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Category: Road Racing
The Rolex 24 at Daytona Marks the Beginning of Year Jam-packed with Racing Action on Canada’s 24/7 Motorsports and Motoring Destination. (Photo-Chester Hawley)
By: REV TV
January 24, 2024 
Burlington, Ontario — REV TV CANADA'S MOTORSPORTS & MOTORING DESTINATION 24/7 is excited to announce that the 2024 racing season starts this weekend with all twenty-four hours of the Rolex 24 at Daytona, which is the first stop of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, and the first of well over a hundred live races that will be broadcast on the channel.
 
The racing season kicks off with the 62nd running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona, which will feature a packed 60-car grid across four classes. Top brands like Acura, Aston Martin, BMW, Cadillac, Corvette, Ferrari, Ford, Lamborghini, Lexus, McLaren, Mercedes, and Porsche, will battle it out over 24 hours to see who will win one of the crown jewels of racing.
 
“We are pleased to once again start the racing season off with one of the world’s greatest races from the ‘World Center of Racing’ Daytona Speedway,” said Ed Kanerva, Director of Marketing and Programming at REV TV. “The Rolex 24 is just the beginning of our live racing offerings, with the entirety of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship—including the always electrifying stop at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park—presented with limited interruption thanks to our incredible commercial providers.”
 
"It's great to have Leland Industries and WeatherTech Canada onboard for REV TV's flag-to-flag coverage of the Rolex 24 at Daytona along with our other sponsors and advertisers,” said Pat Gonsalves, Account Executive at REV TV. “This promises to be one of the most competitive Rolex 24 events at Daytona and I'm sure fans will be tuning multiple hours to follow the story especially with so many Canadian drivers and teams competing".
 
The Rolex 24 at Daytona begins at 1:35PM ET on Saturday, January 27th until its conclusion twenty-four hours later on Sunday.
 
About REV TV
YOUR MOTORSPORTS & AUTOMOTIVE DESTINATION is available to over 8 million households across Canada and features hundreds of live races from around the world and right here at home. From two-wheels to four and so much more. REV TV showcases all forms of high-octane racing, such as MotoGP, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, World Supercross Championship, World Rally Championship, INDY NXT, WorldSBK, along with news coverage such as The Inside Line (F1), Winged Nation (winged sprint cars) and PASMAG’s Tuning 365. We also have a slate of original programming with REV Culture with Todd Lewis that features interviews with motorsports luminaries, All North Racing which focuses on grassroots racing, a slew of how-to and behind-the-scenes programs, and so much more. REV TV is your MOTORSPORTS & AUTOMOTIVE DESTINATION 24/7.
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Category: Road Racing
New driveway.com McLaren 720S GT3 Evo completes successful preseason test, qualifies sixth ahead of IMSA season opener.
By: Pfaff Motorsport
January 22, 2024 
Daytona Beach, Florida – 2022 Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona winners Pfaff Motorsports returned to Daytona International Speedway for the ROAR preseason test and Daytona qualifying, officially launching the team’s new partnership with McLaren Customer Racing and the driveway.com-sponsored McLaren 720S GT3 EVO. 
 
The Canadian squad has an all-new, star-studded driver lineup including 2016 Indy 500 champion and Rookie of the Year Alexander Rossi (USA), former IndyCar driver James Hinchcliffe (CAN), 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans winner and 2022 IMSA DPi champion Oliver Jarvis (UK), and McLaren factory driver Marvin Kirchhöfer (DE) – with the latter two taking on full-season responsibilities with Pfaff in the GTD Pro category. 
 
This season marks the team’s sixth appearance at the famed event, in an all-new livery that combines traditional McLaren papaya and blue – a nod to the McLaren factory racing programs worldwide, including Formula 1 and IndyCar – with the team’s well-loved plaid pattern, ghosted onto grey-black surfaces of the car.
 
Following a successful test that saw the team progress well throughout the weekend, Jarvis qualified the driveway.com 720S GT3 Evo sixth in class to put the team in a strong position to fight for a repeat of its 2022 GTD Pro title. 
 
Oliver Jarvis (driver): “For us this weekend, it was as much a full rollout as it was a test, and we've been progressing every lap. We're gathering a lot of data and learning so much, so it's been a really good ROAR. I wish we had a bit more track time if I'm being honest, but it's good to finally get behind the wheel of the 720S and put in some solid laps. 
 
