Parker Thompson Concludes the 2019 Season with a Massive Performance to Earn the Porsche GT3 Cup Vice Championship

Oct 1, 2019

Parker Thompson Concludes the 2019 Season with a Massive Performance to Earn the Porsche GT3 Cup Vice Championship

CIRCUIT MONT-TREMBLANT – MONT-TREMBLANT, QC

It has been an unforgettable season of racing for Red Deer’s Parker Thompson. Campaigning forty races across three different series, Thompson entered the year’s final weekend of racing having already clinched a title in the Canadian Touring Car Championship while placing third in the Indy Pro 2000 Championship on the Road to Indy. Holding third in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada Championship, Thompson and team SCB Racing were looking to move up with strong finishes in races on Saturday and Sunday at Circuit Mont-Tremblant. The 21-year-old series rookie did exactly that. A fourth place and a second-place finish gave Thompson enough points to leap-frog rival Jeff Kingsley and take second place in the overall 2019 Porsche GT3 Cup Championship.

With cool fall conditions and light rain, the weekend began with Saturday morning’s qualifying session and a supreme performance from Thompson. After great results in rain earlier this season, including a Porsche win at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, the Alberta native demonstrated his wet-weather prowess once again at Mont-Tremblant. Thompson piloted the #3 GT3 Cup Car of SCB Racing to the fastest time of the qualifying session, with more than a half-second cushion over second place.

Although performance during the qualifier should have given him the pole position for Race 1, a team infraction led to the disqualification of all lap times. Late in qualifying, the car was brought into the pits for last-minute adjustments that unfortunately were not completed before the session ended. As a result, Thompson was forced to start Race 1 from the back of the grid.

On the drying track, Thompson showed incredible pace. He drove the black and gold #3 car from 14th to 4th place not once, but twice, after a drive-through penalty was assessed to him for jumping the race start. He would finish in 4th, clocking the fastest lap of the race.

Thompson’s performance on Saturday allowed him to start Sunday’s Race 2 from pole position. On a dry track, he found himself in an intense battle with championship leader Roman DeAngelis. The two drove nose to tail through 20 laps of the 4.2-kilometer road course before DeAngelis executed a pass that left Thompson in second place when the checkered flag fell.

These two strong finishes gave Thompson sufficient points to take second position in the overall championship. The result is an exclamation point at the end of a 2019 season where he has been impactful in every race that he competed in.

Parker Thompson
“That was again a great weekend of racing, and I’m proud to end the year on a high note. Obviously, we are a bit disappointed about the penalty that took us off of the pole position for Race 1 in the rain. It’s hard not to think about what could have been. That said, we came into the weekend looking to take the second spot in the overall championship, and we met our target there! Many thanks to Ilker Starck, SCB Racing and our sponsors Porsche Centre Victoria and Island Circuit for a great year. I really can’t thank them enough for all their help this year. When I joined the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge series, I wasn’t entirely sure what I was in for. We were a young team but I think we smashed all expectations. I’d love to come back to the series in 2020 and build on our achievements this year.”

Images credit @motorsportlivemedia

IMSA GT3 CUP CHALENGE CANADA – Rounds 11 & 12, Circuit Mont-Tremblant

Qualifying – Official (PDF)
Round 11 – Unofficial (PDF)
Round 12 – Unofficial (PDF)
Final Standings – Provisional (PDF)

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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.”

IMSA GT3 CUP CHALLENGE ROUNDS 9 & 10 – GP OF ROAD AMERICA

Qualifying – (PDF)
Race 1 – Provisional (PDF)
Race 2 – Provisional (PDF)
Overall Standings (PDF)

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

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Thompson and SportsCarBoutique Maintain Course in Action Packed GT3 Cup Weekend at CTMP

Jul 7, 2019

Thompson and SportsCarBoutique Maintain Course in Action Packed GT3 Cup Weekend at CTMP

CANADIAN TIRE MOTORSPORT PARK – BOWMANVILLE, ONTARIO

Continuing the success from events earlier this year, Rounds 5 & 6 of the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge Canada at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, showed close wheel to wheel racing action and parity deep in the field. Embroiled in battle with multiple drivers throughout the two races, Parker Thompson drove the #3 SCB Racing and Porsche Centre Victoria entry to 5th and 2nd place finishes. He completed the weekend, maintaining his second place standing in the Platinum Cup Championship.

