Anna Cecchi wins final race of the season, claims Porsche Sprint Challenge North America Cayman title
Anna Cecchi completed a remarkable second season in the Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by securing the 2026 championship at Road Atlanta, becoming the first female driver to win the Cayman Class title in the history of the series.
Anna Cecchi completed a remarkable second season in the Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by securing the 2026 championship at Road Atlanta, becoming the first female driver to win the Cayman Class title in the history of the series.
The Charlie Hayes Racing driver entered the season finale with the points lead and ultimately converted it into the championship after taking second place in the opening race and winning the rain-shortened second race from pole position, finishing the campaign with 726 points to Keith Grant’s 641. Cecchi’s title wrapper up a superbly consistent season in which she recorded six victories, four second-place finishes and 12 podiums from 14 races, building on the momentum of a strong start to the campaign and a late-season surge that saw her reclaim the championship lead at Virginia International Raceway before dominating the penultimate round at Road America.
Cecchi had already established herself as one of the leading Cayman competitors during the season, opening the campaign with four consecutive podiums that included a double victory at Sebring International Raceway. After briefly surrendering the points lead to Grant during the middle part of the season, she responded with another victory at VIR before producing a commanding double win from pole at Road America, giving her three consecutive race victories heading into the decisive final round.
Her progress was also recognised away from the racetrack, with Cecchi confirmed for another year in the Porsche North America Female Driver Development Program, adding further significance to a season in which she made a major step forward in both performance and consistency.
The championship leader immediately demonstrated that she had the speed required to fight for the win at Road Atlanta, topping the opening free practice session with a 1:27.418. Her advantage was small but significant in an extremely competitive front of the field, with Cecchi leading Peluchiwski by 0.077 seconds and Grant by approximately one tenth of a second, placing the two championship contenders at the front of the order.
Cecchi remained among the leading runners in the second practice session, finishing third-fastest, and once again came out ahead of her closest title rival. The margins were incredibly tight, however, with just 0.001 seconds separating Cecchi and Grant, underlining how closely matched the two drivers were heading into the final competitive sessions of the season.
Grant responded when qualifying arrived, taking pole position with a 1:27.201 and denying Cecchi the opportunity to start the opening race from the front row. Cecchi’s best lap of 1:27.351 left her third on the grid, but she nevertheless managed to produce a crucial second-best lap of 1:27.388. That time was enough to give her pole position for Race 2, putting her in the ideal position to fight for the championship in the decisive final race of the season.
With every championship point potentially important, Cecchi lined up third for the opening race knowing that she did not necessarily need to win, but that avoiding trouble and finishing would be crucial to her title ambitions.
Grant made a strong getaway from pole position, but Cecchi produced an equally impressive launch and immediately moved into second place. She wasted no time in putting pressure on the championship rival ahead, closing onto Grant and looking for an opportunity to attack as the leading pair began to pull away from the rest of the field.
Cecchi continued to apply pressure through the opening lap, but Grant defended effectively and managed to keep the lead, forcing Cecchi to settle into second place by the end of the first tour. The two championship protagonists were joined at the front by Coleman Hall, although the leading trio were already beginning to create a gap over the remainder of the field.
Cecchi remained attached to Grant, repeatedly looking for a way through, while Hall also began closing onto the rear of the Charlie Hayes Racing Porsche and waiting for an opportunity to challenge for second. Hall then ran slightly wide through the final corner, losing momentum and giving Cecchi some breathing room, although the battle at the front remained extremely close.
With 28 minutes remaining Justin Lewis suffered a heavy accident at Turn 10, triggering a Full Course Yellow. The incident required an extended recovery operation, with concrete barriers requiring adjustment and debris needing to be cleared from the circuit.
When the race was finally ready to resume with 11 minutes remaining, Cecchi produced another excellent restart, staying immediately on Grant’s rear bumper and returning to the attack. She looked for an opportunity through the opening corners but once again found Grant’s Porsche positioned perfectly to close the door.
The battle intensified as the two championship contenders continued to run nose-to-tail, with Cecchi eventually getting alongside Grant on the exit of Turn 5 and the pair running wheel-to-wheel. Grant held on once again, but the fight allowed Hall to close back onto the leading duo and turn the contest into a three-way battle.
Cecchi refused to give up, following Grant almost like a shadow through the remaining laps and searching constantly for a gap, but the race leader defended every opportunity. As they entered the final lap, Cecchi was extremely close and attempted several switchback moves, but Hall also remained close behind, meaning that she could not afford to take unnecessary risks.
She made one final attempt in the last sector, braking late and getting almost alongside Grant, but she could not complete the move before the chequered flag. Grant crossed the line just 0.162 seconds ahead, with Cecchi taking second place and another hugely valuable haul of championship points.
It was not the victory she had been looking for, but the result represented a major step towards securing the title, keeping Cecchi ahead of Grant and leaving her with pole position for the decisive final race.
Cecchi therefore arrived at Race 2 knowing that she had the perfect opportunity to seal the championship, starting from pole position in conditions that were considerably more difficult than those encountered in the opening race.
Rain had in fact left the Road Atlanta circuit extremely wet, while further rain was falling in parts of the track as the field prepared for the final race. Cecchi’s task was therefore as much about maintaining control and avoiding mistakes as it was about outright speed: she simply needed to keep the Porsche on the circuit and take it to the finish.
She made an excellent start from pole position and immediately established clear air at the front, while the rest of the field battled for position behind her through the treacherous conditions. Everyone made it cleanly through Turn 1, allowing Cecchi to begin building her advantage almost immediately.
The championship leader was already 1.7 seconds clear by the end of the opening sector and produced a 1:38.6 on the first lap, around three seconds faster than her closest rivals. Her advantage continued to grow rapidly as she demonstrated remarkable pace and control on the wet circuit, extending the gap to four seconds by the third lap.
As rain resumed in several parts of the circuit, Cecchi was the only driver consistently lapping in the 1:38s, but Grant began to gradually reduce the gap as the race progressed. Cecchi responded immediately, setting a 1:38.559 on lap six to push her advantage back above three seconds.
The gap subsequently stabilised at just under four seconds as Cecchi carefully managed the increasingly difficult conditions. With 14 minutes remaining, race control deployed a Full Course Yellow as conditions became too wet for racing. Cecchi’s advantage was therefore erased, bringing the field back together just when she had built a comfortable margin.
The situation deteriorated further, and with only seven minutes remaining the race was red flagged because conditions had become undrivable. The race was not restarted, meaning the positions under the stoppage became the final results.
Cecchi was officially declared the winner of the final race of the season, adding the fastest lap to her victory and, most importantly, securing the 2026 Porsche Sprint Challenge North America Cayman championship.
The championship was the culmination of a superb second season in the series for Cecchi, who finished the campaign with 726 points, 85 clear of Grant.
The title also represents a historic achievement for the Porsche Sprint Challenge North America series as well, as Cecchi becomes the first female Cayman Class champion in the history of the series. Previous female competitors including Chloe Chambers and Caroline Candas had come close to challenging for the crown, but Cecchi’s consistency ultimately saw her become the first woman to claim the title and add her name to the history books of the championship.
