Formula E has completed two full event simulations as the world’s first all-electric single-seater championship gears up for its first race in Beijing on September 13.

Both events took place at Leicestershire’s Donington Park, where a temporary pitlane and pitboxes were assembled to mimic those that will be in place at the street circuits the series will visit. Accreditation procedures, operational and IT infrastructures and even television broadcasts were also meticulously tested.

During the second simulation, for the first time the 10 teams ran all four of their cars as the two non-qualifying sessions, qualifying and an endurance test were completed to the schedule that will take place at the races.

This meant that all of the teams and drivers had the opportunity to simulate the unique car change pitstops – and at the second simulation – a full standing start.

While a number of issues were encountered, which was the reason for running the simulation, overall the events were considered to be a success.

Alejandro Agag, CEO of Formula E, said: “Putting on a major sporting event in the heart of cities around the world is a massive undertaking and requires careful preparation. We want the Formula E Beijing ePrix to a fantastic spectacle, which is why we’re leaving nothing to chance by rigorously testing all the systems beforehand. Overall we’re very pleased with how things went.”

Organisers have also revealed the raceday timetable for each Formula E event, which takes place all in one day. The 10 teams and 20 drivers will have two non-qualifying sessions in the morning – lasting 45 minutes and 30 minutes - followed by a qualifying session split into four groups of five cars with the order selected at random beforehand. The race itself will last approximately 60 minutes with the race distance (exact number of laps) determined on the day. 

The final Formula E pre-season test takes place at Donington Park on August 19 with free admission to the public. Some 4000 fans have already pre-registered their interest for the last opportunity to see the cars and drivers before the season opener.

For more information on Formula E visit www.fiaformulae.com. To register for the final Formula E test click here: http://www.donington-park.co.uk/events/formula-e-testing/2014/08/19/fia-formula-e-official-test/ 

FIA Formula E Championship – Raceday timetable:

08:15 - 09:00                 Non qualifying practice 1
10:30 – 11:00                Non qualifying practice 2

12:00 - 12:10                 Qualifying group 1
12:15 – 12:25                Qualifying group 2
12:30 – 12:40                Qualifying group 3
12:45 – 12:55                Qualifying group 4

16:00                            Race (laps depended on circuit)

ENDS

 The Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) returns to Circuit of The Americas (COTA) for the annual U.S. Vintage Racing National Championship, Oct. 10-12. Vintage cars from the early 20th century will hit the pavement for three days of exciting on-track racing, live music and fireworks. Tickets go on sale Friday, Aug. 15 at 10 a.m. CDT, with discounts available for students, military members and large groups. 

The U.S. Vintage National Championship will feature approximately 600 vintage race cars from around the globe, some dating back to as early as 1931. Each of the 12 classes will race for the coveted Vintage Racing National Championship title on the full 3.4-mile Grand Prix circuit, and 35 different class winners will be awarded. Qualifying sessions will take place on Friday (Oct. 10) and Saturday (Oct. 11), with racing set for both Saturday and Sunday (Oct. 12).

Fans will get to see over 30 historic Trans-Am cars competing at COTA for the first time, like the original Boss 302 Mustangs, Camaro Z-28s, Plymouth Barracudas, Dodge Challengers and AMC Javelins. American racing legends Dan Gurney, Sam Posey, Mark Donohue, Peter Revson, and Parnelli Jones, drove these during what was known as the “factory wars” in the late 1960s and early 70s.

“We offer some of the most unique, world-class motorsports events at Circuit of The Americas, and we want to make it easy and convenient for fans to attend,” said Circuit Chief Marketing Officer Dominic Iacono. “By offering discounts for students, military and large groups, we hope to give everyone a chance to experience our incredible venue.”

Tickets, premium packages, parking, and RV spots for the U.S. Vintage Racing National Championships will be available for purchase athttp://circuitoftheamericas.com/vintage, Friday, Aug. 15 at 10 a.m. Three-day passes are first come first served for general admission areas. For information about purchasing for large groups please contact our sales team at 512.301.6600. Tickets for the Lone Star Le Mans and the 2014 FORMULA 1 UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX can also be purchased online at http://www.circuitoftheamericas.com. 