“Obviously I'd like to be a bit further up [after qualifying], but the way the qualifying worked with our shortened session, I really only had one lap to do the time. So ahead of the 24 Hours, it's not a bad starting place at all. We have a good car and we're learning every session, including myself. Every session we’ve been making positive steps, so we’re pointed in the right direction ahead of next weekend.”
 
Marvin Kirchhöfer (driver): “Showing up to this weekend with a brand-new car, we couldn't really get much prep in, so on that front this weekend has already been a success. Through all  the sessions we improved, and the 720S is getting better and better. The team has done a great job, and Ollie had a great run in qualifying. There's still a few things we need to work out, but it's all going in the positive direction, so I look forward to next week.” 
 
Alexander Rossi (driver): “Getting behind the wheel of the GT3 car has been a lot to learn, but it's all going pretty smoothly so far. For the team, it’s obviously an all-new car, but we feel good about what we're at and it should be a good weekend. Every lap gets easier, and it's certainly new, but we'll have plenty of time next weekend and in the race to sort everything out.” 
 
James Hinchcliffe (driver): “It's been a huge challenge for the team to get the car ready and I can't give them enough credit. A brand-new race car showed up mid-December and hit the track for the first time on Friday. I've been around this business a long time, as have my fellow co-drivers, and we were all expecting far more issues than we’ve had. That's credit to the team at Pfaff for preparing this car so well, including the help we've had from McLaren in the UK. So for us, I think we've all been pleasantly surprised given that we didn't get to do the December test. There’s still a lot of work to do, but now we've had some time on track to smooth out the kinks. Ollie did a great job in qualifying and we've got a few days to take a breath and really assess what we need to work on for next week and take a proper stab at it.”
 
Steve Bortlotti (general manager): “Overall it was a positive weekend for the team. It’s hard to see what everyone else is doing on pace, but it looks like we’ve got a good package. It's still early days working with McLaren, but we just have to keep focus on ourselves and our program to continue working through this as smoothly as possible. All in all, it's a very exciting start to our relationship, but we still have some work cut out for us to be where we want to be.”
 
The 62nd running of the 24 Hours at Daytona weekend will feature a packed entry list of 59 cars, including 36 GT competitors. The action kicks off with practice 1 on Thursday, January 25 at 10:05am ET, with the main event going green on Saturday, January 27 at 1:40pm ET. Viewers can catch the action live on NBC and Peacock in the USA, and on REV TV in Canada. For further broadcast details, including international coverage, please contact your local cable or streaming provider. 
 
About Pfaff Motorsports
Pfaff Motorsports has established itself as one of the most successful sportscar racing programs in North America over the past decade. A professional team in the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA), it has established long-term partnerships with premium brands such as Lithia & Driveway, Motul, the Automotive Owned Brands of Canadian Tire Corporation, and Hagerty, and is one of the top-performing teams in the sport.
 
Pfaff Motorsports’ competition résumé includes historic victories and championships across multiple series. Since joining the top-tier IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in 2019, the team has won the prestigious 24 Hours of Daytona and twice at the 12 Hours of Sebring, in addition to being crowned the 2022 WeatherTech Championship GTD Pro class and 2021 GTD class champions. It has also won the 2018 GT World Challenge America championship and is a three-time Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada champion. For more information, please visit www.pfaffmotorsports.com. 
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Category: Road Racing
The 2024 24 Hours of Daytona will feature a significant number of Canadian teams and drivers.
By: Chris Jameson/RaceCanada.ca
January 17, 2024 
This weekend's Roar Before The 24 schedule for IMSA at Daytona International Speedway

Select sessions (marked with asterix) will be available on Live Stream for Canadian fans at https://www.imsa.com/tvlive/

FRIDAY, JANUARY 19, 2024
8:45 AM to 9:15 AM ET
Practice 1 - VP Racing SportsCar Challenge
9:30 AM to 10:45 AM ET
Session 1 - Michelin Pilot Challenge
11:00 AM to 12:30 PM ET
Session 1 - WeatherTech Championship
1:45 PM to 2:15 PM ET
Practice 2 - VP Racing SportsCar Challenge
2:30 PM to 4:00 PM ET
Session 2 - Michelin Pilot Challenge
4:15 PM to 6:00 PM ET
Session 2 - WeatherTech Championship

