- Details
- Category: Road Racing
January 18, 2023
Daytona Beach, Florida – Win the weekend. It’s the goal of every team, driver and manufacturer for every IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship event.
Never more so than in 2023 for those about to compete in the new Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class. IMSA is offering fans the rare, special opportunity to go behind the scenes as all the parties involved work tirelessly to launch this groundbreaking new era of sports car racing.
“Win the Weekend” is an eight-part docuseries available on the IMSA YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/imsaofficial) beginning with the first episode today and airing throughout the season. Produced by the automotive creative agency, Tangent Vector, and with the support of Michelin, the initial installment of “Win the Weekend” offers a never-before-seen inside perspective of all that went into getting the GTP cars ready for their worldwide debut this month at the Rolex 24 At DAYTONA.
Episode 2 (airing Feb. 13) will cover the outcome of the Rolex 24 At DAYTONA and GTP’s competition debut in the grueling, twice-around-the-clock challenge. Future episodes will follow the thrills and anguishes for the teams, drivers and manufacturers involved in this monumental first season.
“This docuseries offers fans unprecedented access to the inner workings of how the GTP teams and manufacturers have devoted countless hours to the development of this new, highly anticipated prototype class for the WeatherTech Championship,” said IMSA SVP of Marketing, David Pettit. “Through ‘Win the Weekend,’ IMSA will reach new audiences who are interested in these state-of-the-art race cars–and IMSA overall–throughout the 2023 season. All of us at IMSA wish to thank our good partner Michelin for supporting this project.”
In partnership with IMSA, Michelin spearheaded a comprehensive audience research initiative in 2021 that indicated a large potential new audience. With the introduction of sustainable, hybrid technology, timing was perfect to launch the docuseries focusing on the GTP story.
“As a sponsor of IMSA, Michelin sees a see great opportunity with 'Win the Weekend',” says Katelyn Berry, vice president of business to consumer marketing of Michelin North America, Inc. “Our research shows that there is strong potential to grow the IMSA fanbase when people are exposed to the race series. With so many iconic automotive brands, multiple classes racing during the weekend, and true track to street innovations that include Michelin tires, IMSA has so much to offer. Telling the story through this docuseries will help open the door to new people while allowing current fans to feel a stronger connection to their favorite teams and drivers.”
In addition to interviews and garage chatter collected from drivers, team members and manufacturer representatives, “Win the Weekend” also relies on a roundtable of racing experts to provide commentary and insights, and to ask the provocative questions necessary to help tell the story. Viewers will come away from each episode further enlightened on how this high-tech machinery operates and will be drawn into the emotional battle to see who drives away with the 2023 GTP championship.
Catch the debut now at youtube.com/imsaofficial and make sure to subscribe and turn on notifications so you don’t miss an episode.
Add a comment
- Details
- Category: Road Racing
October 21, 2022
St. Catharines, Ontario – FEL Motorsports is excited to announce the addition of the Subaru BRZ and the Toyota GR86 to the TCA class of the Sports Car Championship Canada. Subaru and Toyota officially joins Honda, Hyundai and Mini in fighting for the top step of the podium in the TCA class. The Subaru BRZ and Toyota GR86 TCA cars are built under license by TechSport Racing in Virginia, USA.
The TCA class will make homologated racing in Canada more attainable for many teams and drivers and will be a much needed rung in the ladder of Canadian Motorsports.
The TCA class cars run in the $50,000 to $70,000 USD price range as “ready-to-go” homologated cars. The cars will be homologated for several years making this new class very attractive. The running costs will be significantly less than TCR or GT4 cars.
“Adding the Subaru BRZ and the Toyota GR86 to the Sports Car Canada Championship’s TCA class is something that we are very excited about and we look forward to getting cars ready for delivery to Canadian teams. We are very proud of the quality and can’t wait to be represented in Canada,” said Kevin Anderson of TechSport Racing.
There are a limited number of cars available for the 2023 season so serious teams should get their orders in as soon as possible.
