Caroline Candas Joins Porter on Podium, Her Sixth in Seven Cayman Pro-Am Races
DANVILLE, Virginia (June 15, 2024) – RAFA Racing by JDX Driver Ian Porter kept his spectacular rookie racing season rolling along on Saturday, earning his fifth Porsche Sprint Challenge North America race win in just seven races as the season reached the halfway mark on at VIRginia International Raceway.
Teammate Caroline Candas joined him on the podium for the sixth time this season, continuing a dominating season for the duo who sit first and second in the Pro-Am class standings.
Porter started the 35-minute (plus one additional lap) race on pole in his No. 86 Grid Finder Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport, but his opportunity to build a lead was short lived as a full course caution came out on the opening lap for an incident at the rear of the field.
Following a 14-minute caution period, Porter again led the field to green. He was able to gap second-place thanks to the help of Candas in third. Her No. 84 8Twelve Wheels Porsche Cayman was all over the rear of the second-place car, looking for an opportunity to pass.
Despite five minutes of hounding her rival driver and looking for a way by, Candas had to back down and Porter saw his gap erased once again when RAFA Racing by JDX teammate Paige Morales had contact with the tire barrier, damaging her No. 87 RAFA Racing Club Porsche Cayman just enough that it was unable to continue.
“All of your hard work sort of goes to waste (when the yellow comes out), but that was a little bit different this time,” Porter said on the podium. “Paige is over here and I see she’s alright, but that was a big hit from what I saw. In that scenario, as long as everyone is ok, it’s fine.”
An additional 10 more minutes of full course caution meant that Porter had one more opportunity to bring the field to the green flag with four minutes to go. Once again he was ready for the opportunity and held his lead on the restart – this time to the finish and the win by 2.431 seconds. Candas crossed the line third, another 1.892 seconds behind.
Porter (1:55.134) and Candas (1:55.676) turned the quickest and second-quickest laps of the race, the only two drivers to break the 1-minute, 56 second barrier during the race. It was an impressive showing for a pair of relatively inexperienced drivers on a difficult race track.
“That’s what practice is for,” Porter said. “You’ve got to push the limits of practice, you’ve got to constantly push yourself and the car and discover those limits. Sometimes you’re going to go under it or over it, but you have to know those for the races.”
Rafael Martinez earned a seventh-place finish in the Pro-Am class behind the wheel of the No. 85 RAFA Racing Club Porsche Cayman after improving three overall positions from his starting grid.
The RAFA Racing motto is “Race As Family Always,” and Morales exhibited that attitude after her incident. Checked and released from the track care center, she was at the podium to celebrate her teammate’s successes despite her difficult day and will be ready for Sunday’s race.
All four RAFA Racing by JDX cars and drivers will be on track for a second crack at success on Sunday. That race begins at 9 a.m. EDT, once again a 35 minute (plus one additional lap) race at VIR. Like Saturday’s race, Sunday’s race can be seen live on the official YouTube channel of Porsche Motorsport North America at YouTube.com/@PorscheMotorsportNorthAmerica.
About RAFA Racing Club:
RAFA Racing, utilizing the motto “Race As Family Always,” is a motorsports club and race team founded by and made for high-performance auto drivers, supporters, and fans of all types. Started by Rafael Martinez, the Club aims to create a space for high-performance car enthusiasts to enjoy like-minded individuals, network and share ideas on and off the track, and bond as one team with a common interest. The RAFA Racing Team made its debut in 2023 with a runner-up finish in the McLaren Trophy Europe Series, and expands that footprint to include Porsche Sprint Challenge North America and SRO GT4 Europe in 2024. The Club’s off-track presence can be felt on social media and beyond, including YouTube, Instagram and Facebook and at RafaRacing.Club.