SATURDAY, JANUARY 20, 2024
8:40 AM to 9:15 AM ET
Qualifying - VP Racing SportsCar Challenge
9:30 AM to 11:00 AM ET
Session 3 - Michelin Pilot Challenge
11:15 AM to 12:45 PM ET
Session 3 - WeatherTech Championship
* 2:05 PM to 2:50 PM ET
Race 1 of 2 - VP Racing SportsCar Challenge
3:10 PM to 4:10 PM ET
Session 4 - WeatherTech Championship
4:30 PM to 5:30 PM ET
Session 4 - Michelin Pilot Challenge
6:30 PM to 8:30 PM ET
Session 5 - WeatherTech Championship

SUNDAY, JANUARY 21, 2024
10:00 AM to 11:15 AM ET
Session 5 - Michelin Pilot Challenge
*12:20 PM to 1:05 PM ET
Race 2 of 2 - VP Racing SportsCar Challenge
1:25 PM to 1:50 PM ET
Session 6 - WeatherTech Championship
* 1:55 PM to 3:00 PM ET
WeatherTech Championship Qualifying
 

Canadians to watch for this weekend in Daytona

Drivers

P2
John Farano - Tower Motorsports #8

 

GTD Pro
James Hinchcliffe - Pfaff McLaren #9

 

GTD
Parker Thompson - Vasser Sullivan Lexus #12
Orey Fidani - AWA Corvette #13
Anthony Mantella - AWA Corvette #17
Roman DeAngelis - Heart of Racing Aston Martin #27
Zach Robichon - Heart of Racing Aston Martin #27
Mikael Grenier - Korthoff/Preston Motorsports Mercedes #32
Scott Hargrove - Andretti Motorsports Porsche GT3R #43
Kyle Marcelli - Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Lamborghini Huracan GT3 #45
Daniel Morad - Winward Racing Mercedes #57
Misha Goikhberg - Forte Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3 #78
Devlin DeFrancesco - Forte Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3 #78

 

Teams

P2
Tower Motorsports #8
- John Farano
- Michael Dinan
- Scott McLaughlin

GTD Pro

Pfaff Motorsport McLaren #9
- Oliver Jarvis
- James Hinchcliffe
- Alexander Rossi

Multimatic Ford Mustang #64
- Harry Ticknell
- Mike Rockenfeller
- Christopher Mies

Multimatic Ford Mustang #65
- Joey Hand
- Dirk Mueller
- Frederic Vervisch

GTD

AWA Chev Corvette #13
- Orey Fidani CAN
- Matthew Bell GBR
- Lars Kern DEU
- Alex Lynn

AWA Chev Corvette #17
- Anthony Mantella CAN
- Nico Varrone ARG
- Thomas Merrill USA
- Charlie Eastwood

 

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

#6 LP Montour - Montreal Motorsports Group - Honda Civic FL5 TCR
#33 Robert Wickens - Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb Agajanian - Hyundai Elantra N TCR
#76 Denis Dupont - Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb Agajanian - Hyundai Elantra N TCR
#76 Nick Looijmans - Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb Agajanian - Hyundai Elantra N TCR
#93 Karl Wittmer - Montreal Motorsports Group - Honda Civic FL5 TCR
#98 Mark Wilkins - Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb Agajanian - Hyundai Elantra N TCR

 

Teams

GS

#34 JMF Motorsport - Mercedes AMG GT GT4
- Michai Stephens
- Jesse Webb

#69 Motorsports In Action - McLaren Artura GT4
- Michael de Quesada
- Jesse Lazare

 

TCR

#6 Montreal Motorsports Group - Honda Civic FL5 TCR
- LP Montour
- Bryan Ortiz

#93 Montreal Motorsports Group - Honda Civic FL5 TCR
- DAI. Yoshihara
- Karl Wittmer

 

VP Challenge Drivers

LMP 3
#61 George Staikos - Ave Motorsports - Ligier JS P320
#87 Marco Kacic - FastMD Racing with Remstar - Duqueine D08

 

Grand Sport
#21 Jesse Lazare - Motorsports in Action - McLaren Artura GT4

 

Teams

GT4
#21 Motorsports in Action - McLaren Artura GT4
- Jesse Lazare

 

Watch for our illustrated 2024 Canadians Viewers Guide coming out next week!

