Mark Wilkins (seen here at the Honda Indy Toronto) will be back on track this weekend in his Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai for the Michelin Pilot Challenge. (Photo-Ray MacAloney/Canadian Auto Racers for RaceCanada.ca) 
By: Chris Jameson/RaceCanada.ca
August 23, 2023 

IMSA visits Viginia International Raceway this weekend for a GT-only event. In the top tier Weathertech class, the GTD's and GTD Pro cars will be there, along with a full slate for the Michelin Pilot Challenge, the VP Racing Challenge for GT4 and LMP3 cars, the Lamborghini Super Trofeo series and the always-exciting Mazda MX-5 Cup. All the action can be seen live on IMSA.tv and the WeatherTech Sportscar Championship GTD and GTD pro race can bee seen live on Rev TV Canada. 

 

Entry list - Canadians in all IMSA series/classes this weekend at Virginai International Raceway
 
Weathertech Sportscar Championship
 
GTD Pro
#9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911
 
GTD
#23 Heart of Racing Aston Martin – Roman De Angelis
#32 Team Korthoff Motorsports Mercedes AMG GT - Mikael Grenier
#78 Forte Racing Powered by USRT Lamborghini Huracan – Misha Goikhberg
 
Michelin Pilot Challenge
GS
#57 Winward Racing Mercedes AMG GT - Daniel Morad
#68 Motorsports In Action McLaren Artura - Jesse Lazare, Alex Filsinger
#83 BGB Motorsports Porsche 718 - Thomas Collingwood
 
TC
#15 Rockwell Autosport Development Audi RS3 LMS - Nick Looijmans & Denis Dupont
#33 Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai Elantra N - Robert Wickens
#98 Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai Elantra N - Mark Wilkins
 
VP Racing Challenge
LMP3
#38 Performance Tech Motorsports Ligier - Jonathan Wollridge
 
Lamborghini Super Trofeo
#1 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport Lamborghini Huracan Kyle Marcelli
 
Mazda MX-5 Cup
#55 Hixon Motor Sport Mazda MX-5 Jonathan Neudorf / Grande Prairie Alberta

Be sure to follow our Facebook page for updates all weekend. 

* - BOLD indicates an addition since first publication

 

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Christian Lundgaard took pole position on Saturday and captured his first career Indy Car win in dominant style on Sunday. (Photo-Ray MacAloney/Canadian Auto Racers for RaceCanada.ca)
By:Anthony Bruno for RaceCanada.ca
July 18, 2023 

The streets of Toronto were filled with the sound of race cars.

  

The NTT IndyCar Series returned to The Six for the 10th round of the championship.

 

With Alex Palou firmly clear at the top of the table going into the event and mother nature looking to pay the city a visit, the weekend ahead was looking to be an interesting one.

 

Before getting into it, however, there was already a shake up in the field.

 

Simon Pagenaud was announced to be missing his second week in a row after he was not cleared by the IndyCar medical team.

 

The Frenchman was injured in a violent crash during practice in Mid-Ohio that forced him to miss that race.

 

Meyer Shank Racing called upon the services of Tom Blomqvist, driver of their #60 Acura in the WeatherTech Sportcar Championship’s GTP class, to fill in.

 

Practice

The first practice of the weekend on Friday was an opening salvo fired by Andretti Autosport.

 

Three of their four drivers featured in the top 5 of the timesheet at the end of the session, with Kyle Kirkwood leading the way ahead of Romain Grosjean in second and Colton Herta in fourth.

 

Both Team Penske and Arrow McLaren showed pace as well, with both teams landing in the top ten.

The field spread was close, with five tenths of a second separating first from 12th.

 

Second practice, held on Saturday, showed the arrival of Chip Ganassi Racing with Marcus Ericsson, Palou and Scott Dixon all appearing in the top ten, showing whatever adjustments made were working for those teams.

 

With the rise of some comes the fall of others as both Felix Rosenqvist and Alexander Rossi showed well down the order in this session, with the former having the worse of it.

 

The Swede slammed hard into the wall late on and the angle of impact caused one of the suspension arms to puncture the monocoque, requiring the McLaren team to go to a back up chassis for qualifying later that day.

