Toronto, ON –
The Grand Prix Trois-Rivieres weekend has again lived up to its famous name, bringing tight battles and rough circuit surfaces for the drivers of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama.
Filled with an exciting racing schedule for over 80,000 passionate fans, the GP3R brought podium finishes for many deserving drivers and teams, including the Mark Motors Racing team and their drivers Robichon and Cirone.
With two practices on Friday, qualifying and Round 9 on Saturday, and Round 10 on Sunday, there was ample time for the Mark Motors Racing drivers to get comfortable with the track and for Mark Motors Racing rookie Zacharie Robichon to learn it for the first time.
Zacharie and Marco began their competitive GP3R schedule on Saturday morning in their only qualifying session of the weekend. Still learning the confines of the tight city track, both drivers ran successful times and set themselves up with 5th and 7th position respectively.
With an exciting atmosphere for Round 9, Robichon jumped at the opportunity to gain positions early on as he passed for 4th position in corner 1, then set his sights on chasing down the top 3 drivers.
Less then halfway into the 45 minute race, Robichon came to a slow halt on the back straight of the GP3R circuit. The #78 Porsche GT3 Cup Car had a mechanical failure and Robichon was out of the race.
Cirone, driver of the #88 Mark Motors Racing Porsche GT3 Cup Car and three-time Platinum Masters Champion, was caught in the fight to move up from 7th place in Round 9. He advanced the position and took home a 6th place finish for the first GP3R race in 2016, and a 2nd in Platinum Masters.
After the race, the Mark Motors Racing team immediately took to Robichon’s car and replaced the injured part, allowing him to race the following day.
Round 10 on Sunday brought home a 3rd in class and another 2nd in class finish for Robichon and Cirone, respectively.
The confines of the tight GP3R circuit doesn’t allow for easy passing, yet Cirone knew the track well enough to be able to advance positions during Round 10, landing himself in 6th place.
Cirone speaks out about the GP3R races, “Although we had some intermittent weather during out on-track sessions, we were able to put down some fast times and score some points in the standings for the series. Thank you to the Mark Motors Racing team for setting my car up perfectly as usual, and giving us drivers the support we need on weekends like this. I am looking forward to competing at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park next! We did very well there in Rounds 1 and 2 and we’re looking to do the same at the start of September for the final rounds of the season.”
Robichon, after starting on the grid in 5th place due to his mechanical failure the day before, fought to get into 4th position about halfway through the race, and then moved into 3rd a few laps from the end. Successfully continuing his run of podiums at each event this year in the #78.
Robichon reflects on the weekend, “This weekend we proved that we can never be counted out. We struggled in qualifying and then suffered a mechanical failure with a broken drive shaft in race one. In race two the car that the Mark Motors Racing team put together was fantastic and we were able to make moves to get onto the podium. Long after we had been counted out of the race we made a strong run to get the second position that fell just short. Every time out on track, I keep learning and we proved on Sunday what we can do when we have our backs against the wall!”
With Robichon and Cirone’s impressive podium performances, the Mark Motors Racing teams adds another three podiums to the season and brings home influential points to the overall standings of the Porsche GT3 Cup Platinum Cup Championship.
The last rounds of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama 2016 season take place at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park on September 2-3rd. The last rounds, Round 11 and 12, will name the 2016 Porsche GT3 Cup Platinum Champion for the series.
To keep up to date on all of the ongoing Mark Motors Racing action, follow us on our Twitter at @markmotors_race, our Instagram at @markmotorsracing or on Facebook at facebook.com/MarkMotorsRacing. The races will be available for a live stream on imsa.com so make sure to follow along to not miss any of the updates.
About Mark Motors Racing
Mark Motors Racing is an amateur racing team competing at the highest level of sports car racing in North America. As three-time Platinum Masters champions, Mark Motors Racing is dedicated to the growth of Porsche Motorsports in Canada and developing a strong motorsport foundation for creating tomorrow’s champions.