 Andrew Novich clinched his first career Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda victory in Round 10 at Road America in Sunday morning's in a 45-minute sprint. 

Novich, driving the No. 61 Comprent Motor Sports car, started on pole in both Saturday and Sunday's races, but the California native fell back to finish seventh in Round 9. Novich's previous best finish was second in Round 6 in June at Watkins Glen International. 

"Today went more according to plan," Novich said. "Starting on pole for the second time allowed us a chance to hit the restart button from yesterday. I got passed at the start by Hayden (Duerson) and Christian (Potolicchio), but Christian fell back as we settled into the race. Hayden and I dueled for about half an hour, and it was a tight battle. His car started to fall off later in the race just as my car was really coming into its own. I was able to pass him, which was great.

"I was having an issue with the brake pads falling away from the brake disc, which meant I had a long pedal when I went to the brakes. After Hayden crashed out, I was alone at the front for a while. There was a caution near the end of the race, which bunched everyone up, but I was lucky to get a great restart.

"We've been chasing a win all year, and we've been so close before. To finally get one is so exciting. I can't thank Comprent Motor Sports enough for giving me a fast car today that was capable of winning."

Following Novich to the checkered flag were Matt McMurry of JDC Motorsports, who started 10th, and Christian Potolicchio of 8Star Motorsports, who started and finished third.

The race was McMurry's career best finish in the series and the 16-year-old's first podium. It was Potolicchio's first double podium this year.

LITES 1 MASTERS

John Falb, driving for ONE Motorsports, collected his second L1 Masters win in only his first season of Prototype Lites competition. Falb started fifth in the class.

"The car was tough to handle at the beginning of the race, but it really came to me as the race progressed," Falb said. "We ran a clean race, which was the biggest factor in taking home the win."

Kraut's penalty moved Don Yount of Yount Motorsports up to third place, giving him his fourth Masters podium of the 2014 season.

LITES 2

Lites 2 podium finishers (from left): Todd Slusher, Brian Alder, Jerome Mee

Brian Alder captured his seventh win in the Lites 2 category Sunday morning, after starting behind pole sitter Todd Slusher. Alder, driving for BAR1 Motorsports used caution flags to his advantage.

"Todd (Slusher) and I had a good battle on the first lap," Alder said. "We were side by side for half the lap and then he took the lead and held it until we had that first caution, which helped me catch up. On the restart I was able to get a good run. I followed an L1 car alongside the right and then coming into Turn 1 there was an incident and I ended up in front when we made it through the incident."

Slusher of ONE Motorsports finished second and Alta Velocita Racing's Jerome Mee took the checkered in third.

UP NEXT

The Cooper Tires Prototype Lites field will race in Rounds 11 and 12 at Virginia International Raceway, Aug. 22-24, sharing the asphalt with the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship's Prototype Challenge Class, before driving in the season finale at Road Atlanta, Oct. 1-3.

For more information about Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda, visitwww.imsa.com, follow hashtag #CTPL @IMSA on Twitter or IMSA on Facebook.

QUOTEBOOK:

ANDREW NOVICH (No. 61 Comprent Motor Sports, winner):

CHRISTIAN POTOLICCHIO (No. 2 8Star Motorsports, third):

JOHN FALB (No. 77 ONE Motorsports, fourth; first, Masters):

JON BROWNSON (No. 34 Performance Tech Motorsports, sixth; second, Masters):

BRIAN ALDER (No. 22 BAR1 Motorsports, winner, Lites 2):

TODD SLUSHER (No. 62 ONE Motorsports, second, Lites 2):

JEROME MEE (No. 95 Alta Velocita Racing, third, Lites 2):

Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda

The two classes of competition in the Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda series take drivers and teams down unique, exciting roads of prototype sports car racing. Nimble, high-tech, purpose-built Lites 1 machines pack in the power with a 230-horsepower, 2-liter Mazda engine designed to prepare aspiring professionals for prototype competition in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. Equally capable and affordable Lites 2 machines offer world-class competition for semi-professional drivers. Both formulas take competition to the next level, producing thrilling, high-speed action at premier venues across North America.