 

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Alex Palou (l) came into Toronto on a 3 race winning streak, with a huge points lead. Romain Grosjean (c) was one of 4 Adnretti cars in the top 5 during opening practice. Last year's winner, Scott Dixon (r) came into Toronto looking for his first win of the season. (Photos-Ray Macaloney/Canadian Auto Racers for RaceCanada.ca)

Qualifying

The setting of the grid for Sunday’s race was anything but simple.

 

Round one started off uneventful until Mother Nature decided to intervene and bring rain towards the end of the session, catching some drivers out, one of them being Palou.

 

Kirkwood, Rinus VeeKay, Christian Lundgaard, Will Power, Dixon and Scott McLaughlin all advanced into the Fast 12 from this group.

 

Round two saw drivers have to tackle difficult and bumpy Toronto roads in the rain, with the conditions proving too much for the likes of Rossi and Herta to move on.

 

Grosjean, Ericsson, Josef Newgarden, Rosenqvist, O’Ward and Marcus Armstrong all advance.

 

The Fast 12 was probably the tamest of the sessions of qualifying, although there were some surprising eliminations.

 

The shock eliminations of Kirkwood and Grosjean would see none of the strong Andretti cars battling for pole position in the final round, despite showing great pace earlier in the weekend.

 

A highlight of this session was a bold call from McLaren to pit O’Ward for a new set of wet tires with a 1:20 left to go, but the gamble would pay dividends as he managed to top the time sheet and advance to the Firestone Fast Six.

 

Rosenqvist, McLaughlin, Ericsson, Power and a surprisingly quick Lundgaard would all join him.

 

The Fast Six saw the green walled alternate tires return with the track rapidly drying and the wets starting to overheat.

 

Even with the dry line forming, conditions were still treacherous, but one driver managed to overcome them the best.

 

For the second time this season, Lundgaard would put himself on pole, a full three tenths clear of McLaughlin in second.

 

O’Ward lines up ahead of Ericsson on row two and Rosenqvist with Power on row three.

 

Warm Up

The Sunday morning warm up session was an interesting affair, with several drivers getting rather aggressive and making moves on track, with one being Rosenqvist, who seemed to practicing his overtakes into turn 3 and 4.

 

In the end, the congestion of the session saw McLaren end their running early with no one feeling like they could get any clean running in.

 

Dixon topped the session, followed by Kirkwood, Newgarden, Herta and Palou.

 

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Scott McLaughlin (l) lead the Penske charge in qualifying in 2nd, with Will Power (c) second quickest of the Penske's in 6th. Canada's Devlin DeFrancesco (r) was 8th quickest in morning warm up, but was let down by his car during the race, completing only 10 laps. (Photos-Ray Macaloney/Canadian Auto Racers for RaceCanada.ca)

Race

When race time rolled around, any threat of rain had passed and anticipation of the start was building and the storylines were ready to unfold.

 

The championship leader was starting in 15th, his nearest challenger was ninth on the grid and a young pole sitter was looking for his first career win.

 

The green flag fell and then Turn 1 decided to make its regularly scheduled appearance in the incident category.

 

A multi-car pileup on the exit of the corner lead to the end of the day for Blomqvist, Benjamin Pedersen, Ryan Hunter-Reay, and Jack Harvey.

 

After going back green, the likes of Herta and Palou were making moves up the field, with both getting into the top ten by the time the first cycle of pit stops started for the alternate tire runners around lap 17.

 

Up front, leader Lundgaard, who was one of said runners, was seemingly untouchable in stint one, creating a four second gap back to McLaughlin before pitting onto the primary tires.

 

After the first set of stops cycled through and the strategies started playing out, it was clear that the Dane was on a mission, moving through the field with patience and precision.

 

By the time the primary runners, including now leader McLaughlin, started coming in around lap 35, it was clear that his pace in traffic paid dividends, with Lundgaard cycling out to a now six second advantage.

 

That lead would disappear on lap 42 when Grosjean hit the wall on the exit of turn 10, ending his day and putting another mark on his miserable 2023 campaign.

