Details

Category: Road Racing

Daytona Beach, Florida – In diagram view, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park looks deceptively simple, with 10 turns spread over 2.459 miles. There’s not a straight stretch worth mentioning, though there is a mildly curved section of track linking Turns 5 and 8 called the Mario Andretti Straightaway.

The terrain is hilly and the curves are mostly fast, of the fourth- to sixth-gear variety, with one notable exception: Moss Corner.

Named for another racing legend – Stirling Moss, who won the very first race at was originally called Mosport Park on June 24, 1961 – Moss Corner actually comprises Turns 5A and 5B, a double-apex right-hander generally taken in second gear.

And while it may seem incongruous to name the slowest segment of Canada’s most famous road course after an English driver known for glorious, high-speed four-wheel drifts, there’s a simple explanation: During the construction of the track more than 60 years ago, Moss, as a consultant to designer Alan Bunting, suggested modifying what was originally laid out as a classic, constant-radius hairpin into a pair of closely linked 90-degree bends.

Since then, Moss Corner has often served as the track’s focal point – especially in multi-class racing like the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship. With the racing as close as it is throughout all four classes that will be in action at CTMP this weekend in the Chevrolet Grand Prix (3 p.m. ET Sunday on NBC, Peacock and IMSA Radio), it’s almost guaranteed that Moss Corner will produce a signature moment in the 2-hour, 40-minute contest.

That’s especially true in the Daytona Prototype international (DPi) category, where the competition between manufacturers Acura and Cadillac is this close, and the battle between Acura teams Wayne Taylor Racing and Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian is even closer.

DPi drivers Oliver Jarvis (who shares the No. 60 Meyer Shank Acura ARX-05 with Tom Blomqvist) and Renger van der Zande (in the No. 01 Cadillac Racing DPi-V.R with co-driver Sebastien Bourdais) addressed the challenges of CTMP on Wednesday.

The No. 60 Acura sits second in the DPi standings, 17 points behind their counterparts Ricky Taylor and Filipe Albuquerque in the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura. The No. 01 Cadillac ranks fourth, 185 points out of the lead and 25 behind the sister No. 02 Cadillac manned by Alex Lynn and Earl Bamber.

Jarvis was one of the winning DPi drivers the last time the WeatherTech Championship raced at CTMP, taking the laurels in July 2019 in a Mazda he shared with Tristan Nunez. The only Canadian round of the WeatherTech Championship was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and ’21.

Jarvis finished second at Watkins Glen International in 2019 the week before his CTMP victory. He and Blomqvist are coming off a runner-up finish from the pole position in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen last Sunday and are hoping for similar good fortune this year.

“Going into this weekend, the aim is to get back onto the top step of the podium; it’s been a while,” said Jarvis, who has been part of four straight second-place finishes since the No. 60 won the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona. “Mosport is certainly a track I like. Extremely fast; you need a lot of commitment around there.

“It’s very similar to Watkins Glen in many respects, so I’m really looking forward to getting on track to see where we’re at,” he continued. “Hopefully, it will be a good track again for us. I believe it’s been resurfaced, so that’s a bit of an unknown for us all heading there.”

Van der Zande and Bourdais finished third behind the Acuras last week at Watkins Glen. The Dutchman said the slow-speed Moss Bend could create overtaking opportunities this weekend.

“That’s a very interesting corner and a lot is going to happen there,” van der Zande said. “At high speed, if you’re close behind someone, you lose ground because you’re losing the downforce and you have understeer and can’t follow that well. But in those slow corners, that’s where the opportunities become big to make a move. In those corners, there’s just one way if you’re in the faster car, and that’s to wait for the traffic. When you’re attacking, it’s the opposite.”

Jarvis noted that even if a faster car is held up going into Moss Corner, a superior exit from the corner can create a gap up Andretti Straightaway to Turn 8 that allows a driver to defend its position.

“It’s such a fast circuit that your opportunities to overtake are very limited, apart from making a big move in traffic,” said Jarvis. “If you can get good drive out of that tight right-hander, it’s a long back straight and it’s going to offer you the best opportunity to make a move. It’s a corner that’s very traction dependent and certainly one that we have to keep an eye on, especially in traffic, so that they can’t get a run.”

