BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (April 21, 2023) – TPC Racing brings an early-season championship lead and an expanded lineup of four USAC Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama entries to Rounds Three and Four of the series next weekend at Barber Motorsports Park, April 28 – 30. David Williams pulled off a flag-to-flag Sprint Challenge 992 Am class win on Sunday of last month’s season-opening weekend of competition at Sebring International Raceway to give TPC its first Sprint Challenge victory in its third year competing in the all-Porsche racing series.
Combined with a second-place finish in Saturday’s sprint at Sebring, the strong early results give Williams and TPC the 992 Am-division championship points lead heading into the Barber weekend, one point ahead of the nearest competitor, 99 – 98.
The balance of TPC’s Porsches at Barber consists of three Cayman GT4 Clubsport entries in Sprint Challenge North America’s all-Cayman class. The notable addition to the GT4 trio is 18-year-old Chloe Chambers who makes both her TPC Racing and Porsche Sprint Challenge debut at Barber in the No. 70 Monoflo International Cayman GT4 Clubsport. The recently named Porsche Junior Driver has been racing in karts and cars for more than 10 years and brings solid international single-seater racing experience to TPC for her Porsche Sprint Challenge debut.
The No. 70 Monoflo International entry for Chambers competes alongside the sister No. 77 Monoflo International Cayman GT4 Clubsport that is being shared this year by drivers Tillman Schmid and Evan Hinkle. Schmid drove the No. 77 at the Sebring and finished third in Saturday’s season-opening Sprint Challenge Cayman race, sealing the final Pro-Am-class podium spot with a last-lap pass despite competing on racing slick tires for the first time. Hinkle drove the No. 77 recently in a two-day test at Barber that included all three TPC Racing Caymans.
The third Cayman entry will be regular TPC Racing driver Shaun McKaigue who steps into the No. 34 TPC Racing Cayman GT4 Clubsport for the Barber weekend. McKaigue was set for the majority of the season in the Porsche Sprint Challenge 991 division but was caught up in an on-track incident in the first Sebring race. McKaigue was uninjured in the incident, but a lack of available parts has kept the repairs on his 991 Porsche form being completed in time for the Barber event.
All four races from the Barber weekend can be viewed live on the Porsche Sprint Challenge by Yokohama YouTube channel.
Following Friday practice sessions and qualifying Saturday morning, the Barber weekend’s first races will run Saturday afternoon. The Caymans get things started Saturday at 12:30 p.m. CDT while the Porsche GT3 Cup competitors race for the first time at 4:35 p.m. CDT. Sunday’s second and final rounds see the Caymans race at 8 a.m. CDT with the GT3 Cup finale scheduled to go green at 8:55 a.m. CDT. All weekend races are 35 minutes plus one additional lap around the 2.38-mile Barber road course.
Harris Levitas, TPC Racing Director of Race Operations: “The TPC Racing team had a great start to the year at Sebring. With David Williams having a class win and another podium finish in the 992 AM class, and Tillman Schmid having a podium finish in the GT4 Pro-Am class, we go into Barber with solid points in both classes. There are a lot of races left in the season, so staying consistent throughout the year and regularly scoring solid points is what leads to championships. So, while we are always going to fight for race wins, we are looking at the larger picture as well. David has had an amazing start to the year. Testing prior to the start of the season and strong driver coaching has helped David stay at the front of the field. We have testing data for David to review prior to going to the Barber track, and the TPC Racing team has the setup of the 992 GT3 Cup figured out. So, David will primarily just need to get in the car and work with our coaching and engineering staff to get up to pace quickly over the weekend. The championship is a long one and we have the big picture in mind. Barber is a hard track to pass on, with only a few opportune places to make a move without high risk, so the goal for Barber is to get up to speed quickly, stay out of trouble and score important championship points.
“The GT4 test at Barber was very successful. All three drivers were able to turn a lot of laps, get comfortable with the track and give the TPC Racing team the necessary feedback to make chassis changes to provide the drivers with well balanced cars for the race weekend. We are confident that all three of the TPC Racing GT4 Clubsport cars will be fast off of the trailer come race weekend. We are thrilled to have Chloe Chambers on board for the remainder of the season. A huge thank you goes to Henning Rader and Monoflo International for making this possible. Chloe has been selected as a Porsche Junior which is a great opportunity for her. She comes from open wheel cars but has been adapting to the GT4 Clubsport very well. We are so excited to see what Chloe can do at Barber and think that she has a chance of being at the front of the field.”
Chloe Chambers, Driver – No. 70 Monoflo International Cayman GT4 Clubsport: “Firstly, I have to thank Monoflo International for their continued support and belief in me. I also have to thank Porsche Motorsport North America for the Junior Program opportunity as well as my supporters and partners that have been with me every step of the way. I am absolutely looking forward to my first race at Barber Motorsports Park in a couple of weeks time. It’s cool to be back racing in the U.S. at familiar tracks after having experienced lots of overseas racing last year and early this year. It’ll be a fun challenge adapting to the car, tires, and the world of sports car racing as a whole this year. After attending the Sebring race weekend, I am looking forward to this challenge and am looking to further develop myself this year and am in the perfect place to do so in the Porsche Sprint Challenge with the support of Porsche through the Porsche Junior Program. Testing at Barber was very productive. I learned a lot about the car, tires, and generally improving my driving since these cars are much different to what I’ve previously raced in single seaters. The TPC Racing team and I worked well together and we were able to accomplish a lot throughout the couple days of testing we had. I’m feeling confident heading into my first race weekend after spending some time developing the car and my driving this last weekend. Thanks to all involved, it will be a great year of racing and development!”
Shaun McKaigue, Driver – No. 34 TPC Racing Cayman GT4 Clubsport: “After having been caught up in a mishap at the Sebring event we were hoping to have our 991 GT3 Cup repaired in time for the upcoming event at Barber Motor sport park. Unfortunately, the usual channels were unable to supply the parts in time to have the car on the grid. When Harris from TPC advised me of that I was disappointed, but in true TPC ‘can do’ fashion, he made a suggestion. Why not have some fun in a Cayman GT4?! I thought it was a great idea. We just completed two great test days at Barber. It couldn’t have been more fun. With the help of Sebastian Moreno coaching and my teammates Chloe Chambers and Evan Hinkle setting incredible lap times, I gained confidence and time at this fun but technical track. The crew at TPC worked hard to give us all the changes we needed to adapt and improve. Just a great learning experience. The Cayman GT4 is a really fun car to drive and is fast, nimble and suited well to the Barber layout. Chloe in particular was a great help, patiently sharing her data and giving us insight into how she carries such incredible speed. No wonder she has been named a Porsche Junior! With this positive experience, I am really looking forward to having a lot of fun with my teammates and the whole TPC Racing crew next weekend at Barber!”
About TPC Racing: TPC Racing is the Mid-Atlantic’s premier maintenance, service, tuning and modification center dedicated solely to Porsche sports cars. TPC Racing specializes in R&D and sales of high-performance modifications for Porsche sports cars and race cars, offering a wide range of vehicle upgrades. Best known for a line of forced induction solutions for the Porsche 911, Cayman and Boxster, a long-time focus on only one make, Porsche, has enabled TPC Racing to become experts in Porsche service, tuning, and racing. In 2000, TPC Racing began entering races under its own banner, scoring an SGS-class Championship in 2004 in the Grand-American Rolex Series and was a class winner in the 2006 Rolex 24 At Daytona, and captured the 2013 and 2016 IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA Gold Cup Championships. More information can be found at http://www.TPCRacing.com.