Anna Cecchi extends championship lead with double podium weekend at Barber Motorsports Park
- RACERS
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Anna Cecchi maintained her perfect 2026 podium record with second- and third-place finishes at Barber Motorsports Park, strengthening her Porsche Sprint Challenge North America Cayman ProAm title campaign after another consistent and competitive outing.
Anna Cecchi continued her outstanding start to the 2026 Porsche Sprint Challenge North America season with another strong weekend at Barber Motorsports Park, securing a second- and third-place finish to remain undefeated on the podium after four races and further strengthen her Cayman ProAm championship campaign.
Following a dominant season-opening round at Sebring, where the Charlie Hayes Racing driver claimed a commanding double victory by leading every lap, Cecchi arrived at Barber carrying strong momentum and establishing herself as an early title contender. The young American had returned to the series this year with clear championship ambitions after finishing third in the 2025 Cayman ProAm standings, and once again demonstrated front-running pace throughout the Alabama weekend.
The second round of the season took place alongside the IndyCar Series, providing a high-profile stage for Porsche Sprint Challenge North America competitors and a demanding technical challenge at one of the most tricky and flowing circuits on the calendar.
Cecchi immediately reaffirmed her status as the driver to beat during Friday’s practice sessions. She topped the opening session with a commanding lap of 1:29.016, finishing three tenths clear of her nearest rival while comfortably leading both the ProAm class and the overall field.
She continued to lower the benchmark in FP2, improving to a 1:28.850, nearly four tenths quicker than Keith Knight and Tom Rogers, again fastest overall and in class. The performance was in fact a continuation of the dominant form she displayed at Sebring.
Qualifying later that day proved extremely tight at the front. Cecchi clocked a strong lap of 1:30.025, placing fourth overall and missing pole position by just 0.099 seconds. Despite setting the fastest first sector of the session, she ultimately had to settle for a second-row start in both races, with her second-best lap a 1:30.278 placing her third for Race 2.
Starting third, Cecchi faced an immediate challenge: overtaking both her father Greg Cecchi and Koch, who lined up ahead on a circuit notoriously difficult for passing.
The start proved chaotic as the front row checked up just before the green flag, disrupting momentum through the pack. Cecchi however launched cleanly but lost acceleration during the concertina effect despite retaining fourth overall in the opening moments.
Before she could mount a recovery, the race was neutralized when Propper went off after losing fluid on track, triggering a lengthy caution period.
When racing resumed with 23 minutes remaining, Cecchi wasted no time. Showing decisive pace, she quickly moved into second overall and began chasing race leader Koch. Behind her, battles involving Greg Cecchi and Grant allowed Anna to create a small buffer while she focused forward.
Entering full attack mode, she set the fastest lap of the race with a 1:32.8, later improving to a personal best of 1:30.1 as she attempted to close a two-second gap to the leader. However, Koch responded with equally strong lap times, maintaining a narrow advantage.
The race was ultimately cut short when Chad Knight suffered a heavy accident at Turn 11 on lap 13, bringing out another caution. With significant barrier damage requiring repairs, the race ended under yellow conditions. Fortunately, the driver was uninjured.
Cecchi crossed the line second overall and second in ProAm, banking valuable championship points and maintaining her perfect podium record for the season.
Sunday afternoon’s second race, held following the IndyCar event, provided another opportunity for Cecchi to add silverware to her growing tally.
Starting from third, she made an excellent launch and immediately positioned herself on the inside line as Knight and Koch battled for the lead. When Koch briefly dropped back, Cecchi capitalized to move into second place, placing herself directly in pursuit of Knight while simultaneously defending from a charging Grant, who set the early fastest lap.
Cecchi maintained strong pace and gradually reeled in the leader, while behind her Koch recovered and rejoined the fight at the front.
A caution period was triggered on lap seven when Rogers spun into the barriers at Turn 13, compressing the field once again.
At the restart with 15 minutes remaining, Cecchi reacted well and stayed close to Knight. However, Koch quickly regained momentum, first passing Grant and then launching an aggressive attack on Cecchi. She defended firmly through several corners, holding second place with determined racecraft before Koch ultimately completed the move a few turns later.
The leading trio remained within striking distance of one another, but over the following laps Knight and Koch began to edge away slightly while Cecchi consolidated her position ahead of Ruttura.
After setting a new fastest lap, Koch executed a decisive move for the lead at Museum Corner on lap 17. From there, positions stabilized, and Cecchi managed the closing stages to secure third place at the chequered flag.
With four races completed, Anna Cecchi has finished on the podium in every outing this season: two victories at Sebring followed by a second and a third at Barber Motorsports Park, showing remarkable consistency early in the championship.
The strong results place her at the top of the Cayman ProAm standings with 223 points, holding a 31-point advantage over Keith Grant as the series heads to Sonoma Raceway for the next round on April 10-12.