IMSA

The International Motor Sports Association, LLC (IMSA) is the sanctioning body of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, the road-racing series resulting from the merger of the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón and the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series. IMSA also sanctions the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge and the Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda, as well as four single-make series: Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama, Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Michelin, Ferrari Challenge North America and Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America. IMSA is the exclusive strategic partner in North America with the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO), which operates the 24 Hours of Le Mans as a part of the FIA World Endurance Championship. The partnership enables selected TUDOR United SportsCar Championship competitors to earn automatic entries into the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans.

(IMSA PR)

Spencer Pigot stayed clean from green to checkered to win Round 8 of the Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Michelin on Sunday during the Grand Prix of Trois-Rivières (GP3R). 

"It was a great race," Pigot said. "We've been working hard all weekend, so I have to thank the Alegra guys for continuing to improve the car. Today was really good.

Pigot, from Orlando, Florida, beat championship leader Scott Hargrove to the finish by 8.499 seconds in the No. 21 Alegra Motorsports Porsche for his second victory of the season. The smooth, composed drive despite close battles with Hargrove and fellow title contender Chris Green earlier in the race was a successful contrast from Round 7 on Saturday, in which Pigot was penalized for bumping Hargrove into a spin early in the race. 

"I knew I had the pace," continued Pigot. "I just had to take advantage when I could but not take too many risks and end up in the wall, which is easy to do here. Just worked my way past Chris and Scott. It was good battling with them, as always. Really hard racing, but it was all clean today. Happy to get the win." 

Round 7 winner Green, from Montreal, finished third Sunday in the No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car. He ended up .778 of a second behind Hargrove after stalking Hargrove's No. 69 OpenRoad Porsche for the second half of the 45-minute race.

  "We tried something new today because we knew it was going to be a little bit cooler on the track," added Green. "It probably didn't play out to our advantage. The car started coming in a little bit at the end, but at that point, it was tough. After contact with Scott (Hargrove) in the opening laps, I had a puncture in the rad (radiator), so I was kind of maintaining the temperatures and I was up to 160 degrees. It was pretty hot. Came in (after the race), and the thing was spitting fluid out of the car. They drove really well today. Congrats to Alegra. They did fantastic. I'm proud of my whole team. The Pfaff Motorsports car will be back at Mosport to take the two wins back."

Hargrove, from Surrey, British Columbia, extended his Platinum Cup (2014 car models) championship lead to 16 points, 152-136, over Green with just two rounds remaining Aug. 30-31 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario. Forty points will be on the line at the finale, as the winning driver in each round earns 20 points.

 "Good for the championship," stated Hargrove. "I'm thrilled with that going into the last two races with a healthy lead. Definitely looking good there." 

Etienne Borgeat, from Montreal, finished fourth Sunday on the street circuit at Trois-Rivières in the No. 2 entry fielded by Quebec-based GT Racing.

Carlos de Quesada, from Odessa, Florida, rounded out the top five in the No. 22 Alegra Motorsports Porsche after snaking through the 11-turn, 1.53-mile (2.46 km) Circuit Trois-Rivières in lockstep with Borgeat and fellow Platinum Masters competitors Marco Cirone and Perry Bortolotti for position over the last 25 minutes of the race.