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Category: Road Racing
As many as four Canadians will be behind the wheel for Bryan Herta Autsports in 2024.
By: Bryan Herta Autosport
January 18, 2024 

Speedway, Indiana - Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb Agajanian (BHA) returns to IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge (IMPC) competition in 2024 with a four-car Hyundai Elantra N TCR effort.

 

2023 Series Champions, Harry Gottsacker and Robert Wickens return as co-drivers in 2024 to defend their title. The pair earned seven second place finishes in ten races last season, a new series record. Gottsacker enters his sixth season with BHA, he has recorded five series victories since joining the team in 2019 and holds the series record for pole positions (7). For Wickens, 2024 will be his third season racing for Hyundai. Wickens made his racing debut with hand controls driving a Hyundai in 2021, when he returned to competition after devastating injuries sustained in a 2018 IndyCar accident. It took Wickens just two years to become the first driver in North America to win a professional title driving with hand controls. He’s tallied two victories and eight podiums using his hands to control the accelerator, brakes, and transmission. Still searching for their first race victory as co-drivers, Gottsacker and Wickens will race the #33 Elantra N TCR.

 

Bryson Morris joins two-time series Champion, Taylor Hagler in the #77 Hyundai Elantra N TCR. Morris made his debut with the team in 2023 at the season finale at Road Atlanta, where the pair finished eighth. "I am really excited to be joining BHA for the 2024 season,” said Morris. “I saw immense potential with the one-off race I did last year at Road Atlanta, and I think we can build off that together, and have a great season. I am looking forward to really learning this car, and I am hoping to be on the podium or even get a win this year alongside Taylor." Taylor Hagler re-wrote the history books in 2021 when she became the first woman to win a TCR race in IMSA and the first woman to win the TCR title in North America, which she defended in 2022.

 

As announced in December, Denis Dupont and Preston Brown have joined BHA, and will make their debut at the Roar Before the Rolex 24 driving the #76 Hyundai Elantra N TCR. The pair previously raced the Audi RS 3. They welcome a third driver, Nick Looijmans at Daytona for the four-hour season opener.

 

Returning for their second season as teammates after an extremely successful season in 2023 that included three wins and a total of eight podium finishes, Mark Wilkins and Mason Filippi will drive the #98 Hyundai Elantra N TCR. Wilkins is the 2019 IMPC Champion and has 11 TCR victories, having won at least once each season since joining BHA and driving for Hyundai. Mason Filippi has amassed six wins and four pole positions since his debut with the team as a rookie in 2019. Filippi has finished second in the championship twice (2019 and 2023).

 

Bryan Herta Autosport, the five-time IMPC champions kicks off the 2024 season at the Roar Before the Rolex 24, IMSA’s open test and media days leading into the famed ROLEX 24 Hours at Daytona event. Round one of the 2024 IMPC season kicks off with a four-hour endurance race at 1:40 pm on Friday, January 26, 2024. The races will air live on NBC’s Peacock.

 

Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb Agajanian
Founded in 2009, Bryan Herta Autosport has grown from a single car Indy-Lights team into a multi-championship winning auto racing franchise. Led by IndyCar and Sports Car star Bryan Herta, Bryan Herta Autosport has won races in every discipline they have entered, including Indy Lights, Indy Car, Global Rallycross, and championship titles in Pirelli World Challenge and IMSA. BHA rose to prominence after winning the 2011 Indianapolis 500 in what was the final race of the Centennial Era, a celebration of 100 years of racing at The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with driver Dan Wheldon. Five years later, BHA partnered with Andretti Autosport, and defied the odds again, winning their second Indianapolis 500 with rookie driver Alexander Rossi. In 2018, BHA entered the American Sports Car scene beginning its immensely successful partnership with Hyundai. Together, BHA and Hyundai have won five championships in as many seasons, including five consecutive team and driver championships, and four consecutive (2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023) manufacturer's titles in IMSA's Michelin Pilot Challenge. For more information, visit: www.BryanHertaAutosport.com.



BHA/Hyundai Customer Support: Bryan Herta Autosport is the U.S. sales agent and part support representative of Hyundai TCR and TCA race cars for customer teams. The BHA/Hyundai Customer Support Team offers trackside engineering support, setup and tuning advice, and part and order fulfillments for the Hyundai Veloster N TCR and TCA teams and drivers from the BHA’s headquarters in Speedway, IN. Since its North American debut in 2019, the Hyundai Veloster N TCR has scored 27 race wins, and three TCR championship titles.