Fans have been patiently waiting three years for racing excitement to return to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Moss Corner is the most likely place to find it.

Chevrolet Grand Prix practice begins Friday. Qualifying streams live on IMSA.com/TVLive at 12:35 p.m. ET Saturday. The race will air live at 3 p.m. ET Sunday on NBC.

Details

Category: Road Racing

Daytona Beach, Florida – For the first time in three years, the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship heads north of the border for this weekend’s Chevrolet Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP).

Twenty-seven cars are entered in the four competing classes at the track in Bowmanville, Ontario. This is the eighth event on the 2022 schedule.

Here’s what you need to know for race weekend:

Canadian Tire Motorsport Park – Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada

July 1-3, 2022

Fast Facts
Race Day/Time: Sunday, July 3 – 3:05 p.m. ET
NBC Network Coverage: LIVE – 3-6 p.m.
Streaming Coverage: LIVE – Flag-to-flag beginning at 3 p.m. on Peacock (in the U.S.) and IMSA.com/TVLive (outside the U.S.)
IMSA.com/TVLive Live Qualifying Stream: Saturday, July 2 – 12:35 p.m.
IMSA Radio: Select sessions live on IMSA.com and RadioLeMans.com; SiriusXM live race coverage begins Sunday, July 2 at 3 p.m. (XM 207, SiriusXM Web/App 992)
Circuit Type: 2.459-mile, 10-turn road course
Classes Competing: Daytona Prototype international (DPi), Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3), Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO), Grand Touring Daytona (GTD)
Race Length: 2 hours, 40 minutes
Track Social Media:
Twitter: @CTMPOfficial
Instagram: @ctmpofficial
Facebook: @CanadianTireMotorsportPark
Event Hashtags: #IMSA, #ChevroletGrandPrix

WeatherTech Championship Track Records
Qualifying:
DPi: Colin Braun, Nissan DPi, 1:05.452 / 135.250 mph, July 2019
LMP3: first class appearance at CTMP
GTD PRO: new class in 2022
GTD: Jack Hawksworth, Lexus RC F GT3, 1:15.546 / 117.124 mph, July 2018

2019 Chevrolet Grand Prix Winners
DPi: Oliver Jarvis/Tristan Nunez, No. 77 Mazda Team Joest Mazda DPi
LMP3: first class appearance at CTMP
GTD PRO: new class in 2022
GTD: Bill Auberlen/Robby Foley, No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M6 GT3

Storylines

O Canada! It’s Good to See You again: The global pandemic and international travel restrictions prevented the WeatherTech Championship from racing at CTMP the past two years, so teams and drivers are eager to return. And the knowledgeable and passionate Canadian fans are just as eager to see the racing again.

No Rest after The Glen: The Chevrolet Grand Prix is the back half of the only back-to-back racing weekends on the 2022 calendar, following Sunday’s Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen just over the border in Watkins Glen, N.Y. It places two of the more fabled North American road courses on consecutive weeks to heighten the anticipation and competition.

Tight Points Battles: Three of the four classes racing this weekend are competing for points toward the overall WeatherTech Championship, and all three are embroiled in tight battles. With their win Sunday at The Glen, Ricky Taylor, Filipe Albuquerque and the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 reclaimed the DPi class lead by 17 points over Oliver Jarvis, Tom Blomqvist and the No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian Acura. No. 54 CORE autosport drivers Jon Bennett and Colin Braun moved into the LMP3 points lead by 50 over No. 30 Sean Creech Motorsport’s Ari Balogh and Garett Grist and 53 ahead of Gar Robinson, Felipe Fraga and the No. 74 Riley Motorsports entry. GTD PRO is just as close, with Matt Campbell, Mathieu Jaminet and the Canada-based No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R only 38 points up on Ben Barnicoat and the No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3, and 41 ahead of Antonio Garcia, Ricky Taylor and the No 3 Corvette Racing Corvette C8.R GTD.