"My goal was to stay right behind Etienne (Borgeat)," de Quesada added. "I knew Etienne was running a good pace from the start, so I just stuck with him. I just kept on putting pressure toward the end. He was really starting to fall back. He was allowing Perry (Bortolotti) and Marco (Cirone) to catch back up with me. But I never really had a good window to make a good, clean pass, so just strategically I just decided to stay behind Etienne and defend my position for first in Masters." (Can you catch Cirone for the Platinum Masters title?): "I can. It's always a lot of luck with this. The two incidents I've had unfortunately have been with Marco and Perry, and it's unfortunate that the one I'm fighting for the championship with is Marco. I'm just hoping that something happens to them at Mosport, and I can take that lead. I'll just fight for first there and try to come out on top." 

Hargrove started from pole and drove away from Green and Pigot early in the race, buidling a lead of 2.485 seconds after eight minutes. But Pigot's Porsche started to find its groove. Pigot dove under Green with a clean pass for second with 35 minutes remaining and zeroed in on Hargrove.

 Seven minutes later, Pigot's Porsche nosed to within a few meters of Hargrove's car. Pigot then sliced under Hargrove, locking his wheels in a puff of white tire smoke into a corner, but hanging on for the pass for the lead. But one corner later, Pigot locked up again, letting Hargrove through for the lead.

 But less than two minutes later, Pigot's speed was too much for Hargrove to parry one more time. Pigot used another low pass at the apex of a corner for the lead with 25 minutes remaining, and he cruised away over the remaining laps for an easy victory.

 Hargrove continued his streak of finishing first or second at all eight rounds this season.

 "This race was pretty wild," Hargrove said. "I got a great start, got away, and then started to lose the rear brakes a little bit. From then on, I was under pressure from both Spencer and Chris. Me and Spencer went back and forth a couple of times, and then he finally got me. And then Chris was pressuring me for the last 20 minutes of the race, and I was just able to hold on.

 "Still a great result for the OpenRoad Porsche. Good for the championship. I'm thrilled with that going into the last two races with a healthy lead."

Platinum Masters

Platinum Masters podium finishers (from left): Marco Cirone, Carlos de Quesada, Perry Bortolotti

De Quesada earned his second Platinum Masters (age 45 and older) victory of the season - both this weekend - after a perhaps the best battle on the track for the entire 45-minute race. 

He had one eye out his windshield while chasing Platinum Cup driver Borgeat and another on his rear-view mirror, keeping tabs of Platinum Masters rivals Cirone and Bortolotti. 

All four drivers were within two seconds of each other - often closer - throughout the final 30 minutes. The only change in position came when Cirone, from Toronto, snuck past Mark Motors Racing teammate Bortolotti, from Kanata, Ontario, for second in Platinum Masters with 13 minutes remaining. 

But de Quesada, Cirone and Bortolotti continued to probe for openings for a pass until the checkered flag, without a whisper of the melees that filled Round 7 Saturday. 

"I think it was one of our best races because the four of us had so much respect for each other out there, and no one wanted to hit anybody else even though we had opportunities to try to make a desperate attempt at a pass," Cirone said. "But we all behaved." 

2013 Gold Cup champion de Quesada cut reigning Platinum Masters champion Cirone's lead in the championship to eight points, 148-140, with two rounds remaining. 

Gold Cup

Gold Cup podium finishers (from left): Tim Sanderson, Jerimy Daniel, Shaun McKaigue

Quebec resident Jerimy Daniel overcame a disappointing result Saturday to deliver himself the best 21^st birthday present possible - a Gold Cup victory in the No. 75 TRC Porsche. 

Daniel, from Candiac, Quebec, didn't finish Round 7 Saturday due to a punctured radiator in his car. But he led nearly the whole way Sunday for his fifth Gold Cup victory of the season. 

Series rookie Daniel pulled to within two points of Gold Cup championship leader Tim Sanderson, 140-138, with just two rounds remaining in the tightest points race in the series. It was an ideal present for his 21^st birthday Sunday. 

"It was a crazy race," Daniel said. "It was really hot in the car, and I just tried to manage my race to stay in front and not do any mistakes like Tim did. He spun, so I just tried to stay in front and manage my race so I can keep my first place and give me this birthday present." 