 

Hyundai Motor America
Hyundai Motor America focuses on ‘Progress for Humanity’ and smart mobility solutions. Hyundai offers U.S. consumers a technology-rich lineup of cars, SUVs, and electrified vehicles. Our 830 dealers sold more than 724,000 vehicles in the U.S. in 2022, and nearly half were built at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama. For more information, visit www.HyundaiNews.com.

 

Canadians In BOLD

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Category: Road Racing
Patrick Woods-Toth is heading overseas to race in the Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship.
By: Ron Fellows Karting Championship
January 15, 2024 
One of the strongest young Canadian talents to emerge onto the international motorsport scene is set to begin a big 2024 season in New Zealand.
 
Reigning Formula 4 United States Champion Patrick Woods-Toth (19) will race in the 2024 Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship and will be one of the favourites for the title.
 
Canadian Woods-Toth, a former karter like many rising single-seater stars, won four races and climbed the podium an impressive 13 times on his way to the title in one of motorsport’s most competitive F4 championships. No fewer than 44 drivers competed in the 2023 F4 US Championship across six rounds.
 
His rapid rise to prominence began at the end of 2022, after winning a “Karts to Cars” scholarship as part of his championship season in Canada’s Ron Fellows Karting Championship.
 
As part of his prize, Woods-Toth was awarded a seat at the Radford Racing School in Arizona, as well as a test with Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport. Woods-Toth impressed immediately and was then promoted to the F4 US series by the Ron Fellows Karting Championship with the Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport team.
 
In a continuation of that partnership, the young driver will drive for the New Zealand operation of Kiwi Motorsport in the five-round back-to-back weekend championship.
 
Hailing from Quebec, also the home of the iconic Villeneuve motor racing family, Patrick is looking forward to his first international championship.
 
“I am thrilled to join Kiwi Motorsport for the 2024 Castrol Toyota FR Oceanoa Championship,” he said. “They are a team with great experience and reputation and together I know we have the chance to fight at the front.
 
“I will gain valuable experience racing outside of North America for the first time, and I can't wait to get on track.”
 
The Kiwi Motorsport team is looking forward to having him race for them in the five-round back-to-back weekend championship that begins in January and concludes with the 2024 New Zealand Grand Prix.
 
Team Principal Garry Orton is particularly delighted to have the youngster in his team, commenting: “We’re all very excited to have another one of our USA team drivers racing here in New Zealand.
 
“Patrick showed great speed and maturity to win the F4 US Championship and we look forward to seeing him develop his skills as he rises to the next level of the Formula Regional car.”
 
The New Zealand championship has a long history of providing a major stepping stone for up-and -coming racing drivers.  Twenty three graduates have taken the wheel of F1 cars in official tests, GP practice sessions or races in the 18 year history of the championship.
 
The championship boasts more than 3,000 km of testing, practice, qualifying and racing mileage with all drivers competing in identical Tatuus-based Toyota FT60 cars.
 
The five-round Kiwi series will also be the first FIA Formula Regional championship to genuinely use 100% fossil-free fuel.
 
A Word From Ron Fellows Karting
 
As the recipient of the 2022 “Karts to Cars” scholarship award, the Ron Fellows Karting Championship is proud to see the progress and success of series alumni Patrick Woods-Toth.
 
“We’re excited to be able to provide Patrick the opportunity to get to this next level in this highly competitve New Zealand championship,” said series co-founder and racing legend Ron Fellows.
 
“With Orlando Corp, La Fondation du Sport Motorisé du Quebec (FSMQ), and some private donors stepping up, we’re proud to receive this level of support from the Canadian motorsport community and we can’t wait to see Patrick compete later this week in New Zealand.”
 
Round One of the Castrol Toyota FR Oceania will take place on January 18th to 21st at the Taupo International Motorsport Park in Taupo, New Zealand. Visit the series website HERE to for event details and to follow the series.
 
About MRFKC
 
The Motomaster Ron Fellows Karting Championship is a competitive racing series designed to showcase youth-based kart racing in a professional-like environment. The series goal is to help create a positive, fun, and fair competitive environment to foster the progression of young drivers. With proper conduct, discipline and appearance, MRFKC is committed to helping shape the future of Canadian motorsport. The series is operated by Ron and Lynda Fellows and is sanctioned as a National Competition Series by GDS ASN Canada FIA.

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