 

This caution saw several drivers pit in hopes this wrench thrown in the strategy would go their way, with some of them including Palou and Herta.

 

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Christian Lundgaard (l) took home the first win of his career, and broke a long winless streak for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing racing along the way. Alex Palou (c) stormed back to an amazing 2nd, while Colton Herta (r) captured his first podium of the season, coming home 3rd. (Photos-Ray Macaloney/Canadian Auto Racers for RaceCanada.ca)

 

Unfortunately, this decision would not play out as they would have hoped as right off the restart, Kirkwood would get into the back of Helio Castroneves, causing a second yellow, and ending the Brazilian’s day.

 

This second caution saw another flurry of stops, this time headed by the likes of Lundgaard, O’Ward, Ericsson and Power.

 

When the restart came with 30 laps to go, it became of race of resource management, seeing who could make to the end on fuel, how much tires would drivers have left, and what amount of push-to-pass was used or saved.

 

There was also another wrinkle to be added for one in particular.

 

In an attempt to avoid the spinning Castroneves earlier, Palou made contact with the outside wall, damaging his front wing.

 

This didn’t seem to slow him down however as by lap 61, the Spaniard was up to second, with the damage seemingly getting worse and worse.

 

But that would be as high as he would go.

 

Lundgaard passed Palou and regained the lead on lap 62 after Dixon pitted and checked out en route to his first career win in the NTT IndyCar Series and his first win since Mugello in 2020 racing for ART Grand Prix in Formula 2.

 

He led 54 of the 85 laps, bringing it home with a dominant 10 second lead.

 

Herta rounded out the podium, sealing a great recovery drive from a 14th place starting position.

 

This result sees Palou further extend his championship lead as Dixon came home in fourth with Newgarden rounding out the top five.

 

The series shifts from the streets to the ovals as Iowa Speedway hosts its IndyCar double header from July 21-23.

 

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The Sports Car Championship Canada and Emzone Radical Cup Canada will both continue to be presented by Michelin through 2026. (Photo-Ray MacAloney/Canadian Auto Racers for RaceCanada.ca)
By: FEL Motorsports
July 18, 2023 

Toronto, Ontario – FEL Motorsports is excited to announce that they have entered into a new 3-year contract with Michelin Motorsports to be presenting sponsors of both the Sports Car Championship Canada and the Emzone Radical Cup Canada.

 

Since its inception in 2021, FEL Motorsports has been focused on moving the needle in homologated racing in Canada. Michelin has been a partner from the beginning, supplying tires and support for the GT4, TCR, TCA and Radical race teams.

 

Michelin will continue to support both series with their world-class sports car tires, trackside logistical support and weekend engineering support through 2026. The Michelin Motorsport tires used in Canada are the very same tire used in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge in the US.

 

“The FEL Motorsports-Michelin relationship has been a win-win,” said FEL Motorsports President, Chris Bye. “The teams are extremely happy with the Michelin race tires and trackside support. It is no secret that Michelin is the benchmark when it comes to sports car tires around the world and we could not be more proud of our relationship,” Bye continued. “We would be remiss not to thank Jason Anzalone, Tom Sullivan, Casey Halbrook and Craig Doggett from Michelin for all their support, and we look forward to extending our relationship together,” Bye concluded.

 

“Renewing our relationship with FEL Motorsports shows the commitment Michelin has to being a true North American partner in motorsports,” says Jason Anzalone, North American director of Michelin Motorsports. “We are thrilled to be a part of the Sports Car Championship Canada and the Emzone Radical Cup Canada, and we look forward to the exciting races that will continue to be on Michelin tires.”

 

About Michelin North America, Inc.

Michelin, the leading mobility company, is working with tires, around tires and beyond tires to enable Motion for Life. Dedicated to enhancing its clients’ mobility and sustainability, Michelin designs and distributes the most suitable tires, services and solutions for its customers’ needs. Michelin provides digital services, maps and guides to help enrich trips and travels and make them unique experiences. Bringing its expertise to new markets, the company is investing in high-technology materials, 3D printing and hydrogen, to serve a wide variety of industries — from aerospace to biotech.