The result was hard earned for Thompson, who started Race 1 from fourth position, but found himself near the back of the fourteen car field early on. Contact from behind in the opening corner forced the black and gold coloured #3 off the track, allowing multiple cars to pass-by. Making the most of the remaining laps, Thompson showed a steady offensive drive from that point on. He cleanly worked his way up to fifth place before the 45-minute race timed out.

“The #3 SCB Racing / Porsche Centre Victoria Cup Car certainly had more pace than the results sheet showed. For that reason, I’m disappointed by our result. In turn one on the opening lap, I took a solid bump from the inside and ended up putting the car off the track. I was forced to make a quick decision on whether to fight back and risk the whole race, or find a safe escape path that would allow us to continue racing. I’m proud of the fight we showed working our way back up the ranks. There are some great competitors in this series. That was no easy task.”

Race 2 saw Thompson make a move into second place on the opening lap, and then play defense against two hard-charging competitors. Former teammate, and fellow championship contender, Jeff Kingsley would present the greatest challenge. The two drivers were nose-to-tail until Kingsley spun on the sixth lap while trying to make a pass on Thompson in turn 10. Thompson would hold off another challenge from Patrick Dussault before creating a comfortable gap later in the race. He would finish second.

The strong finish is important leading into the most significant weekend on Thompson’s 2019 race schedule. Both the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge Canada, and Indy Pro 2000 will visit the Toronto Indy next weekend, giving Thompson four races over two days. His final race of that weekend will mark the 100th auto race of his young career.

“I’m excited about the chance to race in two different series next weekend at the Toronto Indy. I’m so blessed to have had so many opportunities in racing this far in my career. We’ve got a great group of people coming to celebrate my 100th race milestone, but more critically, there are four important races in two series where we are contending for the overall championship. Alternating race cars is certainly going to test my adaptability as a driver. I’m grateful to be working with the crews of SCB Racing in GT3 Cup, and Abel Motorsports in Indy Pro 2000. I’m confident that they will give me the support we need to get a good result.”

Images Credit: Sandile Magadlela - 778-951-3984 - sandile@mgdla.com - @_mgdla

Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada – CTMP Round 5 & 6

Qualifying (pdf)
Round 5 – Race – Provisional (pdf)
Round 6 – Race – Provisional (pdf)
Overall Standings – Provisional (pdf)

Next Events

JUL 12 – 14, 2019 – Indy Pro 2000 & GT3 Cup Canada – Streets of Toronto, ON
JUL. 26 – 28, 2019 – Indy Pro 2000 – Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, OH
AUG. 02 – 04, 2019 – GT3 Cup Canada – Road America, Elkhart Lake, WI

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Strong Performances Continue for Thompson in Continental GT3 Cup Weekend at Montreal F1

Jun 14, 2019

Strong Performances Continue for Thompson in Continental GT3 Cup Weekend at Montreal F1

CIRCUIT GILLES VILLENEUVE – MONTREAL, QUEBEC

Contenders of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge across the continent gathered in Montreal this weekend as both the Canada and USA branches of the one make series participated in the Canadian Formula 1 Grand Prix event. Thirty-five cars packed the famed 4.3km Gilles Villeneuve Circuit for two races. Parker Thompson ran near the front of the field all weekend, and lead much of Race 2. The final results put him on the podium for Race 1. A twenty-nine second penalty for contacting another car during race 2 negated his third place finish and dropped him to 12th after the race conclusion.

Driving the #3 entry of SCB Racing and Porsche Center Victoria, Thompson was able to simultaneously score points in the GT3 Cup Canada series and the GT3 Cup USA series where he regularly competes with JDX Racing. With the weekend’s result he holds second place in the overall championship standings in both countries.

The top two spots in both Canada and the USA, show Thompson trailing series veteran Roman DeAngelis, winner of both of the weekend’s races. As a newcomer not only to Porsche GT3 Cup, but sports car racing as a whole, Thompson has surprised people on and off the track with his ability to adapt to the series. Qualifying results on Saturday placed him in the second position for the start of both races. When the green flag dropped, he further demonstrated the pace we have seen from him all season.

In Race 1 Saturday afternoon, Thompson held second from the race start to the fall of the checkered flag. With more than half of the race being driven under a full course caution, he never found a real opportunity to challenge the leader.

