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- Category: Road Racing
By: Chris Jameson/RaceCanada.ca
March 12, 2024
March 12, 2024
IMSA schedule for Wednesday, March 13 at Sebring International Raceway
Race action gets underway on Thursday and will feature live stream of select races. We will post tune-in alerts on our Facebook Page.
Check out the complete list of Canadians racing this weekend at Sebring by clicking here.
11:25 AM to 12:25 PM ET
Practice 1 - Michelin Pilot Challenge
1:25 PM to 1:55 PM ET
Practice 2 - Mazda MX-5 Cup
2:10 PM to 2:50 PM ET
Practice 2 - Porsche Carrera Cup
3:05 PM to 3:50 PM ET
Practice 2 - Lamborghini Super Trofeo
4:05 PM to 4:25 PM ET
Qualifying - Mazda MX-5 Cup
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- Category: Road Racing
By: Chris Jameson/RaceCanada.ca
March 12, 2024
March 12, 2024
Barring any late-night updates from IMSA (it happens), following is a list of Canadian drivers running at Sebring International Raceway this weekend.
Porsche Carrera Cup
Pro
# 9 - Zachary Vanier - JDX Racing Porsche 992
# 26 - Roberto Tutino - ACI Motorsports Porsche 992
# 69 - Thomas Collingwood - BGB Motorsports Porsche 992
# 84 - Marco Cirone - ACI Motorsports / Mark Motors Racing Porsche 992
Mazda MX-5 Cup
# 55 - Jonathan Neudorf - BSI Racing Mazda MX-5
Michelin Pilot Challenge Drivers
GS
#34 Jesse Webb - JMF Motorsport - Mercedes AMG GT GT4
#38 Thomas Collingwood - BGB Motorsports - Porsche 718 GT4 RS CS
#57 Daniel Morad - Winward Racing - Mercedes AMG GT GT4
#69 Jesse Lazare - Motorsports In Action - McLaren Artura GT4
TCR
#33 Robert Wickens - Bryan Herta Autosport - Hyundai Elantra N
#6 LP Montour - Montreal Motorsports Group - Honda Civic FL5
#76 Denis Dupont - Bryan Herta Autosport - Hyundai Elantra N
#93 Karl Wittmer - Montreal Motorsports Group - Honda Civic FL5
#98 Mark Wilkins - Bryan Herta Autosport - Hyundai Elantra N
Sebring 12 Hour
LMP2
#8 John Farano - Tower Motorsports
GTD
#12 Parker Thompson - Vasser Sullivan Lexus
#13 Orey Fidani - AWA Corvette
#17 Anthony Mantella - AWA Corvette
#27 Roman DeAngelis - Zach Robichon - Heart of Racing Aston Martin
#32 Mikael Grenier - Korthoff/Preston Motorsports Mercedes
#43 Scott Hargrove - Andretti Motorsports Porsche GT3R
#45 Kyle Marcelli - Wayne Taylor Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3
#78 Misha Goikhberg - Devlin DeFrancesco - Forte Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3
GTD Pro
#9 James Hinchcliffe - Pfaff McLaren
#64 Multimatic Ford Mustang
#65 Multimatic Ford Mustang
Be sure to check out Facebook Page throught the weekend for regular updates.
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- Category: Road Racing
By: ST Racing
February 28, 2024
February 28, 2024
BMW racing driver and BMW of North America Brand Ambassador Bill Auberlen will race for ST Racing in the SRO GT World Challenge America Championship in 2024, campaigning a BMW M4 GT3 in the PRO class with Varun Choksey. 2024 marks the first year of a new multi-year contract that will see Auberlen help celebrate the 50th anniversary of BMW of North America in 2025 and race through the 2026 season, when he will observe his 30th anniversary with The Ultimate Driving Machine®.
During his decades of competition, 55-year-old Bill Auberlen has amassed more race starts behind the wheel of a BMW than any other driver in the world. His record of 65 victories in the IMSA series put him at the top of the all-time win list. He also leads the IMSA all-time pole list.
