The Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama moves into its second season with great momentum. The Porsche Motorsport Pyramid North America series will have access to the newest Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race car, the type 992, for its top class and a strong seven-race schedule developed to minimize conflicts with other major sports car racing events. In addition, Porsche Motorsport North America (PMNA) and the United States Auto Club (USAC) announce the formation of the Porsche Sprint Challenge USA West, a six-weekend season developed to provide race teams in the western United States and Canada a more geographically favorable travel schedule.

Unveiled in October 2020 and running its first race at Sebring International Raceway in March 2021, the Porsche Sprint Challenge North America is the first one-make racing step on the Motorsport Pyramid, a tier below the premier single-brand Porsche Carrera Cup North America Presented by the Cayman Islands. With the goal of moving drivers, teams and marketing partners from club level racing to a more professional and competitive environment, the series plays an intricate role in the growth and development of Porsche Motorsport. Buoyed by the success and positive impact of the championship, Yokohama Tire will remain as the sole tire partner and supplier to both the Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama and the Porsche Sprint Challenge USA West by Yokohama.

2022 Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama Schedule.
The championship will launch its sophomore season at the location of its first-ever event, Sebring International Raceway. The famous Sebring, Florida facility will host the twin, 40-minute races, March 12 – 13 in conjunction with the World Endurance Championship (WEC) test days. It is one week prior to the classic endurance event, the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. Just over one-month later, the new Ozark International Raceway in Gravois Springs, Missouri will host Porsche Sprint Challenge as its first major motorsport event, April 22 – 24. The 3.87-mile, 19-turn facility will provide an exciting setting for the early season rounds. VIRginia International Raceway (VIR) in Alton, Virginia returns to the schedule for the second year, June 3 – 5 to start the summer season of racing. Later that month, July 1 – 3, the Sprint Challenge North America will join the IndyCar Series at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. This will be the first time for the series at the 2.258-mile track in Lexington, Ohio, and the only time the series will run with the open wheel racing championship. On July 29 – 31, Road America will pair the Sprint Challenge North America with the Sprint Challenge USA West for the final of three doubleheader one-make weekends during the season. The season will close in Austin, Texas at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA). The Formula One circuit will play host to the finale, September 16 – 18. A TBA date will be held in the month of September.

2022 Porsche Sprint Challenge USA West by Yokohama Schedule.
The success of the inaugural season of the USAC-managed Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama, coupled with requests from teams based west of the Mississippi River, has moved up the launch of the Porsche Sprint Challenge USA West by Yokohama. Originally anticipated as a “future” development to help ease the burden on west coast race teams interested in participating at the Challenge level of the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid, demand was so great after the first year of the Sprint Challenge that USAC and PMNA shifted the debut of the six-race season to occur in 2022. Opening its first race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on April 1 – 3. From Monterey, California, the “West” championship will travel north to Sonoma Raceway, April 15 – 16, to join the SRO in the “Wine Country” of California. The series will have the first of four “flex” events – races at which competitors can pick two to count toward the total of six championship points paying events – at the Ozark International Raceway on April 22 – 24 with the Sprint Challenge North America championship. Competitors can pick VIR (June 3 – 5), Road America (July 29 – 31), as additional flex options. Utah Motorsports Campus in Tooele, Utah will play host to rounds of the USA West, August 12 – 14. The series will join the North America championship at COTA for the final two rounds, crowning its champions September 16 – 18. A TBA date will be held in the month of September, again in conjunction with the Porsche Sprint Challenge North America which is also offered as a “flex” option.

Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, Type 992 Introduced.
Beginning in 2022, the Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama will add the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, type 992 to its top “992” class. The 510-horsepower, rear-engine race car, based on the Porsche 911 GT3 road car, made its international debut in the Porsche Carrera Cup North America Presented by the Cayman Islands and was used exclusively in the top two classes (Pro and Pro-Am) of that championship in its first year. The type 992 will now be made available for participation in the Sprint Challenge running in 992 class events against the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup type 991.2 in the 991 class. The 2022 model year Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car will sell for $270,500, without ABS, from PMNA directly.

