The 2019 Championship season ended in the final month of the year at the World Center of Speed.  The year finished as we’ve come to expect at International GT with a strong field of cars and great class competition with fun racing under sunny blue skies at Daytona International Speedway.   

The largest field of the weekend was in the Mission Foods GT3 Cup Trophy category 3.8 liter division.  The racing was fierce and a shuffle on each podium.  TED GIOVANAS #64, Team TGM won both sprint races. BILL RIDDELL #00, in his Racelink prepared Porsche took a second and third in the sprint races, but the enduro ace, won handily on Sunday.  MICHAEL CHIARAMONTE #10, came out for his second International GT race of the season and had podium finishes in the first sprint race and the enduro.  Another IGT newcomer and making the long trek from Texas was JASON HALL #712 from Quirt Racing, who had a great debut with a pair of second place finishes in the two sprint races.

Mission Foods GT3 Cup Trophy 4 liter class were the front runners throughout the weekend.  MARK GREENBERG #421, in his Extreme Velocity Motorsports prepared Porsche 4 liter, swept the class winning both sprint races. In Sunday’s 90-minute enduro he not only won the class but also finished a very impressive first overall with co-driver LONNIE PECHNIK.

IGT regular, TODD SLOAN #25 moved up to the 4 liter class  after acquiring the Sandridge Mobil 1 liveried car, celebrated 2 second place finishes in the sprint races.

The Mission Foods 4R class welcomed a new entry from Wright Motorsports as they competed with their GTD Porsche with drivers ANTHONY IMPERATO and RYAN HARDWICK.  The 1^st Phorm entry won the first sprint race and enduro.  Ironically, MARK SANDRIDGE is still sporting the Wright Motorsports colors on his #58 Porsche 4R car which he debuted at Road Atlanta this year.  Sandridge went on to win the second sprint race and Sunday’s enduro with co-driver JOE VARDE.

WILL WACHS #017 of Gatorgang Racing, joined the Series earlier this year at his home track, Mid Ohio.  Will finished off the season with the Stuttgart Cup Championship in his Porsche Cayman S 3.4 liter. The racing in the Cayman category was some of the best on the weekend at Daytona with Wachs winning the second sprint race.  JOE SULLIVAN and son JOEY SULLIVAN #14 had a great return to International GT racing in the very popular Lowenbrau livery Cayman 3.4 liter. The Sullivans won sprint race #1 and took a second in the enduro and sprint race #2.  Newcomer LARRY WEXLER #28, had a terrific debut race with IGT, finishing second in sprint race 2 and winning Sunday’s enduro.  BILL HANDLER #44, completed his first IGT race in his Extreme Velocity Motorsports supported car with 2 podium finishes in the Cayman 3.8 liter class. 

The championship in Maranello Cup was tight all year, but by completing the required 60% of the 2019 events, BENOIT BERGERON #127, Etcetera Racing, would take the title and finished the year in style, sweeping all three Daytona races in his 458 Ferrari.  Teammate ROB METKA #54, kept the pressure on Bergeron all weekend and finished second in both sprints and the enduro.  COLIN COHEN #15, in his Norwood Auto Italia prepared Ferrari rounded out the podium for the 2 sprint races finishing second for the 2019 Maranello Cup Championship. 

The Exhibition category had a wide variety of entries.  TOM PANK #45 in his Ultra Performance Audi R8 sporting the Flying Lizard livery, took the overall win in sprint race 2 and a second in the first sprint.  MICHAEL WILLIAMS #23, also competed in an Audi but a RS3 IMS, GT4 race car.  He took a pair of second places in sprint race 1 and the enduro and completed the podium in the second sprint race. Also in the Exhibition category was Series regular, CAMERON McINTYRE #8 in his VW TCR.  Still a fairly new car for McIntyre, he took his first IGT class win in the TCR car in the enduro race!   Congratulations Cameron!!

We wish everyone the best of holidays with family and friends.  We look forward to the 2020 Championship season starting at Sebring International Raceway.  Registration is open!