Sanderson, from Pickering, Ontario, finished second Sunday in the No. 07 Alegra Motorsports/Northwest Atlantic Motorsports after winning Round 7 Saturday. He spun early in the race while hustling to chase Daniel and ended up 21.303 seconds behind Daniel. 

"We didn't quite have the start we had yesterday, so we were playing a little bit of catch-up. We were running strong with Jerimy, and I thought we were reeling him in a few times, getting a little bit closer. I know he was trying to conserve his brakes, I think. 

"I just overcooked it in corner 2, and the car looped around on me a little quicker than I thought it would have, and I couldn't grab it back. So happy birthday to Jerimy today."

 Shaun McKaigue, from Gilford, Ontario, finished third in Gold Cup in the No. 34 Fiorano Racing Porsche. It was his second Gold Cup podium of the weekend, as he finished second Saturday in Round 7. 

Just 24 points separate Sanderson from fifth-place Ilker Starck in the tight championship chase in Gold Cup.

Silver Cup

Silver Cup podium finishers (from left): Keith Bass and Chuck Harris, with Porsche Cars Canada President and CEO Alexander Pollich

Chuck Harris returned to his winning ways in Silver Cup (2005½-2009 car models) with his seventh victory in eight rounds in the No. 50 Alegra Motorsports Porsche. 

Harris, from Tampa, Florida, was eliminated from Round 7 on Saturday after hitting the wall. But the skill of the Alegra Motorsports team helped Harris return to the top step of the podium. 

"I have to thank the Alegra guys for working all night to get the car back on track," Harris said. "The car was perfect; it ran great. It was nice driving with a little cooler temperatures this morning, and I just tried to be a little more patient today. I had a good drive." 

Keith Bass, from Tampa, Florida, finished second in the No. 49 Alegra Motorsports Porsche after earning his first victory of the season in Round 7 on Saturday. 

Harris leads the Silver Cup championship standings by 12 points with two rounds remaining.

Rounds 9 and 10 of the 2014 Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Michelin - both 45-minute races - are scheduled for Aug. 30-31 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park at Bowmanville, Ontario. They are the final two races of the season.

After a successful inaugural season the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship announced today that it will return to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca next year for a May 1-3, 2015 race weekend.
 
“Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca is one of the finest road tracks in the world,” says Gill Campbell, CEO/general manager. “A perfect venue for the return of the TUDOR Championship. Credit is truly due to the hard working volunteers who put on our events and the loyal fans who continue to support sports car racing in America.”
 
With a race at Road America last weekend and then just three weekends left in the TUDOR Championship season, the following are the points leaders in the four classes competing:
 
Prototype: 1) Action Express, 2) Wayne Taylor Racing, 3) VisitFlorida.com Racing
Prototype Challenge: 1) CORE Autosport, 2) 8StarMotorsports, 3) Starworks Motorsport
GT Le Mans: 1) Corvette Racing,2) SRT Motorsports, 3) BMW Team RLL
GT Daytona: 1) AIM Autosport, 2) Alex Job Racing, 3) Paul Miller Racing
 
One of the unique aspects of a TUDOR Championship race weekend is the unparalleled spectator access to the cars and drivers. Within the open paddock fans can watch crews prepare their cars, take photos and interact with drivers. In fact, all drivers participate in an organized autograph session at each event.
 
Additionally, prior to the race fans are invited to participate in a free fan walk on pit lane prior to the green flag. There they can get a close-up look at all the teams just moments before they go racing.
 
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca will announce its full 2015 race season schedule in the fall, with tickets going on sale in December.

 Performance Tech Motorsports will start fifth in the Continental Tire Road Race Showcase tomorrow at Road America after a gritty qualifying effort from David Ostella.  In what is becoming a trademark for Ostella, the 22-year old Canadian driver pulled last-lap heroics to get his fast lap in the No. 38 Performance Tech Motorsports Prototype Challenge car under the checkered flag.

