Porsche is celebrating its 75th Anniversary in motorsport this year, an accomplished history that includes many memorable single-make championships, including the Canadian Porsche 944 Turbo Cup series.
For winning HSR veteran Colin Dougherty, the 944 Turbo Cup represents more than a chapter in Porsche’s history. He continues to preserve the legacy of the series through his 1988 No. 35 Porsche 944 Turbo Cup car originally driven by Canadian racing legend Ron Fellows.
“I was born in 1969, so by about 1986, I was getting to be the right age for driving,” Dougherty said. “I was watching the Canadian normally aspirated series on SpeedVision late at night, and then, two years later, I’m watching the Turbo Cups go around and around. I think I got my first chance to drive one at a Porsche event in the United States in 1994, and I’ve been hooked ever since. That car made an impression on me.”
Fellows helped establish the car’s reputation during the 1990 season, recording three podium finishes, two pole positions and a fastest lap in the distinctive Rothmans-liveried Porsche.
Having spent decades behind the wheel of the same machine, Dougherty has developed his own appreciation for the characteristics that made 944 Turbo Cup successful and popular, including the qualities that he believes suited Fellows particularly well.
“I think that car and that chassis really clicked with his brain,” Dougherty said “It’s a 50/50 weight-balance car. It’s predictable, has lots of power and grip, and features
amazing Porsche four-piston-caliper brakes. It has all the good stuff. The cars also had colorful sponsor logos and creative designs because everyone was trying to set themselves apart. I think it was the spectacle.”
Dougherty also sees the 944 as an important part of Porsche’s engineering evolution and its efforts to reach a broader audience.
“In terms of the 944, it’s an innovative period in Porsche’s history,” Dougherty said. “It was about trying to put the engine in the front and seeing if they could make the car
work, with a transaxle in the back. It&’s a complicated arrangement. You’ve got a torque tube, with the clutch in the front and the gearbox in the back. It’s an interesting layout.
These cars aren’t going away and are firmly established in Porsche’s car culture.” For Dougherty, preserving the cars’ history means maintaining their connection to the people and organizations that helped shape their racing careers, including Pfaff Porsche.
The longtime Porsche dealership and motorsport organization has been connected to the German marque since the 1960s, with its involvement in the 944 Turbo Cup
providing a direct link to Dougherty’s No. 35 car.
“It’s a neat thing to bring up because Pfaff Porsche played a key historical role in supporting and sponsoring factory-built Porsche cars during the late 1980s and into the
more recent era,” Dougherty said. “Pfaff Porsche sponsored and helped prepare the iconic No. 35 944 Turbo Cup car driven by Fellows. We want to make sure people never forget the role the 944 Turbo played in Porsche motorsports history.”
Next up on the 2026 HSR calendar is the HSR Daytona Classic 24 Hour presented by Mission Foods and the HSR Daytona Historics, November 11 – 15, at Daytona International Speedway.
