After a three year absence, OpenRoad Racing is making a big return to international motorsports with participation in two highly-competitive series – the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia (PCCA), piloted by OpenRoad Auto Group CEO Christian Chia and Francis Tjia, and the brand new Toyota GR Cup North America (GR Cup), piloted by professional race car driver Adam Isman.
OpenRoad Racing is the only Canadian team competing in the GR Cup this year.
“We are thrilled to be able to rev up our engines once again and represent OpenRoad Racing, and Canada, on the world stage in both the PCCA and GR Cup,” says Chia, who is also founder of OpenRoad Racing and has competed in 115 races since 2004. He last participated in the 2019 PCCA Cup. “I’m particularly proud to have Adam Isman be part of our racing team this year. He joined OpenRoad Auto Group in 2018, and has become an integral part of our organization. As an experienced professional race car driver, he still has a lot left in the tank. It’s great to have his talent back on the tracks once again and racing under the OpenRoad Racing banner.”
Isman’s love for racing started when he was just five-years-old, after attending the Molson Indy in Vancouver. A lifelong fan of the sport, he started go karting at age 14. By age 22, he had climbed to the highest levels of national and international karting, and made the jump to cars.
In 2014, he had a breakout year, running the full season in the IMSA Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge and received the Rookie of the Year Award with one win, two podiums, and two pole positions in the highly competitive endurance sports car series. In 2017, he attended OpenRoad Racing’s GT3 Cup shootout at Area 27 Motorsports Park. Soon after, he started working with OpenRoad Auto Group in 2018.
“I am truly thankful to Christian for giving me this amazing opportunity to lead the team in the GR Cup series and mark my return to professional racing,” adds Isman. “After leaving motorsports behind to start my marketing career, I never imagined I would be able to race again. However, OpenRoad has been nothing short of supportive, and it’s incredible to be able to relive my passion again, while still continuing my career in the auto industry. The new GR Cup car looks amazing. Toyota has done a fantastic job putting this series together and it’s going to make for some can’t-miss action.”
OpenRoad Racing is fielding two cars in the 2023 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia (PCCA), with one piloted by Chia and the other piloted by Tjia. Its provisional race calendar includes seven events in six different countries, beginning April 28 to 30, 2023 at Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia. It culminates in the Porsche Sports Cup China at Shanghai International Circuit from October 27 to 29, 2023. For the full schedule, please visit www.carreracupasia.com.
The Toyota GR Cup North America (GR Cup) features seven events and 14 races, starting at Sonoma Raceway from March 31 to April 2, 2023. Racers will travel across the United States throughout the summer, and finish at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, from October 6 to 8, 2023. For the full GR Cup Series schedule, please visit www.grcupseries.com.
To stay up-to-date on OpenRoad Racing throughout the season, please visit www.openroadracing.ca and on instagram at www.instagram.com/openroadracing.
About Me: Adam has been a race fan since the first time he went through the tunnel under the Daytona International Speedway almost 30 years ago. He has had the privilege of travelling to races all across the state of Florida (as well as one race in Ohio), watching nearly everything with a motor compete for fame and glory, as well as participating in various racing schools to get the feel of what racecar drivers go through every week. Adam has spent the last three years covering motorsports for Examiner.com., where he had the opportunity to see the racing world from behind the scenes as well as the grandstands. He invites everyone to follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, and looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for all things racing with the readers of SpeedwayDigest.com.Be sure to tune in for his weekly sports talk program, Thursday Night Thunder, where he discusses the latest in motorsports news with drivers, crew members, and fans. The show takes place every Thursday at 8:00 pm EST on the Speedway Digest Radio Network.
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