Candas Adds Female Driver Development and Porsche Junior Crowns, Solidifies Second Place
SONOMA, California (September 28, 2024) – RAFA Racing by JDX clinched three Porsche Sprint Challenge North America championships on Saturday at Sonoma Raceway when Ian Porter took his 10th win of the season to clinch the Cayman Pro-Am Driver’s Championship, while teammate Caroline Candas finished second to claim the Mobil 1 Female Driver Development and Porsche Juniors titles in the class.
Porter started on pole in the No. 86 Grid Finder Porsche 718 Cayman with Candas on his outside, and the two quickly left the rest of the field behind. Candas and her No. 84 8Twelve Wheels Porsche Cayman hounded Porter throughout the race, dropping back and then getting a run again, but couldn’t get around the champion-elect.
At the checkered flag, Porter was 1.264-second ahead of Candas, but the duo were another 18 seconds ahead of third place.
That officially secured the top two positions for the drivers and the RAFA Racing team. The championship comes in the first season of racing at any level for Porter, at least in the analog world. Porter is a three-time Call of Duty World Champion and X Games gold medalist, but the OpTic esports star put his full 2024 commitment into chasing a new dream – motorsports.
“I feel great right now,” Porter said after the race. “The amount of hard work and the sacrifices that it’s taken just to be in this position, it’s so rewarding. In my head I was celebrating 80 percent through the race because I knew I’d won.”
His title, still with one race remaining in the season, reflects his promising ability in the sport and the work he’s put into a new career.
“I could still be gaming, I could still be doing content, and I’m here because of passion,” Porter said. “This is my dream, this is what I want my future to be. I can’t thank RAFA Racing and everyone there who helped get me in this position. I’m over the moon right now. The first Call of Duty championship was very similar to this, where I put in so much time and effort and almost overworked to the point where when I went out to perform, the skills required to win were already there. I’ve always been about the journey, rather than the win, and this is right up there.”
Candas came to RAFA Racing after being selected at last November’s RAFA Racing Female Driver Shootout. The shootout featured more experienced drivers, but the team’s judges recognized her potential and ability to improve after just one season in front-wheel drive Touring Cars in her home France.
That selection paid off this season as Candas earned 11 podiums in 13 races, including a win at Watkins Glen. Five times she finished second to Porter, and her first career win came with her parents in attendance at the upstate New York track. Those results came despite race weekends being her first visit to many of the tracks on the calendar, and limited testing throughout the season to learn the Cayman’s characteristics.
“I’m really happy for the second overall, and really happy for the team,” Candas said. “We clinched first and second with Ian, so I’m really happy for the RAFA Racing by JDX team. I learned a lot this year. New tracks, new cars, everything was new for me. To be the Junior champion is a great thing for the future. I can’t wait to see what comes from that.”
Porter and Candas, along with teammate Rafael Martinez and his No. 85 RAFA Racing Club Porsche Cayman, will get two more races at Sonoma on Sunday. The final round of the Porsche Sprint Challenge gets underway at 11:30 a.m. PDT, this time with Candas on the pole and starting ahead of Porter in an effort to turn the tables on her teammate.
Then, each of the three RAFA Racing by JDX drivers will compete as single drivers in the Porsche Endurance Challenge event at 4 p.m. PDT.
Martinez finished the Porsche Sprint Challenge West race in third on Saturday, and has the option to compete in that race again on Sunday. That race is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. PDT, immediately following the Porsche Sprint Challenge finale.
All of Sunday’s races, along with Endurance Challenge qualifying at 8:30 a.m. PDT, can be seen live on the official YouTube page 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.
