Championship contenders Scott Hargrove and Chris Green endured each other’s best shots Sunday at Calabogie Motorsports Park, with the pair splitting the two rounds of the Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Michelin.

Stars Green and Hargrove finished 1-2 in the first 45-minute race Sunday morning, with Green earning his first victory of the season in the No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car. They swapped positions in the second race, with Hargrove winning for the third time in four rounds this season in the No. 69 OpenRoad Racing Porsche.

The speedy stalemate preserved Hargrove’s four-point lead, 78-74, over Green with four of 10 rounds completed in the series, one of 19 global Porsche 911 GT3 Cup one-make series.

“It was a really good win for me, and I couldn’t be happier to be at Calabogie Motorsports Park in the Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Michelin,” Hargrove said after Round 4.

Young American standout Spencer Pigot finished third in both races in the No. 21 Alegra Motorsports entry to climb to third in the championship with 54 points.

Toronto resident Marco Cirone was the top Platinum Masters (drivers age 45 and older) finisher in both races in the No. 88 Mark Motors Racing Porsche. Carlos de Quesada, from Odessa, FL, was second in both races in the No. 22 Alegra Motorsports entry, with Perry Bortolotti of Kanata, ON, third in both races in the No. 84 Porsche fielded by Ottawa-based Mark Motors Racing.

Shaun McKaigue, Tim Sanderson and Martin Harvey shared the podium spots in both Gold Cup (2010-2013 model cars) races.

McKaigue, from Gilford, ON, was the top Gold Cup finisher in Round 3 and finished second in Round 4 in the No. 34 Fiorano Racing entry. Sanderson, from Pickering, ON, bounced back from a third-place finish in Round 3 to win Gold Cup honors in Round 4 in the No. 07 Alegra Motorsports/Northwest Atlantic Motorsports Porsche. Harvey, from Berthierville, QC, finished second in Round 3 and third in Round 4 in the No. 08 Wingho Racing Inc. car. Sanderson turned a Gold Cup track-record lap of 2:05.585 in Round 3.

Tampa, Florida, residents Chuck Harris and Keith Bass finished first and second, respectively, in both races in Silver Cup competition for 20051⁄2-2009 model cars. Harris set a lap record of 2:10.425 for the Silver Cup class during the second race.

Hargrove, from Surrey, BC, never trailed from the pole in Round 4 Sunday afternoon. He led by 1.211 seconds after the first lap and expanded his lead in metronomic fashion, tenth by tenth nearly every lap, to build his winning margin of 6.737 seconds.

“I just got a really good start,” Hargrove said. “Chris was really quick in the beginning and put quite a bit of pressure on, but OpenRoad Racing did a great job with the setup to preserve these Michelin tires. At the end of the race, and it seemed like everybody was slowing down.”

Pigot, from Orlando, FL, gained ground in the closing laps but fell short and settled for third, 8.124 seconds behind Hargrove. Green turned a track-record lap of 2:00.832 earlier in the race.

A full-course caution flew late in the race due to Jerimy Daniel’s No. 75 TRC Porsche stopping at the edge of Turn 12. Daniel and Gold Cup pole sitter Sanderson made contact while dueling for the class lead, forcing QC resident Daniel off course and Sanderson to the pits.

But there wasn’t enough time to clear Daniel’s Porsche from the 20-turn, 3.05-mile (5.05 km) circuit, the longest layout in Canada. So Green crossed the finish line under the yellow and checkered flags for his first victory and third podium finish of the season.

“The car underneath me was good, and the Michelin tires were fantastic,” Green said. “We had a good strategy. I was just able to get the best of Scott (Hargrove) going into Turn 1, so once I got through I never had to look back.”

Hargrove was off the top step of the podium for the first time this season, as he swept both season-opening rounds May 17-18 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville, ON.

Rounds 5 and 6 of the 10-round Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Michelin are scheduled for July 19-20 in Toronto. The International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) sanctions the series.

Photos by: LAT Photo