IMSA WeatherTech Sprint Cup Resumes: The GTD class is racing this week only for points in the IMSA WeatherTech Sprint Cup – consisting of the eight non-endurance events for the class. The No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 holds a sizable 134-point lead on the No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW with Bill Auberlen and Robby Foley, but there are still four Sprint Cup races remaining and the Auberlen and Foley are the defending class winners from 2019.

Who’s Hot?

Acura’s Dynamic DPi Duo: Albuquerque, Ricky Taylor and the No. 10 Acura from Wayne Taylor Racing have won three of the last four races to surge ahead. But don’t sell the No. 60 Meyer Shank Acura short since it has finished second in all four of those races.

CORE in LMP3: Bennett, Braun and the No. 54 Ligier JS P320 have finished first and second in the last two LMP3 races to move atop the standings in that class. With their stellar record at CTMP, they must be considered a favorite to expand that lead.

Who’s Good Here?

CORE of the Matter: CORE autosport has six IMSA wins at CTMP. Bennett and Braun have been the drivers for four of them. They won in the Prototype Challenge class in 2013, ’15 and ’16, then followed it with a Prototype class and overall victory in 2018.

Corvette … but Not Recently: Corvette Racing reeled off 11 CTMP class wins in a 14-year span (2001-14) to top all active teams, but it’s been a dry spell since. Garcia and Ricky Taylor look to end that drought this weekend.

Previous Chevrolet Grand Prix Winners in 2022 Field (12)
Jonathan Bennett (4): PC – 2013, 2015, 2016; P – 2018
Colin Braun (4): PC – 2013, 2015, 2016; P – 2018
Bill Auberlen (2): GTLM – 2017; GTD – 2019
Richard Westbrook (2): GTLM – 2016, 2018
Earl Bamber (1): GTLM – 2019
Robby Foley (1): GTD – 2019
Antonio Garcia (1): GTLM – 2014
Oliver Jarvis (1): DPi – 2019
Cooper MacNeil (1): GTC – 2013
Olivier Pla (1): P – 2014
Jordan Taylor (1): P – 2015
Ricky Taylor (1): P – 2015

Previous Chevrolet Grand Prix Pole Winners in 2022 Field (5)
Colin Braun (3): PC – 2012, 2016; P – 2018; DPi – 2019
Ricky Taylor (2): P – 2015, 2017
Robby Foley (1): GTD – 2019
Antonio Garcia (1): GTLM – 2016
Alex Riberas (1): GTD – 2016

Previous Chevrolet Grand Prix Winning Teams in 2022 Field (9)
Corvette Racing (11): GTS – 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004; GT1 – 2005, 2007, 2008; GT2 – 2009; GT – 2011, 2013; GTLM – 2014
CORE autosport (6): PC – 2011, 2013; GTLM – 2015; PC – 2015 2016; P – 2018
Action Express Racing (2): P – 2016, 2017
Chip Ganassi Racing (2): GTLM – 2016, 2018
Riley Motorsports (2): GTD – 2014, 2018
Turner Motorsport (2): GTD – 2016, 2019
BMW M Team RLL (1): GTLM – 2017
PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports (1): LMP2 – 2019
Wayne Taylor Racing (1): P – 2015

Previous Chevrolet Grand Prix Winning Manufacturers in 2022 Field (7)
Porsche – 17
Chevrolet – 13
BMW – 4
Acura – 3
Aston Martin – 1
Cadillac – 1
Mercedes-AMG – 1

Details

Category: Road Racing

Bowmanville, Ontario – Sean Creech Motorsport (SCM) will carry a combination American/Canadian livery this weekend in tribute to its Canadian fans, as the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship returns to Canadian Tire Motorsports Park for Sunday’s Chevrolet Grand Prix (3:00 p.m., NBC).

Creech has competed in sports car racing for over 30 years, but it’s been three years since the team – and the series – last traveled north of the border. This year, veteran duo João Barbosa and Lance Willsey are behind the wheel, ready to contend for another LMP3 podium finish in their No. 33 SCM Exelixis/Focal One/Alta Equipment Ligier JS P320.

The team has long carried a Canadian tribute on its LMP3 cars when competing in Canada, incorporating the maple leaf into its stars-and-stripes motif. This year will be no exception, with the nose of the car sporting both the American stars and the maple leaf, while the engine cover displays a stylized Canadian flag – both in tribute to the passion of the Canadian fans.