Race 2 on Sunday showed more drama. Thompson took the lead on the opening lap, and found himself engaged in a tight battle with DeAngelis. Thompson would hold his lead for 5 laps, before a mistake in the critical hairpin corner cost him two positions. In the remaining laps, Thompson was tightly engaged with American racer Riley Dickenson. The two traded places multiple times before the race was red-flagged after multiple collisions among the field back markers. Thompson was in the third position at the race end, but a virtual drive through penalty equivalent to 29 seconds was later assessed for making contact with Dickenson’s car. The final Race 2 results scored him 12th overall – 7th in the Canadian group, and 6th among competitors of the USA series.

“I’m happy with our overall pace on the track this weekend, but disappointed to be leaving points on the table. Ultimately, I made a couple of mistakes that put me in a position where we were more vulnerable to our competitors. With 35 cars in the field, all of the same spec, there is certainly going to be some tight racing. There is not much room for error. I’m so thankful for the support of SCB Racing who came together with our partners in America, JDX Racing, to make this result possible. We are having a lot of fun. This #3 SCB Racing / Porsche Center Victoria car looks fantastic with its classic livery. We’ve enjoyed playing that up. Racing is it’s best when it can put on a good show. We certainly did that this weekend!” – Parker Thompson

Thompson’s busy race season continues in two weeks’ time when he returns to Indy Pro 2000 at Road America circuit in Wisconsin. After starting this 2019 Road to Indy Championship series with a bang, dominating the opening two races, Thompson has since struggled to find a winning pace. That has been only a minor detraction from a year of racing that has otherwise been filled with great achievements. Between Porsche GT3 Cup Canada and USA, Indy Pro 2000, and the Canadian Touring Car Championship, the young Alberta native has already raced 17 times this season. In those races he has seven wins and thirteen podiums.

Images Credit: Sandile Magadlela - 778-951-3984 - sandile@mgdla.com - @_mgdla

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

Qualifying (pdf)
Race 1 Results – USA Round 5, Canada Round 3 (pdf)
Race 2 Results – USA Round 6, Canada Round 4 (pdf)

Overall Standings USA (pdf)
Overall Standings Canada (pdf)

Next Events

JUN. 20 – 22, 2019 – Indy Pro 2000 Race 6 & 7 – Road America, WI
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

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Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada Commences with a Busy Weekend for Parker Thompson

May 21, 2019

Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada Commences with a Busy Weekend for Parker Thompson

CANDADIAN TIRE MOTORSPORTS PARK – TORONTO, ONTARIO

Thompson boldly kicked off the new race season in Canada this weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. The 21-year-old driver from Red Deer, Alberta competed in four races as part of two different series that joined the annual Victoria Day Speedfest weekend at the Toronto area racetrack. In those four races, Thompson earned four podiums. In the Canadian Touring Car Championship (CTCC), he dominated the weekend, taking the Audi R8 LMS GT4 of Speedstar Motorsport to two overall victories. In the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada, Thompson earned a 2nd and 3rd place finish. That result puts him only 1 point back of the lead in the overall championship points standings.

As expected of the popular one-make series, the opening races of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada were tightly contested. An incident in Saturday morning’s qualifying cut the session short, leaving multiple drivers unhappy with their starting positions for race one. Thompson would start in second position. Over the course of the race he applied good pressure on leader, Jeff Kingsley, but was not able to execute a pass. The two crossed the finish line with a comfortable margin over 3^rdplace Marco Cirone.

The starting line-up for Race 2 put Thompson in the fifth position. Intense battles with Marco Cirone, Jeff Kingsley, and Patrick Dussault saw Thompson make his way up to second position. Heavy rain would fall, ending the race before he had any chance to challenge for the lead. The excitement of Thompson’s dramatic performance was tempered somewhat post-race when he was penalized one position for making a pass outside of track limits. The final result was third place.

After combining point totals for both races, Thompson holds second place in the overall championship standings, just one point behind race 2 winner Roman DeAngelis. The two drivers are also first in second in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA standings. Having shared the track for six races so far this year, Thompson and DeAngelis are demonstrating the tight competition that the GT3 Cup series is renowned for.

The performance puts an exclamation mark on what has been a commanding start to Thompson’s 2019 season. Thompson has been racing south of the border since March when the Indy Pro 2000 season commenced in St. Petersburg, Florida. He joined Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA shortly after. Thompson is in contention for championship titles in those two series. After this weekend, he is set up to challenge for the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada as well.

Parker Thompson
“I’m so fortunate to have the opportunity to work with SCB Racing and their partners. Not too long ago, I had never even considered the possibility of joining the series. Now I am very excited about my chance to contend for the overall Championship in Canada.”