eight seconds to the race leader, Thompson then managed his fastest laps of the race in an effort to close distance on a podium position. While that gap would narrow through the middle part of the contest, his pace began to fade as the laps added up. Neither the safety car nor a caution flag would offer any relief through 26 laps of the 3.27-mile circuit before the checkered flag fell.

On Sunday, an exciting start saw multiple exchanges among the top five cars through the opening corners of Race 2. A significant wreck resulted when fellow Junior driver Van Berlo edged across the nose of the JDX Racing #9 at the entrance of Turn 3. Van Berlo left the track and skidded across the grass into the barriers outside the high-speed left-hander. Thompson, who held forth at the time of the incident, took the final podium position while the safety crew collected the wrecked Porsche 992 and repaired damaged ARMCO barriers.

After five laps behind the safety car, green flag action resumed. Thompson managed early pressure on the race leaders Dickinson and Priaulx but again faded as the race progressed. He maintained third place, unchallenged, until the end of the contest.

A third and fourth-place finish on the weekend provides Thompson with a solid gain in championship points. However, after narrowing the gap to championship leaders in races at Road America and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, here Thompson saw the distance to the leader expand. Now, just three races remain on the schedule. All will come during a triple-header weekend at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on November 10 – 12. There, Thompson will look to put an exclamation mark on what has been a strong season’s campaign by adding another win.

Parker Thompson
“It’s never a bad weekend when we can climb the podium. This was my first visit to the beautiful VIRginia International Raceway. Some testing issues meant we probably weren’t as prepared as we would have liked for the action this weekend. The crew had a late night yesterday trying to find us an edge, and it showed benefits!

I hate to see anyone wreck a car out there. Van Berlo and I have raced each other hard and clean throughout the year. I was on the outside of him going into turn three and I don’t think he knew that I was there. I’m glad to see that he wasn’t seriously hurt.

Special thanks to our partners: Porsche Canada, Byers Porsche, and Renier Construction. Michael Wappler at Surgere and Yero Hilts at SSi Artificial Lift brought a great group of people here to VIR for the weekend. We had an incredible weekend together. I’m looking forward to another incredible weekend at the season finale in Atlanta next month!”

Images credit Bob Chapman / Autosport Image

IMSA 2021 CARRERA CUP NORTH AMERICA – Rounds 12 & 13, VIRginia International Raceway

Round 12 – Provisional (PDF)
Round 13 – Provisional (PDF)
Overall Standings – Provisional (PDF)

Complete results are available at results.imsa.com

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Thompson Earns Third Win of the Year as Carrera Cup North America Visits Indianapolis

Sep 15, 2021

Thompson Earns Third Win of the Year as Carrera Cup North America Visits Indianapolis

INDIANAPOLIS, IN

The Porsche Sportscar Together Fest and Indianapolis Motor Speedway played host to a unique event for Carrera Cup North America Presented By Cayman Islands this past weekend. Three races at The Yard of Bricks provided a massive opportunity to transform the championship. Porsche Canada driver Parker Thompson entered the weekend holding third place in the overall standings. Coming off of a win last month at Road America, expectations for Thompson were high. He did not disappoint. Thompson piloted the #9 Porsche 992 of JDX Racing to his third win of the season, leading more laps than all drivers throughout the weekend.

After setting the fastest time in Friday afternoon’s practice, Thompson began qualifying with a blistering lap of 1:36.620 seconds. That would hold as best for most of the session. A late lap by Seb Priaulx would better that time by little more than a tenth of a second, and Thompson was unable to counter before the session closed. He would start on the outside of the front row for all three races throughout the weekend.

In Race 1 on Saturday afternoon, Thompson and the red, white, and grey #9 of JDX Racing would hold second for the entirety of the contest. In an incident-free race, his position was never challenged. Apart from aggressive passing attempts on the opening lap, Thompson followed Priaulx through twenty-eight laps to the finish and took the second step on the podium.

Seemingly taking a lesson from Race 1, Thompson was able to exploit Priaulx as the pair again lined up on the front row for Race 2. Thompson got a jump on Priaulx at the start and was able to pass him under braking into turn one on the opening lap. From there, the Canadian never looked back, holding his lead through two re-starts and taking the checkered flag after twenty-five laps. It was a dominant win from Thompson, and one that provided a massive boost in the championship standings as fellow contenders Priaulx and Van Berlo fell victim to incidents late in the race.

In the weekend’s final race, Thompson again lined up beside Priaulx at the start and again seemed to find an early advantage. Aggressively committing to holding the outside position through turn one on the opening lap, Thompson set the #9 JDX Racing car on the advantageous inside line for turn 2. Narrowly squeezing past Priaulx, he took the lead in the opening moments of the race. Unfortunately, a mid-field collision on that opening lap resulted in a lengthy caution as the crew worked to clean an extensive spill. After ten laps under yellow, race action resumed, and Thompson was immediately penalized for a start lane violation. Re-emerging in 19th position, he had limited time to recover. In four laps, Thompson moved eight spots to P-11 before the checkered flag fell.

With the results of Race 3 providing a reverse of fortunes to Race 2, Thompson maintains his third position in the standings for Carrera Cup North America Presented By Cayman Islands. The standings tighten however. Less than 60 points separate the top three drivers. As Thompson and JDX Racing seem to grow stronger and stronger as the season progresses, we can expect action in the series to intensify with five rounds remaining. Rounds 12 and 13 will run October 8 – 10 at Virginia International Raceway.

Parker Thompson

“Any weekend that I get to go racing is special, but three races in two days here with Porsche taking over Indianapolis Motor Speedway was an experience I’ll never forget. I’m so honored to work with the team at JDX Racing. The #9 feels like it gets faster and faster every stint. That takes an effort that extends to each member of our group. Special thanks go to our incredible partners at Porsche Canada, Surgere, SSi Artificial Lift, Byers Porsche, and Renier Construction. We had a penalty in Race 3 that we are less than happy about, but I’m not going to let that take away from our overall performance this weekend. We put another win in the books. Now, it’s time to put our heads down and get ready for VIR.”