 

Headquartered in Greenville, South Carolina, Michelin North America, Inc. has approximately 23,000 employees and operates 34 production facilities in the United States and Canada. (michelinman.com)

 

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Four out of five RySpec Racing drivers were on the podium in Toronto. (Photo-Ray MacAloney/Canadian Auto Racers for RaceCanada.ca)
By: RTD Media
July 18, 2023 

It was a hometown event for Canadian Radical Cup team RySpec Racing as the Blue Marble Radical Cup North America program traveled north of the border to battle the Streets of Toronto. Entering unchartered territory, RySpec Racing entered a pair of drivers in the Pro 1500 class as Austin Riley and Robert Soroka earned three podium results and five top-five finishes in six attempts. Additionally, RySpec Racing entered three drivers in the Emzone Radical Cup Canada (ERCC) program earning four additional podium results. In an incredible feat, four out of the five cars under the RySpec Racing banner were on the podium.

 

With only a single practice session prior to qualifying, Soroka would lead the way for RySpec in the first official session as he was able to clock the third fastest lap of the session while Riley was back in the sixth position and started the first wheel-to-wheel racing from the outside of row three.

 

Saturday morning greeted Radical Cup competitors with the first opportunity to fight for the podium and it was Soroka who was able to secure the team's first trip to the box in Toronto. With both drivers inside the top-five, Soroka was able to cross the stripe third while Austin Riley earned the fifth position as the duo shifted their focus to race two later that afternoon.

 

With rain threatening the area, a gentle mist made the track difficult for race two as drivers tiptoed around the barrier-lined, 1.786-mile circuit. Soroka couldn’t keep his positioning from the day before and ended the second race of the weekend in the eighth position, but it was Riley who rose to the occasion. Using his talent to move forward in an incredible drive in the final ten minutes of the race, the Racing With Autism driver put himself in a position to earn a podium result and was able to overcome all the challenges to finish third giving RySpec Racing their second podium result in as many races.

 

Race three took place Sunday morning in front of a packed crowd as rain once again fell overnight making the track damp and slick. With the Race Director providing the option of slick or wet weather Hankook Tires, it was split amongst the field, but RySpec played their cards right and earned the best team result of the weekend. Austin Riley scored his second podium result in as many races and third for the team in Toronto, while Robert Soroka put a pair of RySpec drivers in the top-five earning the fourth position when the checkered flag flew.

 

“I think we proved this weekend that we have the ability to compete on both permanent and temporary street circuits as unlike others, our results for both drivers remained consistent from event to event,” explained RySpec Racing's Richard Yin. “We keep pushing the envelope further and our results keep coming. Looking forward to the Texas event later next month.”

 

In the Emzone Radical Cup Canada (ERCC) program, Jake Cowden led the way for RySpec Racing grabbing a trio of podium results as he finished second in each wheel-to-wheel race. Pushing hard for the win, Cowden came up just short but showed the pace of his RySpec Racing-prepared machine in both dry and wet weather competition. Connor Bell joined Cowden on the podium in race one with a third-place result as RySpec Racing drivers took up two-thirds of the podium. Bell was also poised for a podium result in race three until contact from a lapped car took him out of contention.

Yin added, “Our RCC efforts continue with four more podium results this weekend for a total of seven for RySpec Racing in Toronto. Congrats to all the RySpec Racing drivers, crew, and supporters for the hard work. On to the next one.”

Always looking to add to their driver lineup, RySpec Racing will travel to the famed Circuit of the Americas at the end of August for the penultimate round of the Blue Marble Radical Cup North America program. Are you looking to race at one of North America’s premier facilities? Contact RySpec Racing today.

 

To keep up with RySpec Racing and for more information from the event including photos and results, please follow RySpec Racing via their social media pages on Facebook and Instagram by searching ‘RySpec Racing’.

 

For more information on RySpec Racing, please visit them online at www.RySpec.ca.