“I am excited to begin another chapter with BMW and BMW of North America,” said Bill Auberlen. “In addition to driving the Roundel to the top of as many podiums as I can, I have always enjoyed mentoring up and coming drivers. I’m happy to welcome Varun to the BMW brand. ST Racing has already enjoyed quite a bit of success in SRO competition, and I hope Varun and I can contribute to even more great results.”
Always ready for a new challenge, Auberlen will co-drive the No. 28 BMW M4 GT3 with 27-year old Varun Choksey, looking to enhance the career of yet another up-and-coming driver. In seasons past, Bill has shared a BMW and his vast talent with more than 90 co-drivers. Choksey, from Atlanta, Georgia, spent the previous two seasons racing in the Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup North America single-make series, finishing 11th in the PRO class last year.
Varun Choksey said, “It is important for me to continue to race a GT3 car and learn the intricacies of the co-driver relationship in the next stages of my career. SRO is a great step because GT World Challenge America offers great competition with excellent manufacturer support. When I was looking at next steps, Bill’s name was put forward as someone I should speak with. After a few calls, our families got together at Petit Le Mans 2023, and we began to make a plan. Bill put together a test at Buttonwillow with ST Racing and it went very well. I believe Bill and ST Racing is the combination that is the perfect move for me.”
The 13-round SRO GT World Challenge America championship will begin at Sonoma Raceway on April 5 – 7 and travel throughout the US with double-round weekends at Sebring International Raceway, Circuit of the Americas, VIRginia International Raceway, Road America, and Barber Motorsports Park. Each race will be 90-minutes long except the season finale, round 13, eight-hour race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in October.
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- Category: Road Racing
By: FEL Motorsports
March 11, 2024
March 11, 2024
St Catharines, Ontario - FEL Motorsports is thrilled to announce the CTMP Cup, set to debut during the 2024 Victoria Day SpeedFest and Labour Day Sprints weekends. Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP), a track deeply ingrained in Canada's racing culture and pride, boasts a challenging layout that has fostered the careers of numerous great Canadian racers. Its intimidating, relatively unchanged track design rewards bravery while demanding consistency and smoothness. The CTMP Cup is a tribute to the tracks national significance to motorsport in Canada, and is a way to build and continue such a valued Canadian legacy at the only venue visited twice a season by the Sports Car Championship Canada (SCCC) and Emzone Radical Cup Canada (RCC) both presented by Michelin.
The CTMP Cup is a separate championship within the SCCC presented by Michelin, covering all three classes, as well as the Emzone RCC presented by Michelin and the new Emzone RCC Masters class - a class dedicated to Radical competitors above 40 years old. Points accumulated through the two CTMP weekends, a total of four races (two per weekend), will determine the CTMP Cup winners.
The two-weekend format offers a chance for new drivers to compete in this micro-championship as well as a chance at redemption for participants who may have encountered challenges at other venues on the season calendar, like renowned street circuits; GP3R and the streets of Toronto. This promotes meaningful competition throughout the season, irrespective of the overall championship standings. Champions of the CTMP Cup not only secure the the title of being the fastest in the field at CTMP, but can also expect to receive exclusive prizing. Specific prizing details will be revealed by FEL Motorsports in the coming weeks.
"As a tribute to the significance of Canadian Tire Motorsport Park within our racing community and heritage, we are proud to introduce the CTMP Cup. This championship adds a unique competitive aspect to our platform while paying homage to the legacy of this iconic circuit, rightfully considered the home of Canadian Motorsport" said Chris Bye, President of FEL Motorsports.
Stay tuned for further announcements regarding the CTMP Cup, including detailed prizing information and updates on the upcoming race weekends.
About FEL Motorsports
FEL Motorsports grew out of a deep base of automotive roots from FEL Automotive Learning and Promotion. FEL, the parent company of FEL Motorsports, has over three decades of experience in the automotive event industry working within Canada and the U.S by combining the expertise gained from working with luxury automotive brands with some of Canada’s most experienced motorsport personnel, FEL Motorsports executes premium race event weekends at tracks in Ontario and Quebec. FEL Motorsports is focused on growth and sustainability in the Canadian Motorsports landscape by giving back to its teams through prizing and prize money.
