Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA: Canadian Jesse Lazare dominates in Sebring

Jesse Lazare, the top returning driver from the 2015 championship, led from flag to flag to win Round 1 of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama on Friday at Sebring International Raceway.

Lazare, from Montreal, led the field from pole position and never looked back, taking an eventual 7.034-second victory in the No. 21 Kelly-Moss Road and Race Porsche over Lucas Catania in the No. 26 NGT Motorsport entry. It was Lazare’s third straight win at Sebring, after sweeping the opening two rounds last season before finishing second in the overall championship.

Chris Green, the 2015 Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama Platinum Cup champion, finished third in the No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche.

“Everything was working today,” Lazare said in a press release. “If I wouldn’t have had this team with me today, I wouldn’t have been as dominant as I was able to be. The car was fantastic.

"I was fortunate that the guys in second, third and fourth were fighting hard, so I just had to keep it on track and keep going. The engineers set up my car so perfectly that it just kept getting better and better, and in this heat, that’s impressive."

While Lazare, one of the latest Porsche Young Driver Academy participants, cruised to victory, an intense battle raged for the final two Platinum Cup podium positions. Green, Ricardo Pérez de Lara and Catania were locked into a tight race through almost every turn of every lap through the first 27 minutes of the 45-minute race.

Catania eventually pulled away from Green over the last five minutes to finish second. It was his fourth podium finish in his two years in the series. Green settled for third for a podium finish in his first U.S. start.

From IMSA