 Ostella's qualifying time of 2 minutes, .144 seconds was more than two seconds faster than his previous practice laps and less than six-tenths behind the pole sitter. The team struggled throughout the practice sessions to find a good baseline setup for both Ostella and his co-driver James French.

 The long track combined with complex corners makes for exciting racing, but also makes it difficult to find the perfect setup. Performance Tech Lead Engineer Ty Sayman said the team has been looking for a balance that could work for both drivers.

 "Just like any track you have to find a good balance," Sayman said. "There are three different spots that we're reaching speeds above 165 mph and there are some fast corners. So you want to try and trim the car as much as you can, but we also have to be prepared for the slow corners, it really is just all a balance."

 Team Principal Brent O'Neill was pleased with Ostella's qualifying effort. He has seen the growth of both drivers and feels like they have found that balance for the two.

 "It was a great effort by David," O'Neill said. "We made a couple of little mistakes on setup today and took some confidence away from him and James and it took him until the last couple of laps to get going. But it's okay, we're sixth-tenths from the pole and we have a good car for the race. The confidence is back 100 percent."

 Ostella, while pleased with the qualifying results, wants to see continued improvement for the race tomorrow.

 "We really focus on race setup and so qualifying isn't always our strongest session," Ostella said. The guys set the car up pretty good and it was consistent. One thing this weekend we didn't get a lot of time on is new tires so we struggled a little bit to get up to speed. And it being such a long track, you don't get many laps out there and that was a little unfortunate.

 "But fifth is great for us. Now we're just going to put our heads together and see what we can put together for the race. After that qualifying run and James having a good practice session before that, I think we can do really well tomorrow."

 Ostella and French will take to the track for the two-hour, 45-minute race, at 1:15 p.m. (CT) Sunday, Aug. 10. Live streaming and timing will be available at imsa.com, and the race will be broadcast at 6:30 p.m. (ET) Sunday, Aug. 10 on FOX Sports 1.

Sloan Urry passed pole-sitter Michael Lewis for the lead on Lap 1 of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama race Saturday at Road America to earn his second victory this season for JDX Racing. The 45-minute timed race on the 4.048-mile road course was slowed by three caution periods. That never gave Urry, from Park City, Utah, enough green flag running to pull away from the field.

After a three-lap sprint to the checkered flag, Urry took the checkered flag .293 of a second ahead of Lewis in his No. 20 JDX Racing Porsche.

"We didn't get the pole in qualifying, but we were able to get the pass over Lewis pretty quickly after the green flag flew," Urry said. "After that, it was a little bit of a nightmare inside the car because there were so many yellows. I wanted to go, go, go, but we kept getting bunched up at the restarts.

"JDX Racing gave me an incredible car today. Porsche is always supplying the best stuff and making sure we're running right, and the Yokohama tires were there the whole time. This is probably the best car I've had all year. It was amazing."

Lewis, from Laguna Beach, Calif., was happy to collect his fourth Platinum Cup (2014 car models) podium finish of the 2014 season in the No. 98 Competition Motorsports/Curb-Agajanian Porsche.

"I made a small mistake on the first lap in the Turn 5 area and lost the lead, but that's racing," Lewis said. "That was a pretty intense race, but I ended up second and got good points. I feel like we have a really good car, and we have two more races tomorrow to try and get a win."

Kasey Kuhlman started 10^th and kept the nose of his No. 15 Wright Motorsports Porsche out of trouble to climb all the way to third overall. Cincinnati resident Kuhlman earned his third Platinum Cup podium of the year and was also the highest finisher in the Platinum Cup Masters (drivers age 45 and older) class.

"I just kept my head down, hit my marks and took the opportunities that were in front of me," Kuhlman said. "I tried not to make any mistakes, and at the same time take advantage of others' mistakes. It was a good race."

Platinum Cup championship leader Colin Thompson finished fourth for Kelly Moss Motorsports/Porsche of Bucks County, just missing the podium. Championship contender Angel Benitez Jr. lost four positions on the last lap of the race to finish sixth.

