Sabré Cook scores back to back top-10 finishes at Road Atlanta
Sabré Cook secured back-to-back ninth-place finishes at Road Atlanta in the Porsche Carrera Cup North America's penultimate round of the season, where she overcame some setbacks earlier in the weekend to maintain her ninth-place starting position in both contests, collecting two clean top-ten results.
Sabré Cook secured back-to-back ninth-place finishes at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta as the Porsche Carrera Cup North America entered the penultimate round of its 2026 season. Driving the #37 JDX Racing Porsche 992 Cup car, Cook overcame some setbacks to maintain her ninth-place starting position in both 40-minute contests, collecting two clean top-ten results ahead of the championship finale at Circuit of the Americas.
The Road Atlanta weekend, part of the event supporting the Motul Petit Le Mans, began with two practice sessions on Wednesday at the 2.54-mile, 12-turn permanent road course. Cook showed encouraging pace from the outset in the opening session, running inside the top 10 on the timesheets and providing JDX Racing with a positive start to the weekend.
The second practice session proved more difficult, however, as an issue with the #37 Porsche hindered Cook’s pace and limited the team’s ability to complete the preparation it had planned ahead of qualifying. With qualifying taking place Thursday morning, the setback left Cook and JDX Racing with less time than expected to optimise the car before the two races.
Despite the disruption, Cook delivered a strong qualifying performance: she recorded the ninth-fastest time of the session, while her second-best lap was also ninth fastest among the drivers’ second-best times. As a result, she would start both races from the inside of the fifth row, giving her a solid position in the 22-car field.
The opening 40-minute race took place Thursday afternoon; Cook made a clean and confident launch from ninth, although the car starting alongside her immediately challenged for the position as the field approached Turn 1. Cook held on well through the opening complex, holding her ground against the attack and carrying the battle all the way up the steep climb toward Turn 3 before the field finally settled into single-file running.
With the race remaining green from start to finish, there were no caution periods to provide opportunities for significant changes in track position. Cook therefore had to rely on her pace and consistency throughout the 40-minute contest, spending much of the race within one second of Alan Metni running eighth ahead of her.
Although she remained close enough to apply pressure, an opportunity to complete the pass never materialised, and Cook ultimately crossed the finish line in the same ninth position from which she had started. The result nevertheless gave her a clean top-ten finish despite the limited preparation.
Race 2 followed on Friday afternoon, with Cook once again starting ninth from the inside of row five. She made another strong getaway and immediately looked to gain ground, taking the inside line alongside Cloe Kleck ahead as the field approached Turn 1.
The move briefly created a three-wide situation into the opening corner, but the tighter inside line prevented her from completing the pass. She therefore slotted back into ninth as the field settled into single file, returning to the same battle she had faced during the opening race.
Once again, Cook spent much of the first half of the race attached to the rear of the #99 car of Alan Metni, keeping herself within striking distance. As the race progressed, however, the #37 JDX Racing Porsche began to lose tyre grip, making it increasingly difficult for Sabré to maintain the pace required to launch another attack.
Despite the reduced grip, she kept the car clean and protected her position through the remainder of the race. With again no caution period interrupting the contest, Cook brought the Porsche home ninth, matching her result from Race 1 and completing the weekend with two solid finishes inside the top 10.
“Road Atlanta was definitely a challenging weekend with some car issues and not feeling 100%, so it wasn’t quite the weekend we wanted,” Cook said. “But I’m proud that we were able to stay focused and bring home two clean 9th-place finishes.”
Despite the difficulties, Cook is already looking toward the final round of the season. “There are definitely positives to take away, and I’m excited to regroup with the team, get healthy, and keep building toward COTA,” she continued. “A huge thank you to everyone at JDX Racing and all of my partners for their continued support. I’m really grateful to have such a great group behind me, and I’m looking forward to getting back in the car and giving a great performance at COTA.”
The results brings Cook's penultimate weekend of the Porsche Carrera Cup North America season to a close, with the JDX Racing driver now sitting ninth in the overall championship standings with 81 points.
The championship will now conclude at Circuit of the Americas on October 23-25, where Cook will return behind the wheel for the final round of the 2026 season.
