BOWMANVILLE, ON, July 20, 2011 /CNW/ - When the first race of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada blasted past the green flag at Calabogie Motorsports Park in early May, few people knew what to expect from the new series or its participants. In a field of six cars, the racing proved to be gripping throughout the pack. After a stop at the ICAR Circuit in Mirabel, Quebec, with a similarly-sized field, and equally close racing, the season finale, part of the coming weekend's Mobil 1Grand Prix of Mosport, has produced some big surprises.

The biggest - literally - of which is the size of the Mosport field. Sixteen cars have been entered for the series' two races on Saturday and Sunday, with competitors from as far away as Vancouver, parts of the United States and from Bogotá, Columbia.

"This first season of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada has turned out to be extremely gratifying for all of us at Porsche Cars Canada," said Joe Lawrence, President and CEO. "Not only have we brought back Porsche single-make racing to Canada - the place where it all began in the 1980s - but we have really seen the series start to take root and grow, with almost triple the number of cars since I threw the green flag to start that first race in May. Judging by the calls we're already getting, we expect even bigger and better things for next year."

"Tough, close racing is what a single-make series is all about," observed Rick Bye, former Rothmans Turbo Cup race winner. "The engines are sealed and no modifications are permitted. That means it's all about the driver and the quality of the car's setup by the crew. True talent will stand out."

The original Porsche one-make series was a stepping stone for many well-known Canadian drivers like Scott Goodyear, David Empringham, Richard Spenard, Ron Fellows, Bill Adam and Paul Tracy.

Perry Bortolotti, of Kanata, Ontario, winner of three of the first four races, is hoping to sew up the Platinum Cup title this weekend. Bortolotti is fresh from his run at the Porsche Carrera World Cup race at the awesome Nurburgring in Germany, where he was the sole Canadian representative in a field of nearly 100 Porsche GT3 Cup Cars.

"Mosport is a classic race track," he observed. "But coming from the Nurburgring, it is no longer quite as intimidating as I once thought."

Fellow competitor and Speed Merchants/Fiorano Racing teammate Jim Hoddinott sees Mosport as his ultimate challenge.
"Mosport is the ultimate test of speed. It is the absolute best track in North America and also the most intimidating," he observed. "It really separates the men (and women) from the boys."

As for the series, Hoddinott is also impressed. "The first two events really established the baseline for the talent and professionalism needed to compete at this level. And this weekend - with all the additional high-caliber entries - will be the ultimate test and will set the tone for 2012."

Shaun McKaigue, a veteran of all four of this season's races, leads the Gold Cup championship points race. He agrees the future looks bright. "It was a leap of faith on everyone's part - drivers, organizers, IMSA, Michelin and Porsche Cars Canada. I am very pleasantly surprised how well everything has turned out."

The Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge has become a fixture on the racing scene around the world. Run on every continent except Antarctica and Africa, it is estimated that the GT3 Cup Challenge will hold 120 events and 255 championship rounds in 2011. The Canadian series is divided into three classes: Platinum Cup, featuring the more powerful 2011 and 2010 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars, Gold Cup, which includes 2005½ - 2009 Porsches and Silver Cup for 996-generation Porsches. All three classes run on Michelin tires.

The two races of the season finale run Saturday, July 23 at 4:50 PM and Sunday, July 24 at 8:55 AM at the Mobil 1 Presents the Grand Prix of Mosport. The season's overall champion will be presented with a Tudor Heritage Chronograph, provided by Rolex Canada.

From Laurance Yap / Porsche Canada

BOWMANVILLE, Ontario, Canada – The American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón continues its summer stretch this weekend at Canada’s most historic road racing course: Mosport International Raceway. The legendary circuit, located less than an hour outside of Toronto, will play host to Mobil 1 presents the Grand Prix of Mosport on July 24.
 
The race marks the Series’ 13th consecutive visit to Mosport but the first Grand Prix with the track’s new owner: Canadian Motorsport Ventures, Ltd. Since purchasing the track in 1998, Dr. Don Panoz made Mosport one of the premier motorsports venues in Canada. In June, it was announced that Panoz was handing over ownership to CMV, an investor group comprised of real-estate developer Carlo Fidani, transportation industry leader Al Boughton and Canadian sports car icon Ron Fellows.

 The new date and owners aren’t the only things that have changed since the Series’ most recent trip to Mosport. Last year’s overall winner, Muscle Milk, is no longer powered by a Porsche but rather by a V-12 Aston Martin. Drivers Klaus Graf and Lucas Luhr stood on the top step of the podium at Long Beach in April but are chasing Dyson Racing and its Lola-Mazda in the LMP1 championship. Chris Dyson and Guy Smith are the most recent race winners at Lime Rock and have high hopes of making it two straight with a victory at Mosport. It’s a place the team has had more success at than any other venue on the schedule. Dyson Racing has won twice overall at Mosport (2004 and 2005) and scored a class win in 2003. The team, backed by G-Oil and running on isobutanol, currently leads the MICHELIN GREEN X Challenge points.

Change is also the theme for GT, at least when it comes to Mosport. Since 2008, three different manufacturers and three different teams have won the GT category (Ferrari with Risi Competizione in 2008, Corvette with Corvette Racing in 2009 and Porsche with Flying Lizard Motorsports in 2010). Who could continue this revolving door of GT winners in Canada? Look no further than the winner of the opening three rounds: BMW Team RLL. Joey Hand and Dirk Mueller are on fire; undefeated thus far in their BMW M3 GT and leading the MICHELIN GREEN X Challenge GT points. While a BMW win would continue Mosport’s streak of new GT winners, it would be old news to the members of the GT paddock, aching to knock the favorite off its pedestal.
 
A repeat winner in LMPC is highly probable considering last year’s winning co-drivers, Gunnar Jeannette and Elton Julian, now drive for different teams – both with a win and pole position already this year. Jeannette now partners with Ricardo Gonzalez for CORE autosport, which won the category at Long Beach and currently leads the LMPC point standings. Julian is paired with Eric Lux at Genoa Racing. The pair is the most recent LMPC winner, coming off a victory at Lime Rock Park to move Genoa ahead in the class’ team championship. The Jeannette/Gonzalez duo leads the Julian/Lux pairing by six points in the driver chase.

Meanwhile in GTC, with no defending race winner entered, the heir apparent to the Mosport win could be Black Swan Racing. The team finished second last year en route to the class championship and has already collected two wins this season. Expect a strong challenge from TRG, however, which came on strong at Lime Rock Park with a one-two finish, headed by Mike Piera and Dion von Moltke.

 Mobil 1 presents the Grand Prix of Mosport, the fourth round of the 2011 ALMS championship, is scheduled for 3:05 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 24 with ESPN2 airing the race starting at 10 p.m. ET. Live video coverage will be available at 2:50 p.m. ET on ESPN3.com in the US, and americanlemans.com for international viewers. Canadian fans may also watch live coverage on Rogers Sportsnet. Worldwide radio coverage will be available on American Le Mans Radio at americanlemans.com.

For more information on the broadcasts, go to www.americanlemans.com/tv.

Visit the American Le Mans Series' schedule page for information on tickets and area accommodations. You can follow the Series on Twitter (almsnotes), on our Facebook page and the official YouTube channel.
 
From Ryan Smith