Subaru BRZ TCA / Toyota GR86 TCA
TechSport Racing
Kevin Anderson
p. 631.235.3769
e. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
For further information on FEL Motorsports, visit www.felmotorsports.com.
About FEL Motorsports
FEL Motorsports grew out of a deep base of automotive roots from FEL Automotive Learning and Promotion. FEL Motorsports is focused on growth and sustainability in the Canadian Motorsports landscape by giving back to its teams through prizing and prize money.
Add a comment
- Details
- Category: Road Racing
July 17, 2022
Toronto, Ontario – Jace Denmark continued his rich streak of form this morning on the streets around Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ont., Canada. The 18-year-old from Scottsdale, Ariz., remained in control – just – throughout an action-packed 20-lap Cooper Tires Grand Prix of Toronto but there was plenty of drama in his wake following a late full-course caution which set the scene for a one-lap dash to the checkered flag.
Myles Rowe, from New York, N.Y., looked set to extend his lead in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship by following in the wheel tracks of his Pabst Racing teammate, until his closest title rival, Michael d’Orlando (Cape Motorsports), from Hartsdale, N.Y., attempted a pass for second place in Turn Eight on the final lap. Heavy contact cost both contenders a podium finish and allowed DEForce Racing teammates Thomas Nepveu, from Oka, Que., Canada and Dylan Christie, from Princeton, N.J., to claim second and third.
Denmark started from the inside of the front row of the grid after earning his second Cooper Tires Pole Award in qualifying on Saturday morning. Fellow Scottsdale, Ariz., resident Jagger Jones lined up alongside on the front row with the top two championship protagonists, Rowe and d’Orlando, together on Row Two.
An aggressive move by Rowe saw him up into second place by the completion of the opening lap, but the top four remained virtually locked together as they inched clear of Nepveu in fifth.
Rowe attempted to make a pass for the lead at Turn Three on the 13th lap and when that was rebuffed, Jones saw an opportunity to challenge Rowe for second as they exited the tight hairpin turn. Unfortunately for Jones, slight contact with Rowe dislodged his car’s front wing, leaving him an ill-handling car for the remainder of the race.
The incident also served delay to d’Orlando, who proceeded to claim the fastest lap of the race as he strove to make up the deficit to the two Pabst cars.
Then came the final twist of the plot, when d’Orlando’s younger brother, Nicholas, crashed his Exclusive Autosport Tatuus USF-22 in Turn Five to bring out the caution flags.
The damage was cleared with enough time for one final lap of green-flag racing, and while the order at the top remained the same for much of the lap, d’Orlando glimpsed an opportunity under braking for Turn Eight and dived to the inside. The pair made heavy contact at the exit. Both were able to continue, although Nepveu and Christie took advantage of the melee to nip through into second and third.
Both DEForce teammates were delighted, with Nepveu taking his second podium finish of the season and his first in front of a Canadian crowd and Christie finally making his first trip to the podium. Christie also earned the Tilton Hard Charger Award after making up eight positions from 11th on the grid.
D’Orlando and Rowe were able to maintain fourth and fifth, with Jones hanging on in sixth, also with a damaged car.
Denmark’s impressive victory secured the eighth PFC Award of the year for Augie Pabst as the winning car owner. It also moved him into the thick of the title mix.
Just 25 points now separate the top three contenders with just one weekend of racing remaining on the schedule – a triple-header at Portland International Raceway, in Portland, Ore., in conjunction with the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, on September 2-4.
Provisional championship points after 15 of 18 races:
1. Myles Rowe, 346
2. Michael d’Orlando, 323
3. Jace Denmark, 321
4. Jagger Jones, 265
5. Billy Frazer, 229
6. Thomas Nepveu, 221
7. Bijoy Garg, 203
8. Christian Weir, 180
9. Nicky Hays, 172
10. Dylan Christie, 165
Jace Denmark (#23 Radford Racing School Metal Works-Pabst Racing Tatuus USF-22): “I’m really happy to get the win after everything that happened out there. It was a very high-stress race – even more so than usual. I’m glad to have gotten it done today, with calculated defending playing a big role. I lost it at the end yesterday so to come back today and get a win is helping us end the season on a high note with only three races remaining. I’m looking forward to Portland.”