The young Creech first competed at CTMP (then called Mosport) after returning from several years in Europe working with Dauer Racing to work for Jim Busby Racing, Kevin Doran Racing, and Mike Colucci Racing. Fast forward to 2018 when Creech and his team managed the Extreme Speed Motorsports program in IMSA Prototype Challenge and brought home two podiums at CTMP (with Kris Wright and Yann Clairay finishing second, and Max Hanratty and Garett Grist finishing third). Wright would go on to capture the series championship, with Hanratty third in the final standings.

Now, Creech returns to CTMP with the fourth-place team in the LMP3 class, on the heels of a sixth-place finish in last weekend’s Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen at Watkins Glen International. With an early incident in that race putting them down in the standings, the team looks to rebound at a track that holds a special place in the hearts of the team.

“This place has some serious history,” said Creech. “Can-Am, Formula One, GTP. We first ran here back in the early 90s so I’ve been here many times over the years. This is such a fast track, with a lot of elevation change, so you have to have a lot of grip in the car, both mechanical and aero. In that way, the back-to-back races have some similarities. We’ll start from scratch at CTMP because everything about the car is different than it was the last time we were here – different chassis, different tires. But we have a good baseline from Watkins Glen.”

Barbosa, a two-time WeatherTech series champion, has a podium in six races at CTMP and looks forward to testing the Ligier’s pace on the notoriously quick 2.459-mile circuit, located just over an hour from Toronto.

“CTMP is an old-school, very fast track,” said Barbosa. “We’re looking forward to finally getting back there, it’s going to be fun. I’ve had some good races in the past, though not always the best finishes. But it’s going to be fun with these cars!”

Willsey has raced at CTMP in several series and ran with Creech in the IMSA Prototype Challenge in 2018 and 2019. He will also contest the IPC race Sunday morning (alongside Red Deer, Alberta’s Parker Thompson, who is currently contending for the Porsche Carrera Cup North America championship title). Ask Willsey about returning to Canada and the first thing he thinks of is the enthusiasm of the motorsports fans who frequent the track.

“The environment at CTMP is one of my favorites,” said Willsey. “The fans are among the most knowledgeable and passionate fans of any track we go to. I’m really looking forward to it, especially with our special livery for this weekend. Canada will always be a very special place to and for me. It is where my mothers family settled and built their lives after fleeing the Nazi invasion of Czechoslovakia. Every visit is quite special for me.

“The track is a significant paradox,” Willsey continued. “It became one of my favorite tracks in just a small number of laps – it’s high-speed, high-commitment, which made it incredibly enjoyable to drive. But much like other tracks, there’s so much local knowledge in regard to finding the grip on track and car placement. I need to figure out some of the nuances, but the track is spectacular.

The team would like to thank partners Alta Equipment Company and Focal One for their continued support.

The two hour and 40-minute Chevrolet Grand Prix takes the green flag Sunday at 3:05 p.m. The race will be broadcast live in the U.S., in its entirety on network NBC and Peacock TV in the US, and on REV TV in Canada. International viewers can watch via IMSA.tv, with IMSA Radio also available at IMSA.com.

The 90-minute Prototype Challenge race will take place Sunday morning at 11:35 a.m. live on PeacockTV, with a broadcast airing Friday, July 8 at Noon Eastern.

About SCM

Team leader Sean Creech has competed in a multitude of sports car series from 1990 until the present day, including Group C, IMSA GTP, WSC, Grand-Am, SRO World Challenge, and IMSA. SCM will contest the full WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in 2022 with João Barbosa and Lance Willsey. http://seancreechmotorsport.com/

About Alta Equipment

An industry-leading material handling and construction equipment company, Alta Equipment is an innovator of solutions, delivering diverse products and unrivaled support centered on building lasting customer relationships. Alta Equipment began in 1984 with a single location in Detroit and has grown to 57 locations throughout the Midwest, Northeast, and Florida.

https://www.altaequipment.com/

About Focal One

One in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime in the United States. The Focal One® HIFU Prostate treatment offers patients a non-invasive outpatient procedure to target prostate tissue while avoiding the common side effects such as loss of urinary continence and sexual function. The Focal One treatment uses high performance, high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) to precisely target and ablate the prostate, allowing patients to quickly return to normal activities.

http://www.focalone.com/

Details

Category: Road Racing

Watkins Glen, N.Y. – It was legitimately difficult to tell who was smiling bigger, who high-fived harder, who was more thrilled in the feel-good moments immediately following the checkered flag in Saturday’s IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge race at Watkins Glen International.

