After a calm opening weekend at Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch, Porsche Sprint Challenge USA West by Yokohama was anything but for its second round at Sonoma Raceway.

As part of the lone Porsche Endurance Challenge North America weekend on the West Coast, several drivers joined the series as a one-off for additional track time – and therefore, brought the heat to Sprint Challenge USA West and its field largely filled with racing newcomers.

West Coast drivers duel with Porsche champions for 992 GT3 Cup wins

It was a battle between West Coast Porsche drivers looking to defend their home turf versus Porsche single-make champions in the 992 GT3 Cup categories – with the results split down the middle.

Competition Motorsports driver and Arizonan Luke French fought for the 992 GT3 Cup Pro-Am win against five-time, Porsche single-make champion Alan Metni. After sweeping Spring Mountain, French fended off Metni’s efforts in Race 1 while the Texan finished second ahead of Brannan Hankins.

Intensity sparked in the final minutes of Race 2 when lapped traffic allowed Metni to cut into French’s lead. In thrilling fashion, the pair drove side-by-side, changing lanes through Sonoma’s sweeping turns, and Metni emerged on top coming to the checkered flag. But in a final attempt, French threw his Porsche inside Metni’s in the famous Turn 11 hairpin, and spun his competitor.

French was handed a penalty that elevated Metni and Kellymoss to the win, Daniel Hanley to second, and Brannan Hankins to his second third-place finish of the weekend.

In 992 GT3 Cup Masters, Sprint Challenge North America and Endurance Challenge North America winner Scott Blind was versus the field. Driving with his Ruckus Racing team, Blind passed Jim Walsh early for the class lead and eventual win in Race 1, but tangled with another competitor early in Race 2 that led to a penalty.

As a result, Kyle Washington was victorious with GMG Racing after finishing third the day prior. Jim Walsh earned his second runner-up finish of the weekend and Blind rebounded to pass for third just in the final corners.

718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport competitors face adversity in Sonoma

It was a challenging weekend, but one to learn from, for competitors in the 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport categories.

In Pro-Am, Emanuel Tartaglione with ProSport Competition was awarded the double victory ahead of running in the Endurance Challenge race on Sunday afternoon.

However, Tartaglione stood on the podium alone as his next competitor, Jack Parriott, walked away from a hard crash in Race 1 that prevented him from running in Race 2.

In the Am class, the trio of Tim Smith, Tom Rogers and Greg Herback traded podium positions throughout the two races. Rogers was poised for the first win of the weekend, but received a penalty before the race’s end. As a result, the focus shifted to Smith and Herback, who finished in that order by just .328 seconds.

In Race 2, Rogers and Tatum Racing reclaimed their position at the top and refused to let go. Instead, Smith and Herback continued their battle from the day prior and both even ran off-track individually in their efforts. Ultimately, the pair finished in the same order as Race 1, but this time behind Rogers.

The next round of Porsche Sprint Challenge USA West by Yokohama takes place at another joint event, this time at Circuit of The Americas. The Austin, Texas racetrack hosts USA West, its North America series counterpart, and the third round of Porsche Endurance Challenge North America by Yokohama on May 16 – 18.