Thomas Nepveu (#10 Cromwell/Karting Excellence/Home Hardware-DEForce Racing Tatuus USF-22): “It’s great to be on the podium for my home race in Canada. That was a great race. I got a bit lucky there at the end to finish on the podium, but I was super happy to stay out of trouble considering how many crashes there were during the race. I had good pace, it’s just really hard to pass here. I’m happy that we were able to put two DEForce cars on the podium after a tough Race One.”
Dylan Christie (#11 Stilo-DEForce Racing Tatuus USF-22): “I’m so happy with how this race went! The team has been working hard all weekend – and all season, of course. We finally had the car and my driving is going well. Even though we started back in 11th, we had the car and I had the driving to get us into P3. Massive thanks to DEForce for working so hard all weekend, even though qualifying didn’t go so well for us. They did all they could, as did I. With the car on rails, I was able to stay out of trouble and bring home the podium, I am so happy.”
Canadians In BOLD
Add a comment
- Details
- Category: Road Racing
October 18, 2022
In anticipation of SEMA 2022, the premier automotive specialty trade show in the world, Scalar Performance in cooperation with Hypercraft and Ettractive, two of North America’s leading electric vehicle (EV) systems developers, are announcing the reveal of the first bespoke all electric club sport amateur race car.
The first of its kind EV race car will be making its public debut at the Las Vegas Convention Center on November 1st 2022. The race car will be displayed inside the SEMA Electrified section located in the North Hall throughout the SEMA Show until November 4th.
Scalar Performance co-founder, successful tech entrepreneur, and amateur racer, Brian Bourne is looking forward to releasing its Gen1 all-electric club sport amateur race car after months of research, development and engineering.
“This first generation club level electric race car is the stepping stone for all the different technologies Scalar Performance is developing and bringing for the first time to the club sport amateur racing level. We are working closely with thought leading organizations such as National Auto Sport Association (NASA) to ensure we develop motorsport technology that can lead the evolution of amateur club sport racing”– Brian Bourne, Scalar Performance co-founder.
To develop this car, Scalar Performance is working with partners such as Hypercraft and Ettractive. Hypercraft founder and CEO, Jake Hawsworth, added, “Working with Scalar Performance and Ettractive to develop this bespoke, innovative, and extremely high performance electric powertrain – all while keeping safety a top priority – was the kind of challenge that we at Hypercraft live for. We’re extremely excited to showcase the final product.”
Ettractive Inc. Chief Technology Officer and co-founder Pat Troy, also shared the following, “Designing for the rigors and performance demands of motorsport forces an organization to engineer at a higher level. The extensive bespoke integration we have completed on this race car makes it one of a kind.”
Scalar Performance co-founder and race car builder, Joel Fallaise, concludes “Combining the expertise of Hypercraft, Ettractive and Scalar Performance to engineer the industry first amateur club sport all-electric race car, was key to bringing this project to life. We encourage both automotive EV tech enthusiasts and motorsport professionals to connect with us at the show or online to follow the build-up of the race car, and unveiling at SEMA.”
Visit our website www.scalarperformance.com as we unveil at SEMA on Tuesday November 1st, 9am PST.
About Scalar Performance
Scalar Performance is a Canadian company specializing in the development of tools and technologies to support the evolution of club level racing as it enters the electric age of motor racing, from real time telemetry systems to a fully electric race car. We help club level drivers, race organizers and fans leverage technology. Scalar Performance is on a mission to modernize motorsports. To learn more visit www.scalarperformance.com.
About Hypercraft
Hypercraft is the only EV industry supplier of complete, turn-key, electric powertrain systems built from new components and covered by a warranty. They also offer their in-house developed HyperPack™ — a platform agnostic, modular EV battery system available in capacities from 20– 120 kWh. Hypercraft’s mission is to accelerate the adoption of EV technology by empowering manufacturers and builders with a complete electric powertrain solution. For more information visit hypercraftusa.com.