 

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Louka St-Jean will now turn his attention to the COTA rounds August. (Photo RTD Media)
By: RTD Media
July 18, 2023 

It was time French Canadian and Turn 3 Motorsport driver Louka St-Jean competed on the Streets of Toronto. Taking on the challenging and bumpy 1.786-mile layout, St-Jean gained experience as a rookie in the USF Pro 2000 Presented by Cooper Tires program. With only one short practice session that led into a pair of qualifying sessions and two races, St-Jean increased his knowledge but had some issues when the wheel-to-wheel action began.

 

After finishing ninth in the one and only practice session, St-Jean struggled in the first qualifying session as he was only able to turn the 18th quickest lap of the session and would start race one from the outside of turn nine. Improving in qualifying two that set the grid for Sunday’s race two, St-Jean slotted himself into row seven with the 14th quickest lap.

 

After two disappointing qualifying sessions behind him, St-Jean started the first wheel-to-wheel race of the weekend from 18th on the grid with the goal to move forward and gain additional experience in his first USF Pro 2000 street race event. Moving into the top-15 by the mid-way point, St-Jean was on pace to earn a top-ten result before contact on lap 13 while trying to overtake a fellow competitor who saw him nose his entry into the tire barrier and out of the race.

 

Race two on Sunday did not end well for St-Jean as contact on the opening lap in the wet weather conditions ended his race just as it began.

 

"It wasn't the weekend I had hoped for,” said St-Jean. “I would have liked to prove myself at my home race. I made a few mistakes, but I also had a lot of bad luck. I know my abilities, and I know I can do much better. I'm already looking forward to the race at COTA in Texas to show what I'm capable of."

 

For more information on Louka St-Jean, be sure to check out his racing website at www.LoukaStJean.com. Additionally, be sure to follow Louka St-Jean on his social media pages by searching Louka St-Jean Racing.

 

 

 

Louka St-Jean acquiert de l'expérience à Toronto

 

Le moment était venus pour le pilote québécois Louka St-Jean de participer aux courses sur les rues du circuit urbain temporaire de Toronto. Affrontant le tracé difficile et cahoteux de 2.8 km, St-Jean a acquis de l'expérience en tant que débutant dans le programme USF Pro 2000 présenté par Cooper Tires. Avec une seule courte séance d'essais qui a conduit à deux séances de qualification et deux courses, St-Jean a accru ses connaissances mais a connu quelques problèmes lorsque l’action a commencé.

 

Après avoir terminé neuvième lors de la seule séance d'essais, St-Jean a éprouvé des difficultés lors de la première séance de qualification, n'ayant réussi qu'à réaliser le 18e meilleur temps de la séance et partant de l'extérieur du virage neuf pour la première course. S'améliorant lors des deuxième qualifications, qui ont déterminé la grille de départ de la deuxième course du dimanche, St-Jean s'est placé en septième ligne avec le quatorzième temps le plus rapide.

 

Après deux séances de qualification décevantes derrière lui, St-Jean a commencé la première course du week-end depuis la 18e place sur la grille, avec pour objectif de progresser et d'acquérir une expérience supplémentaire lors de sa première course Pro 2000 sur un circuit urbain. En se hissant dans le top quinze à mi-parcours, St-Jean était en bonne voie pour obtenir un résultat parmi les dix premiers avant un contact au treizième tour alors qu'il tentait de dépasser un concurrent, ce qui l'a fait heurter les barrières de pneus et l'a contraint à abandonner la course.

 

La deuxième course du dimanche ne s'est pas bien terminée pour St-Jean, car un contact dès le premier tour, dans des conditions météorologiques humides, a mis fin à sa course dès le début.

 

« Ce n'était pas le week-end que j'espérais », a déclaré St-Jean. « J'aurais aimé me prouver lors de ma course à domicile. J'ai commis quelques erreurs, mais j'ai également eu beaucoup de malchance. Je connais mes capacités et je sais que je peux faire beaucoup mieux. J'ai déjà hâte de participer à la course à COTA au Texas pour montrer de quoi je suis capable. »

 

Pour plus d'informations sur Louka St-Jean, assurez-vous de consulter son site web de course sur www.LoukaStJean.com. De plus, n'oubliez pas de suivre Louka St-Jean sur ses pages de médias sociaux en recherchant Louka St-Jean Racing.

 

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