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Parker Thompson Ready to Take on Road America with Hanley Motorsports and Pirelli GT4 America

Aug 14, 2023

Parker Thompson Ready to Take on Road America with Hanley Motorsports and Pirelli GT4 America

Elkhart Lake, WI

After standout performances in IMSA race series through June and July, Parker Thompson is gearing up to return to action with SRO and Pirelli GT4 America. He’ll join teammate Daniel Hanley, piloting the No. 999 Hanley Motorsports GR Supra GT4 EVO as the series visits Road America this weekend, August 18th-20th.

Though the Pirelli GT4 America series has been on break since its June visit to VIRginia International Raceway, Thompson has been anything but idle. Since that time, he earned race victories in both the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with Vasser Sullivan and Lexus Racing USA, and the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge with Hattori Motorsports and Toyota Gazoo Racing North America. Combine these victories with his Silver-class triumph in May at the Circuit of the Americas in the SRO GT4 series, and its clear that the young Canadian is a formidable force in his rookie season with the Toyota sports car family.

Thompson holds high hopes for his return to “America’s National Park of Speed.” The 4-mile Wisconsin circuit, with its storied history spanning over six decades, has played a pivotal role in Thompson’s career. “From the track itself to the atmosphere of the region, Road America is always one of my favorite places to race. It’s been home to some of my career’s most memorable battles and wins.”

Thompson and teammate Hanley will share driving duties in two one-hour races scheduled on Saturday and Sunday, and hopes are high. Thompson reflected, “While our team has faced challenges earlier in the season, that doesn’t deter our ambitions. Road America offers a perfect opportunity for us to have a big impact.”

 

Event Schedule

Races 8 & 9 of Pirelli GT4 America at Road America

Friday, August 18, 2023
12:00 PM – Practice 1
5:15 PM – Practice 2

Saturday, August 19, 2023
10:25 AM – Qualifying Driver 1
10:40 AM – Qualifying Driver 2
5:00 PM – Race 1

Sunday, August 20, 2023
10:55 AM – Race 2

*All times CDT

Follow Parker through the weekend @parkertracing on social media channels and at parkerthompsonracing.com/live.
Watch races live via SROMotorsports YouTube or Twitch channels.

One-Two Finish For Thompson as the Carrera Cup North America Championship Tightens at Road America

Aug 8, 2022

One-Two Finish For Thompson as the Carrera Cup North America Championship Tightens at Road America

Elkhart Lake, WI

Parker Thompson earned his third victory of the season and followed that up with a second-place finish in Rounds 11 & 12 of Carrera Cup North America presented by Cayman Islands at Road America. The result sees the season championship race tighten dramatically with just four rounds remaining. Driving the No.9 machine of JDX Racing, Shell Tap-Up, Surgere, Byers Porsche, Renier Construction, Jersey Mike’s Subs, and SSi Artificial Lift, Thompson sits second in the Pro-class standings, just sixteen points away from the championship lead.

After winning in the series’ visit to Road America in 2021, Thompson was a favorite again in 2022 and showed great pace in his opening laps around the 4.0-mile Wisconsin road course. Drama struck in Qualifying on Friday afternoon when a technical infraction by championship leader Kay Van Berlo and Kelly Moss Racing teammate Riley Dickinson disqualified the duo from the session. Thompson and the white, red, and yellow No.9 claimed an official lap record and pole position for races on Saturday and Sunday morning.

Thompson fully capitalized on his position at the front of the thirty-two car field when Race 1 began. The twenty-four-year-old Canadian drove a flawless race, leading from start to finish, claiming the fastest lap bonus, and earning twenty-eight out of a maximum twenty-eight points available.

Changing weather complicated Thompson’s effort for Race 2 on Sunday morning. With light rain expected for the duration of the 45-minute race, Thompson took a commanding lead when the race launched on a wet track. However, when the rain tapered off and the road surface began to dry, Thompson showed some challenges. He defended his lead valiantly for multiple laps but ultimately surrendered to the pace of MDK Motorsports driver Trenton Estep. He would hold second through to the checkered flag.