Traction Control (TC) will be made exclusively available to all drivers competing with the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup type 992 in the Porsche Sprint Challenge North America and Porsche Sprint Challenge USA West. This comes in addition to the use of anti-lock braking (ABS) already available on all type 992 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race cars. TC will be added to the driver aid package for Sprint Challenge competitors and not homologated into the Porsche Carrera Cup North America. This further differentiates the two series while also highlighting the professional nature of the Carrera Cup.

Yokohama Returns as Sole Tire Partner.
Yokohama Tire has been a longtime one-make partner with Porsche Motorsport North America. Following the success of the Porsche Sprint Challenge North America in 2021, the Japanese tire company will continue in its key role as tire and marketing partner to the USAC-managed championship in 2022. In addition to being the sole supplier of racing tires – both slick and rain tires – to the second-year Sprint Challenge North America, Yokohama will also be the exclusive fitment to the new Porsche Sprint Challenge USA West by Yohohama.

USAC is one of the leading motorsports organizations in the USA with series oversight on many racing fronts including sports cars, open wheel, circle track, rally, off-road, snowmobile, karting and youth racing in its portfolio. While widely known as the pinnacle short-track and dirt racing series in the country, USAC previously conducted the United States Road Racing Championship from 1958 – 1962 and mades its return to road racing with the Porsche Sprint Challenge in 2021.

All racing action will again be seen live on FLO Sports, an innovator and leader in streaming live sporting events with a library of over 300,000 hours of premium content, including the nearly 800 live racing events annually.

Porsche Motorsport North America (PMNA), founded in 1985, is the only authorized sales, parts and service provider in the United States and Canada for all purpose-built Porsche race cars including the 911 GT3 R, 911 GT3 Cup, Cayman 718 GT4 RS Clubsport, 911 GT2 RS Clubsport and 935-19. PMNA provides engine and transmission servicing, on-site race support and restoration services for historic Porsche race cars. A wholly-owned subsidiary of Porsche AG, PMNA is headquartered in 15,000 square feet of the Porsche Experience Center Los Angeles.

Erik Skirmants, Series Manager, Porsche Motorsport North America.
“The first year growth of the Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama exceeded our high expectations. The championship grew to include one of the largest all-Porsche starting grids anywhere in the world at Road America. That positioned us to accelerate our strategy for 2022 introducing the Porsche Sprint Challenge USA West well ahead of schedule. Kevin [Miller], Randy [Hembrey] and the entire USAC staff have accomplished what many thought was impossible for a first year series. Going forward, they have crafted a schedule that includes incredible venues that will be hugely popular with our Porsche customers. In addition, they have done so without restricting those same customers from competing in every Porsche-supported race series in the United States and Canada. That was thought to be impossible, but it supports why USAC was chosen to guide the Sprint Challenge level of our Pyramid. They understand our objectives and the goals of the Porsche one-make customer at this level.”

Randy Hembrey, Director Road Racing, USAC.
“We are very proud to be able to announce these exciting plans for 2022. When we launched the Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama in 2021 under USAC’s Road Racing Division, we were confident that we had the right formula to fill a gap in the Porsche One-Make ladder between the club-level customers and the highly competitive Carrera Cup North America. Our objective was to attract customers seeking a high quality racing experience and have fun doing it. Our combination of North America’s top-level motorsports officials, a hassle-free administrative process, a driver coach-friendly paddock and our VIP Hospitality experience creates a value proposition that is the sweet spot for customer racing. We’ve been fortunate to see a growth trend this year that has forced us to not only split the program in two, separating the GT3 Cup cars and the Caymans into their own unique championships for 2022, but to also launch the new Porsche Sprint Challenge USA West for our west coast customers. These are the only programs in North America with full trackside engineering, servicing and part/product support at this level from both Porsche Motorsport and Yokohama Tire and we are grateful for their partnerships.”