For further information on FEL Motorsports visit felmotorsports.com and watch the races on the FEL Motorsports Youtube.
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- Category: Road Racing
By: Indy Car
February 27, 2024
February 27, 2024
Sebring, Florida – It appears Marcus Ericsson is settling in nicely at Andretti Global.
2022 Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge winner Ericsson led the second day of NTT INDYCAR SERIES testing Feb. 27 at Sebring International Raceway, turning a top lap of 51.9512 seconds in the No. 28 Delaware Life Honda. Ericsson joins Andretti Global this season after racing the last four seasons for Chip Ganassi Racing.
His time on the bumpy, 1.67-mile circuit at Sebring was the quickest overall in two days of testing this week as every NTT INDYCAR SERIES team prepared for the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding on Sunday, March 10 (noon ET, NBC, Peacock, INDYCAR Radio Network). Ericsson won the St. Petersburg race last year.
“Today is very important, especially when you're in a new team,” Ericsson said. “It's been a lot of learning processes, learning the people, learning the car. Everything is new, obviously. We don't get a lot of tests these days. So, we need to maximize that.
“We just had a really good day. So, that's positive, and we're feeling excited about going to St. Pete.”
Two-time series champion Will Power was second quickest at 52.0076 in the No. 12 Verizon Business Team Penske Chevrolet. Like Ericsson, Power turned his top lap in the final 15 minutes of the session.
Pato O’Ward was third with his best afternoon lap of 52.0104 in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. O’Ward showed remarkable consistency today, leading the morning session at 52.0158.
Felix Rosenqvist ended up fourth at 52.0305 in the No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing Honda. Rosenqvist, like fellow Swede Ericsson, has switched teams this season, shifting from Arrow McLaren to Meyer Shank Racing.
Graham Rahal rounded out the top five at 52.0598 in the No. 15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda.
Each of the top five drivers Tuesday posted times quicker than the best overall lap Monday, 52.0883 by reigning series champion Alex Palou in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Palou ended up sixth on the overall speed chart.
Twelve drivers combined to turn 698 laps Tuesday. A total of 27 drivers tested over the two days at the historic circuit, turning a total of 2,115 laps. Sebring’s rough, bumpy surface consisting of concrete and asphalt is a good simulation of street course tracks like those at St. Petersburg.
“Basically, what you're looking for is just different types of patches, concrete, asphalt, bumpy,” O’Ward said. “That's what you get in a street course with the years that go by. Some surfaces get rougher, some of them get redone, so you really don't know what to expect until you get there, but you expect to get a little bit of everything.”
A driver gaining extra attention today was sports car veteran Colin Braun, who was behind the wheel of the No. 51 Dale Coyne Racing Honda. It was the first test in an INDYCAR SERIES car for Texas native Braun, 35, a three-time IMSA season champion and overall winner of the 2023 Rolex 24 At Daytona with Indianapolis 500 winners Helio Castroneves and Simon Pagenaud and current NTT INDYCAR SERIES rookie Tom Blomqvist.
Braun and Jack Harvey tested this week for DCR, the only team yet to name its driver lineup for this season. Braun ended up .1597 of a second quicker than Harvey, who drove DCR’s No. 18 Honda on Monday. Braun’s best lap was just .9657 of a second off the top overall test time turned by Ericsson, impressive for his first day in an INDYCAR SERIES car.
“My first day in (INDYCAR SERIES machinery), certainly a blast jumping in the deep end,” Braun said. “A lot to learn, but it was great having Jack Harvey here helping out, and these guys did a really good job of walking me down the path and letting me learn step by step. It was fun.
“Made progress all day. It felt like it went pretty smooth on my end. Still a lot to learn, but it's a great group of guys to learn from and work with. So, a big thank you to Honda and Dale Coyne for giving me a chance here. A lot of fun.”
