Copeland Motorsports came to make their name known this past weekend at Sonoma Raceway in the inaugural Toyota GR Cup North America opening event. With three cars competing in the brand-new program, Copeland Motorsports was looking at great odds to stand on the podium. It turns out only one was needed as the driver of the number 57, Tyler Gonzalez, became the breakout star of the weekend, claiming the first pole position and win in the series and topped the weekend off with a sweep, claiming another victory in race two.
“It feels great to not only come out of the weekend as the points leader but being the first person to win in a series is something truly special,” expresses Gonzalez. “I can’t thank the team enough for building me such a killer car for this series, and I can’t wait to see what the season holds.”
Gonzalez not only won both races during the weekend, but he also managed to score the very first pole position in the series.
Drake Kemper also made a splash this past weekend finishing among the top-ten in both races coming home ninth on Saturday and Sunday after not being behind the wheel of a race car in more than two years. Paul Bocuse gained experience with each passing lap and made huge gains over the course of the weekend. Both drivers will be a threat for podium results as the 2023 season rolls on.
“We really have a great group of drivers out there,” explains Team Owner Dean Copeland. “We couldn’t have asked for a better start to our Toyota GR Cup season. We are leaving the first weekend as the championship point leaders with Tyler and have three hungry drivers ready for success all season long. I am personally really excited about the progress of both Drake and Paul over the weekend. It will be an exciting season for sure.”
Photo Credit: Halston Pitman – MotorSportMedia