A win, a second-place finish, and bonuses for pole position and the fastest race lap contribute fifty points to Thompson’s 2022 campaign. That total matches his best weekend in the Carrera Cup North America series and is imposing in the context of other top drivers’ struggles. Thompson gained thirty-six points on the championship leader and now trails by just sixteen points.

From here, the series heads to Indianapolis Motor Speedway on September 3rd and 4th, where Thompson will hope to draw closer still. The one-time Formula 1 circuit is only minutes from Thompson’s current home and a venue where he has earned wins in multiple series throughout his career.

Parker Thompson
“Lots of positives here at Road America – Our first pole position in the series and a big win in Race 1 yesterday! We would have loved to pair that with another win today, but the track conditions didn’t quite work out as planned. Nevertheless, we took a big step forward in the championship race. That’s what it’s all about! With just four races remaining, everyone on this team can feel our goal is within reach. Indianapolis Motor Speedway is next. We expect to have another weekend like this one!”

Images credit Bob Chapman / Autosport Image

Event Results

CARRERA CUP NORTH AMERICA PRESENTED BY CAYMAN ISLANDS
ROUNDS 11 & 12 – Road America

Qualifying – Official (PDF)
Race 1 – Provisional (PDF)
Race 2 – Provisional (PDF)
Championship Standings – Provisional (PDF)

Complete results are available at results.imsa.com

Safe Finishes for Thompson in Chaotic Continental GT3 Cup Weekend at Road America

Aug 5, 2019

Safe Finishes for Thompson in Chaotic Continental GT3 Cup Weekend at Road America

ROAD AMERICA, ELKHART LAKE, WI

This weekend at the famed Wisconsin road course, Road America, thirty-seven Porsche racers from across the continent gathered for two races with implications in both the Canadian and USA divisions of the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge. The event marked the second of two continental events on the 2019 GT3 Cup calendar, after groups from both countries gathered at the Montreal F1 Grand Prix in June. Driving the #3 entry of Porsche Centre Victoria and SCB Racing, Parker Thompson arrived at Road America ranked 2nd overall in the Canadian championship. In races marred by multiple collisions and lengthy durations under caution, the Alberta native earned two top ten finishes, gaining positions during race action after a difficult qualifying result.

With nearly twice the number of entrants usually seen at Canadian series events, dense traffic on course had an impact throughout the weekend. Qualifying saw many drivers, including Thompson, struggle to find space on the fourteen-turn road course. In an abbreviated session, cut short by an incident on track, Thompson managed only the 12th best qualifying time.

Chaos continued during races on Saturday and Sunday. Drivers involved in close battles throughout the field generated multiple collisions and a string of yellow-flagged laps. Records show that more than three-quarters of race laps during the weekend were driven under caution with the guidance of the Porsche Panamera safety car. For the most part Thompson managed to avoid the chaos. In Race 1, an impact between drivers Dussault and Gomez nearly collected Thompson. He would avoid a collision by jumping the curb and driving his car across the grass to avoid the pair as they spun. It was a close call that would allow multiple drivers to drive past the black and gold #3 car. In only three green flag laps to follow, Thompson would gain three positions. Climbing from 12th, he would finish 9th overall, and sixth among Canadian competitors.

Race 2 showed a slightly better result – Thompson would finish seventh overall. With only one non-Canadian competitor ahead of him however, he was not able to improve on his championship points earnings from Race 1. The result allowed rival Jeff Kingsley to pass Thompson and take second spot in the overall Canadian series championship standings. The two will enter the series finale next month at Circuit Mont Tremblant, separated by only two points.

Parker Thompson
“Anytime there are this many race cars on the track things are bound to get interesting. We knew going into the weekend that setting a good time in qualifying was absolutely critical. Porsche Centre Victoria and SCB Racing gave me a fantastic race car. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to put a complete lap together to earn the starting grid that we were looking for. With a limited amount of green flag racing this weekend, I’m happy with how we were able to take advantage of the limited opportunities we saw to move up.”

