Canadian Racing Driver Kyle Marcelli will have a busy schedule in 2013 as the ALMS race winner and GT3 Cup Challenge Canada standout has signed with Molitor Racing Systems to compete in the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland. Marcelli will also continue his full-time commitment with BAR1 Motorsports in the American Le Mans Series driving the No. 8 Evident Capital, MBRP Performance Exhaust LMPC.
Marcelli raced a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car for the first time in 2012 as he was recruited to drive for Pfaff Automotive Group in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada. Competing as an unclassified entry due to ACO/IMSA driver rankings, Marcelli unofficially won all races entered. In the late fall of 2012, Marcelli was invited to the first ever North American Porsche Driver Academy. This was a full two-day test under the supervision of Porsche’s key representatives. Following the test, Marcelli was then invited to participate in a Porsche International Scholarship Shootout held in Vallelunga, Italy. Marcelli was up against eight other standouts from around the world. It was announced at the Porsche Night of Champions in Weissach that France’s JK Vernay was the shootout winner. This earned Vernay a spot in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup for 2013.
With the help and guidance of many industry experts, Marcelli reviewed multiple options that offered him the next step within the Porsche Motorsport ladder system. It was important that Marcelli compete in a competitive international series and the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland provides that platform. Molitor Racing Systems (MRS) has a rich history of success in international competition. The team is based only about 45-minutes from Stuttgart and have maintained a good working relationship with Porsche. With this in mind, it was the right decision for Marcelli to take this wonderful opportunity.
"The MRS Team has a long history in working with young and talented drivers from all over the world. We strongly believing in the talent of Kyle, otherwise he wouldn't have been invited from Porsche AG to a shoot-out. Alongside a strong teammate, the young Austrian Phillip Eng, Kyle will benefit from our experience, as we've won the Porsche Carrera-Cup Germany in 2008. We are very much looking forward to work together with Kyle and we are sure to achieve good results," said team owner Karsten Molitor.
"I'm extremely excited to take this next step and get back behind the wheel of a Porsche. It's felt like a long off-season, I'm itching to put the helmet on and begin racing. The Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland is an ultra competitve championship! Many of Porsche's current work drivers have come from the series at one time. That definitely serves as my inspiration to have good success and further my career with Porsche. The car takes a different driving style that I'm used to in the prototypes, but I'm looking forward to the challenge. I can't thank Porsche Motorsport enough for recognizing my accomplishments in the GT3 Cup Challenge Canada and giving me the advice to pursue the next step," said Marcelli.
Marcelli is fresh off a second place finish at the American Le Mans Series 12 Hours of Sebring driving for BAR1 Motorsports alongside Chris Cumming and Stefan Johansson. Next up is round two April 19-20 on the streets of Long Beach, California. Immediately afterwards, Marcelli will be on a plane to Frankfurt, Germany for round one of the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland May 3-5 at Hockenheim in support of DTM.
Photo by ES Photography
