Shift Up Now Athlete Sabré Cook earned a top-ten finish during race one of the double-header Porsche Carrera Cup North America presented by Solairus Aviation weekend at the Long Beach Street Circuit on April 17-19, 2026.
Driving the all-white privé products No. 37 911 Cup Car for JDX Racing, Cook was familiar with the 1.968-mile, 11-turn temporary street course, having previously raced at Long Beach during her first year in Porsche Carrera Cup.
The weekend began on a jam-packed Friday with two practice sessions and qualifying under sunny California skies that would continue all weekend long. The first practice session began at 7:45am PST, and Cook was seventh-fastest among the field. During the second session just hours later, more rubber covered the track surface while temperatures rose, but Cook was able to remain in the top ten.
That afternoon, qualifying took place at 4:40pm PST as the sun began to set. Cook had a strong run on her first set of new tires and despite dropping several spots at the end of the session, qualified just outside the top ten.
On Saturday morning, the first 40-minute race began at 9:05am PST. Sunny skies continued, but cooler track temperatures provided more optimal racing conditions. Cook started on the inside of row six, and the field ran two-by-two to the green flag. She had a solid start, and advanced to ninth place through the fountain section of the historic track. She then set her sights on the car ahead and followed closely, but was unable to make the pass, which created a chain of cars from eighth through eleventh.
About halfway through the competition, Cook was still within a half-second of the car ahead, looking to make the pass for eighth. Just seven minutes remained when she was able to fully get alongside the eighth-place car on the outside.
When she was unable to complete the pass, the field settle back into a single-file line through the notoriously-tight hairpin and onto the front straight. Some light car-to-car contact in the mid- pack group caused Cook to get a slower-than-usual exit onto the front straight, which opened the door for the car behind her. She defended into the first corner, but when they reached the fountain, her competitor had the inside line. Cook was forced to concede the position, and dropped back to 10th, where she finished the first race.
Race two began on Sunday at 11:20am PST. This time, track temperatures were above 100 degrees, creating slippery conditions for the 40-minute competition. Cook started in 10th, on the outside of row five. In a repeat of Saturday’s race, she had a strong start, holding her position in the pack. Just before the halfway point, she was passed by a competitor, dropping her back to 11th place. In a race that ran green from start to finish, Cook would maintain position, crossing the finish line just outside a second top-ten finish.
“We had really strong pace to start the weekend, especially in practice and on our first set of new tires, but unfortunately, we just didn’t get the job done in qualifying,” said Cook. “At a tight street circuit like the Grand Prix of Long Beach, track position is everything, and with how narrow the circuit is, it makes it really tough to move forward. We did everything we could to push in the races, but I made a few mistakes that cost us.
“Overall, I’m disappointed with how the weekend played out, but it is my career-best finish at Long Beach, so there are positives to take. I’m trying to stay optimistic—there was a time I would have been thrilled with this result, but now I know we’re capable of more, and that’s what we’re chasing."
Next up, the Porsche Carrera Cup North America presented by Solairus Aviation series heads to Florida for round 3 of the 2026 season at Miami International Autodrome on May 1-3, 2026.
