Dickinson Leads Carrera Cup Field into Miami

Photo: Jessica Johnk/Porsche

Following his sweep of the weekend in last month’s season-opener at Sebring International Raceway, Riley Dickinson heads to Rounds 3 and 4 of the Porsche Carrera Cup North America season at Miami International Autodrome in a comfortable points lead.

The 2023 series champion, who has made his return to the single-make series this year with Kellymoss, holds a 15-point lead over Topp Racing’s Ryan Yardley in the hotly contested Pro class.

Michael de Quesada sits third, ahead of Zachary Vanier and series rookie Aaron Jeansonne with two of 16 races in the books.

A total of 28 cars are set for the Miami doubleheader, in the first of three rounds supporting Formula 1.

While down from the 32 cars that took part at Sebring, there are a number of notable additions to the entry, including a three-car Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car effort from FMS Motorsport.

Juan Pablo Vega is entered in the 16-car Pro class in his No. 27 Porsche, while Angel Benitez and Andre Renha Fernandes will do battle in the Nos. 5 and 17 entries in Pro-Am.

Additionally, Javier Ripoll is also set for his first start of the season in the No. 19 Citimarine Motorsports Porsche, along with BGB Motorsports’ Thomas Collingwood and ACI Motorsports’ Kenton King in the expanded ten-car Pro-Am class.

With a number of Masters drivers focused on the ANDIAL Cup, the races excluding the F1 support rounds, Todd Parriott and Scott Blind will go head-to-head for top class honors this weekend.

Track action kicks off on Friday with a pair of practice sessions, with qualifying on Saturday afternoon, prior tot he 5:50 p.m. EST start time for Race 1. The second race of the weekend gets underway at 10:15 a.m. EST, with both races streamed live on Peacock as well as on Porsche Motorsport North America and IMSA’s YouTube channels.

Pre-Event News & Notes:

***The Miami round marks the first of three Carrera Cup North America races run in conjunction with Formula 1 Grands Prix this season, joining Montreal and Austin, Texas on the calendar. This is the third consecutive year that the 911 GT3 Cup cars have raced at Miami. Dickinson swept the 2023 doubleheader on his way to the championship for Kellymoss, while Vanier earned his first career win in Race 2 last season.

***Both JP Martinez and Benitez call Miami home, and will sleep in their own beds this weekend. Florida has already been kind to Martinez, who swept the season opener at Sebring in the Pro-Am class in his Porsche Carrera Cup North America debut for ACI. Benitez is in Pro-Am for the first time with his FMS Motorsport team by virtue of turning 35 years old this season.

***With his win at Miami a season ago, Vanier became the first person to win in Porsche Sprint Challenge North America and in Carrera Cup North America. He returns to defend his race win after a third place finish to open the season at Sebring.

***Carrera Cup North America has attracted the best international drivers through its five-year history, and Latin American drivers are sure to be popular this weekend in Miami. Jimmy Llibre (Dominican Republic), Vega (Colombia) and Matheus Leist (Brazil) run in the Pro Class; Ripoli (Venezuela) runs in Pro-Am. Each calls a Latin American city his home town, while several others bring a Latin heritage to the event.

***Porsche Motorsport North America recently announced its picks for the 2025 Selected Driver program. Porsche Carrera Cup North America championship leader Dickinson joined defending champion Loek Hartog and 2023 Carrera Cup runner-up Tom Sargent on the list. Dickinson is in his second season as a Porsche Selected Driver and is pulling double-duty, driving a Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport in Pirelli GT4 America with ACI in addition to his Carrera Cup North America duties for Kellymoss.

***PMNA named the 2025 Porsche EBOOST Junior Program members last week, offering aspiring drivers professional development opportunities, from grassroots levels to the international stage. The program includes not just Porsche Carrera Cup North America but also the single-make Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama and Sprint Challenge USA West. Carrera Cup drivers participating in the program are Paul Bocuse, Tyler Maxon, Wesley Slimp, Yves Baltas and Vanier.