Porsche Races Cars Assault the Streets of Southern California
Porsche Carrera Cup Championship takes over the streets of Long Beach, California, with awesome door-to-door racing action.Â
What could be better than a cruise through beautiful Long Beach, California, in a Porsche 911? There is an answer to that question, actually. It’s over two dozen Porsche 992 911 GT cars racing door to door on the streets of Long Beach! The 2022 Porsche Carrera Cup North America took to this 1.968-mile, 11-turn circuit on April 10th, 2022. It was quite a show!
The streets of Long Beach make for a pretty tight course. So, passing opportunities do not come easily. This makes for some incredibly tight and aggressive racing. The race was full of drama, with a crash occurring right from the start in the first corner. Additionally, a dramatic fight for position wound up in a three-wide ensemble getting tangled and cars going into the wall. On top of it all, there was plenty of bumping and rubbing while fighting for position.
Kay Van Berlo Took First in the Pro Class, Making It His Fourth Win of the Season
Kay van Berlo, the No. 43 Kelly Moss Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car driver, took an early lead and withheld it throughout the entire 40-minute race. This marks van Berlo’s fourth win for the season, which sounds impressive enough, but it’s made all the more impressive considering there have only been four races. So far, then, van Berlo has a perfect season on his hands.
“Super happy. My main goal for the season is to consistently score points. That is what I missed out on last season. At Sebring, we nearly maximized in terms of points, and this weekend we did. The car was on rails, absolutely spot-on. Getting pole position at a street track is super important. You put yourself into a safe position for the races. Still, a lot can go wrong. I had a little more pressure the second race.
Early on, I was able to create a gap just to make sure when I was catching traffic I could use it to my favor. Obviously, the last lap restart puts a little more pressure on you, but the goal was the same: keep it clean, get a good run away and make no mistakes. At the street courses, it is harder to overtake than any of the other tracks, and if you make a mistake, you put yourself in a risky position. That is what I tried to cover this weekend,” said van Berlo after the race.
Additionally, Justin Oakes, driving the No. 47 Nolasport Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car, took the win in the Pro-Am class. Pro-am is a Carrera Cup class dedicated to drivers between the age of 36 and 57 years old. Additionally, Mark Kvamme took the win the Am class, which sees competition between drivers age 58 and older.
A Great Weekend of Racing
Ultimately, the Carrera Cup’s stop in Long Beach was a resounding success. It was a fairly dramatic race, as is expected with tight street courses like this one. However, overall it was a great showing of good sportsmanship and fantastic racing.
For a closer look, check out the full race on the IMSA Youtube channel below! Don’t forget the popcorn!
Photos for Rennlist by Derin Richardson