About Ettractive Inc.
Ettractive Inc. is a highly capable hardware and software development firm in Windsor Canada, minutes from Detroit. Ettractive handles full-vehicle integration projects including bespoke components and custom digital controllers, focused on solving complex problems for OEM, motorsport and commercial vehicle/fleet customers. Visit our website at ettractive.com.
Add a comment
- Details
- Category: Road Racing
July 16, 2022
Toronto, Ontario – The Honda Indy Toronto is excited to announce Arkells frontman Max Kerman and lead guitarist Mike DeAngelis as the honorary grand marshals for tomorrow’s NTT INDYCAR SERIES race as it returns to the streets of Toronto for the first time since 2019.
As the grand marshals, Kerman and DeAngelis will announce the most famous words in motorsports, "Drivers, start your engines!" for the 85-lap race on the 11-turn, 2.874 kilometre (1.786-mile) temporary street circuit at Exhibition Place.
"Everything I’ve learned about cars I’ve learned from my bandmate, Mike D," said Kerman. "Back when we met at McMaster University, Mike spent most of his time on a Supercars web forum, and now he’s on the INDYCAR stage announcing the most famous words in motorsports."
"I’ll truly be making my automotive group-chat jealous this weekend," said DeAngelis. "It’ll be one for the books."
Arkells are widely considered one of the most passionate, exuberant and in-demand live bands working today. Their recent hometown concert event “The Rally” was a years-in-the-making extravaganza that yielded record breaking attendance. Arkells have remained ever present as they continue to release and tease new music in support of their chart-topping BLINK ONCE and hotly-anticipated BLINK TWICE companion albums, while touring internationally.
General Admission tickets for the weekend are still available with 2-Day Weekend General Admission tickets priced at $75. Single Day General Admission is $50 for Saturday and $60 for Sunday. Saturday’s on-track action includes NTT INDYCAR SERIES qualifying and races from four support series: Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship, Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires, Porsche Carrera Cup North America and Sports Car Championship Canada. On Sunday, fans can again enjoy races from the four support series with the green flag dropping on the NTT INDYCAR SERIES Honda Indy Toronto at 3:30 p.m. ET. Children 12 and under are admitted free (general admission) with a ticketed adult providing an exceptional family value.
About Honda Indy Toronto
Honda Indy Toronto is a world-class motorsports festival which takes place annually on a 2.874-kilometre, 11-turn temporary circuit using the streets surrounding Exhibition Place near Lake Ontario in downtown Toronto. The event features many attractions, food trucks, interactive displays and activities, and supports local charities. Honda Fan Friday offers general admission courtesy of the Ontario Honda Dealers Association through a voluntary donation. Over $820,000 has been raised in ten years for Make-A-Wish® Canada. As one of Ontario's largest annual sporting events with the first race held in 1986 first known as the Molson Indy, it has become a prestigious meeting place for some of the world’s fastest race car drivers including past NTT INDYCAR SERIES champions like Scott Dixon, Josef Newgarden, Simon Pagenaud and Will Power as well as Canadian racing greats Scott Goodyear, James Hinchcliffe, Greg Moore, Alex Tagliani, Paul Tracy, Jacques Villeneuve, Robert Wickens, and more. Canadians Dalton Kellett and Devlin DeFrancesco will be in this year’s starting field. Honda Indy Toronto is owned and operated by Green Savoree Toronto, ULC, whose affiliates also promote three additional INDYCAR races, Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding (Feb. 25-27, 2022), The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio (July 1-3, 2022), and Grand Prix of Portland (Sept. 2-4, 2022).
For more information, visit hondaindy.com, ‘like’ its Facebook page @HondaIndyToronto or follow the event on Twitter @HondaIndy and Instagram @HondaIndy using #indyTO.
Add a comment