 

NEXT EVENTS

August 09 – 11, 2019 – CTCC Rounds 7 & 8 – GP3R, Trois Rivieres, QC
August 14 – 16, 2019 – IP2000 Series Test – Gateway Motorsports Park, IL
August 23 – 25, 2019 – CTCC Rounds 9 & 10 – CTMP, Bowmanville, ON
August 24 – 25, 2019 – IP2000 Round 12 – Gateway Motorsports Park, IL

 

Parker Thompson Returns to Form in Indy Pro 2000 at Road America

Jun 25, 2019

Parker Thompson Returns to Form in Indy Pro 2000 at Road America

ROAD AMERICA CIRCUIT, ELKHART LAKE, WISCONSIN

The Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires visited the famed Road America Circuit this past weekend for its only event in the month of June. After a challenging month of May in the Road to Indy series, Parker Thompson returned to the form he has demonstrated throughout his young racing career. The Alberta native began the weekend by posting the fastest overall time for Race 1 qualifying. In two critical races during the weekend, Thompson would earn two podium finishes.

It was an important result for Thompson and team Abel Motorsports, who divided their crew between Road America, and Pittsburgh International Race Complex for the weekend, where Thompson’s teammate Jacob Abel is also contending for the F3 America’s championship. Veteran engineer on the Road to Indy, Thomas Knapp, was brought in to manage the Indy Pro 2000 crew for the weekend. His championship winning experience played a meaningful role in the team’s result.

In Qualifying 1, Thompson and the #8 Abel Motorsports machine posted the fastest time and earned pole position for the first race of the weekend. Qualifying 2 was more tightly contested. Thompson ran fourth fastest among the thirteen drivers, just one tenth of a second behind the leader.

In race action, that tight competition continued. Both Race 1 and 2 showed multiple position changes among the front runners. Thompson would finish 3rd, taking the final podium step each time. The results earned Thompson valuable points towards what is turning into a very close championship battle. He is currently second in the standings, trailing Swedish rookie Rasmus Lindh, and one point ahead of 2018 USF2000 Champion Kyle Kirkwood.

“It is great to get on the podium here in Road America. Given some of my recent results in this series, a strong showing here was important to staying competitive in this tight 2019 Championship. Wisconsin, and Road America, is also the closest thing that I have to a home outside of Canada. We’ve got a great group of fans and supporters here to cheer us on. We are so happy to be able to pull this result together and celebrate with them all.” 

The Indy Pro 2000 series continues on July 12 – 14, 2019 at the Streets of Toronto for the Honda Toronto Indy. As the only Canadian race on the Road to Indy, the event is always special for Thompson, but this year it will be of extra significance.

“As big of a crowd that we had out here at Road America, I expect to see even more fans and supporters in Toronto this year. Not only will I be racing in Indy Pro 2000, but I’ll also be competing in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge. That’s going to make for a great weekend! It’s going to be extra special, because it will also mark my 100TH ever auto race. At my young age, I’m so fortunate to have had a great career, and I’m looking forward to some special festivities to celebrate that landmark.”

Montreal F1 Grand Prix Weekend – Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada & USA Results

Qualifying 1 (pdf)
Qualifying 2 (pdf) 
Race 1 – Round 6 (pdf)
Race 2 – Round 7 (pdf)
Overall Standings (pdf)

 

Next Events

JUN. 28 – 29, 2019– Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA – Watkins Glen International, NY 
JUN 29 – 30, 2019– CTCC Race 5 & 6 – Shannonville Motorsport Park, ON
JUL. 06 – 07, 2019– Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada – CTMP, Bowmanville, ON
JUL. 12 – 14, 2019– Indy Pro 2000 & Porsche GT3 Cup – Streets of Toronto, ON