TORONTO, On –
Mark Motors Racing secured the 2016 Platinum Masters Championship this past weekend during the last races of the season in the Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama series.
Marco Cirone, pilot of the #88 Mark Motors Racing Cup car, has now received the Platinum Masters Championship title for four consecutive years with Mark Motors Racing.
Cirone took home two fourth place finishes in the two races this past weekend, which was enough to secure him the Masters championship. Cirone’s teammate Zacharie Robichon, piloting the #78 Mark Motors Racing Cup car, brought home a thrilling third place in Round 11 and a overall win in Round 12.
The valuable points rewarded from these races allowed Zach to maintain his third place position in the overall 2016 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama Platinum Championship.
The two drivers managed to place themselves amongst the top four finishers in the overall champ
ionship. Thanks to the two drivers, Mark Motors Racing has been placed on the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama Championship map for yet another year.
With over 80,000 people in attendance at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park this past weekend, the last Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada races of the season saw extraordinary support and enthusiasm from their fans.
The Mark Motors Racing drivers participated in two practices on Friday, qualifying and Round 11 on Saturday, and to finish up the schedule, Round 12 on Sunday. They began the weekend strong, and were able to keep their pace to settle into their already destined Championship standings for the season.
Round 11 on Saturday brought a very steady 45-minute race for the field. Robichon held his starting position with strong focus and took home the well-deserved third place for the first race of the weekend. Cirone, starting in fifth position, advanced to fourth place halfway through the first lap and held his position until the checkered flag.
On Sunday, the Round 12 race pre-grid positioned the two drivers in third and fifth places. After the checkered flag fell, Robichon held his position, and with 13 minutes left in the race took over the top spot which he would keep to bring home his second overall win of the year. Cirone crossed the finish line in fourth place after a hard fight for the final podium position.
Robichon speaks out on his first place victory, “We couldn’t have scripted a better finish to the year. We knew we would be competitive coming back to CTMP for the season finale and we were able to end the season with a win. We had the right pace to fight for the win this weekend and did everything we could to stay in contention. Narrowly missing out on 2nd position on Saturday was tough, but bringing home the win on Sunday made up for it. Mark Motors Racing deserved this victory and I’m just proud to be the one to bring it to the whole team.”
With the season now being complete, Cirone speaks out about the experience he had during the 2016 season, “I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone at Mark Motors and Bestline Auto Tech for another incredible year. It was a season of up and down battles, but in the end we secured the Platinum Masters Championship and that’s what we were after. Special thanks to PMNA and IMSA for all of their support.”
The Mark Motors Racing team, with support by Bestline Auto Tech, gave the drivers spectacular cars to race in this season. Rookie to the series, Robichon, outperformed himself by claiming a third place win for the season after driving a GT car for the first time ever in May of this year. The two Mark Motors Racing drivers can now look back and know that they clinched podium positions at each of the 6 race weekends over the 2016 season.
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.