@CTCCracing •@continentaltire •Toronto (ON), December 5th, 2015 – The Old Stone’s Ballroom in Kingston’s Four Points by Sheraton hotel was the site of the 2015 Gala of Champions; the November 14 celebration recognizing and rewarding the accomplishments of competitors in the Canadian Touring Car Championship presented by Continental Tire series.
Organized and choreographed by Captür Communications and the new Mrs. Dominique Bondar, the celebration book-ended the highly anticipated awards presentation with wine, fine dining and a late night dance party. A sumptuous, catered dinner temporarily tempered conversations at the standing room-only gathering, but the casual banter quickly returned when CTCC Master of Ceremony Trevor Lamas took to the podium to host the trophy presentations.
Assisted by Martin Cousineau from Continental Tire Canada, the top three finishing drivers in each class were presented with their awards, with the loudest applause reserved for class champions Ian Crerar (Grand Touring), Roger Ledoux (Super Touring) and Alain Lauzière (Touring). Each champion spoke in turn, often joking about their division rivals, before receiving their crystal trophies and graciously accepting their custom-made championship rings.
“After all the effort of racing with these people every weekend, and doing everything you can to beat them, it’s nice to finally sit down and reflect on the season with them. The CTCC is like one big family, it’s nice to have all the drivers and teams together in a relaxed setting,” reflected two-time Super Touring class champion Roger Ledoux. He continued, “For me, the season ended when we loaded our cars on the trailer after the last race. But this banquet triggered thoughts for next year, it got everyone thinking about what we need to do to get ready for 2016. For most of us, the new season has just begun.”
With the serious business of the evening now completed, all eyes then turned to a massive collection of door prizes provided by sponsors and supporters of the CTCC. Special thanks for these offerings were made to Continental Tire Canada, MINI Canada, Mazda Canada, AutoGlym, Great Lakes Brewery, FastWheels and SportsCar Boutique (Simcraft Full Motion Simulator).
Amidst catcalls, laughter and the occasional lighthearted insult, the prize table was eventually cleared, leaving just the draw for the Team Continental Grand Prize to be done. While all involved contestants holding their collective breaths, the name drawn was that of Team Octane’s Paul Gravel, the St-Guillaume, QC driver leaping up to claim his prize of a VIP trip for two to the 2016 Rolex 24 of Daytona, offered by Continental Tire Canada and presented by Martin Cousineau.
As the excitement of the Gala of Champions slowly began to abate, CTCC founder and President John Bondar concluded the evening by stating, “We need to thank everyone for another fabulous season. We’re excited about all the interest we’ve received about the upcoming year, and we can’t wait to see what the tenth anniversary year of the Canadian Touring Car Championship has in store!”
About CTCC
The Canadian Touring Car Championship (CTCC) presented by Continental Tire is a truly Canadian Sports Car Racing Championship and a leader in Canadian motorsports. It provides Canadian race fans with close and exciting competition between some of Canada’s fastest race car drivers. It showcases race cars based on their original street version in three different categories (classes). The entry-level Touring class features cars with minimal engine modifications, while Super Touring class machines have heavily modified engines and advanced aerodynamics. Grand Touring class is for even higher power sports cars. All three classes compete at the same time on the track and challenge for supremacy in their class.
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Information: info@touringcar.ca
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