Platinum Masters

Platinum Masters podium finishers (from left): David Calvert-Jones, Kasey Kuhlman, Charlie Putman

Kuhlman took the top spot on the Platinum Cup Masters podium for the ninth time in 10 rounds this season. He has won the class in the last nine consecutive races since finishing fourth in the season-opening round in March at Sebring International Raceway.

"I just kept my head down, hit my marks and took the opportunities that were in front of me," added Kuhlman. "I tried not to make any mistakes and take advantage of others' mistakes. It was a good race."

David Calvert-Jones finished second after starting fifth overall. It was the Australian's sixth appearance on the Platinum Masters podium this season.

 "I started in a good position. I had a good qualifying, and then I had a terrible race," stated Calvert-Jones. "There were a couple issues with some cars around me that I didn't think was all that favorable, but hey, that's racing, I guess, and I got passed by a couple of cars that shouldn't have passed me on a few restarts. Tomorrow will be a better day."
 

Dempsey Racing driver Charlie Putman made up three positions on the 14-turn circuit at Road America to finish third. Putman has finished on the Platinum Masters podium four times this season in a limited schedule.

"We started out with quite a bit of action there at Turn 5 and in a few other places, but it's just a result of hard racing and guys running as hard as they can," Putman interjected. "We sort of settled down in the middle, but in those last few laps it was really hard again. There was a lot of rubbing and a lot of dirt and smoke. It was really exciting from the car; I hope it was as exciting for the spectators." 

 Gold Cup/Gold Masters

Gold Cup/Gold Masters podium finishers (from left): Jeff Mosing, David Ducote, Michael Levitas

Kelly Moss Motorsports/Porsche of Bucks County driver David Ducote made a successful first Gold Cup (2010-2013 car models) start this season after racing six rounds in the Platinum Cup class. Houston resident Ducote was the top Gold Cup qualifier, and he never relinquished the lead in the 45-minute timed race.

 "It was fast and furious and very chaotic," added Ducote. "There was a lot going on all the time. I was fighting with a couple of Platinum cars, and I had a couple of battles here and there. I was just trying to stay focused and avoid the carnage, which was hard, but I made it through." 

Jeff Mosing of Topp Racingand Michael Levitas of TPC Racing joined Ducote on the podium in second and third, respectively. Ducote, Mosing and Levitas also comprised the Gold Masters podium.

 "As kind of predicted, we did have a little bit of melee at the exit of Turn 5," stated Mosing. "I had my good friend and coach Eric Foss eyes and ears for me, and he told us head's up, and we were able to avoid the wreck between 5 and 6. That was a big help. Hats off to Todd Opperman for giving me a great car. We weren't the fastest car out there, but we were strong enough to be competitive. Everyone behind me was so busy scruffing with each other that I just had to put my head down and get some decent laps in."

Ducote, Mosing and Levitas finished just .920 of a second apart. Patrick-Otto Madsenwas fourth in Gold despite a spirited charge from second to fourth before dropping back to fourth in an ANSA Motorsports Porsche. Madsen finished 1.013 seconds off the podium.

Yokohama Hard Charger

Yokohama Hard Charger Winner David Baker

David Baker of Topp Racing took home the Yokohama Hard Charger award for Round 11. Baker started the 45-minute sprint 17^th and gained nine positions to finish eighth overall and fourth in the Platinum Masters division.

 "It was a survival kind of a race," stated Baker. "There was a lot of mayhem out there. But I do want to thank my sponsor Apex Capital and Topp Racing for giving me a great car today."

Two more 45-minute races will take place Sunday as part of a triple-header for the series this weekend at Road America. 

Round 12 will start at 9:50 a.m. (CT). Round 6 will begin at 5 p.m. That race was rescheduled for this weekend after being rained out in late May at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut. 

Follow the action live through streaming video at fanschoice.tv, live timing at scoring.imsa.com/gt3-challenge-usa and live race details on Twitter @IMSALive.