The recipient in those extended congratulatory exchanges, Robert Wickens, may have enjoyed being caught in the excitement, but the truth is Wickens absolutely expected to win the race. It’s the mind frame that made him such an exceptional talent.

And it is indicative of the strength he’s summoned – the belief in himself – to race fulltime again this season after suffering a severe spinal cord injury in a 2018 IndyCar race.

While Wickens’ humility would seem to say it was just another day at work, others appreciate the rare courage, fortitude and focus it took to get to this point again – raising trophies, spraying champagne and celebrating on a victory podium. It was such a popular Touring Car (TCR) class victory, even the other competitors were happy for Wickens and his co-driver of the No. 33 Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian Hyundai Elantra N TCR, fellow Canadian Mark Wilkins.

“There were a couple more hugs than I think there would have been normally, it was just great,’’ Wickens, 33, said with a smile. “I never think I’m an inspirational person but, to come here and to drive – I’m just trying to get back to what I love to do and Bryan Herta Autosport and Hyundai are giving me that opportunity.

“It’s reassuring to myself that I can still win and compete and challenge even though I’m driving with hand controls. It’s, hopefully, just the beginning of what’s to come.

“Really, Mark doesn’t get enough credit for the amount of work he puts into this organization, to this crew. He has so much experience, so much knowledge. I lean on him so much with any idea. I ask him a million questions all the time. He always has patience and answers them all thoroughly. And I think together we’re kind of building something good, so hopefully this is the start of good things to come.’’

And, frankly, it is the fruition of what Wickens expected.

“I think anytime I compete, I compete with the intent to win,’’ he said. “The most important thing is, when Bryan Herta and the people at Bryan Herta Autosport gave me this opportunity to race, we knew deep down we could get there and compete for race wins.

“Internally, I wanted to hit the ground running, I wanted to win (the season opener at) Daytona, I wanted to qualify on pole, have the fast lap, do the whole thing, right? That wasn’t reality, then from there, it was getting it done when we were in good opportunities to score good points, if it was just a top-five that day or a podium, whatever the case may be.

“So, we just kept honest to ourselves and kept working internally to make sure we were getting the best out of our packages as possible. So, to finally get the win in the fifth race of the year – I’ll be honest, I was hoping it would have come earlier – but five races in isn’t bad.’’

The Wickens/Wilkins driving pair earned the lofty expectations honestly – a third-place showing in their Daytona debut was indicative of their potential. And the Watkins Glen victory comes at an ideal time as they head home this weekend to compete in front of the friendly crowd at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

That taste of victory champagne at Watkins Glen and the confidence gained has only stoked this team’s competitive energy. All the reason Wickens was earning praise as an IndyCar rookie before his accident is evident now – and there is a whole new level of respect for the difficult path he has taken to be so competitive again.

And as you would expect, it’s just stoked the pair’s expectations.

“Daytona went well, then some tough races, but we always knew we had the pace, the speed and the people to make it happen,’’ said Wilkins, the 2019 Michelin Pilot Challenge TCR champion. “It takes a little time, but we’re here and I think this will be that sort of kickstart of momentum to have a great balance of the season for us.”

And while Wickens may have hoisted the trophy Saturday, everyone was feeling the triumph.

“One hundred percent,’’ Wickens said of his confidence in winning this year. “I didn’t know how long it would take but I knew I didn’t forget how to drive. It was just about finding the right opportunity to show it was still possible.

“Deep down, I always thought I would return to racing quicker than I did, but I also underestimated what goes into adapting a race car,’’ Wickens added. “I thought when I was ready, I’d call someone and then people would come running with it – and that’s not the case. We really had to hustle to get it done.

“And here we go.’’