Braselton, GA, Wednesday, June 6, 2012—This weekend in Montréal, 34 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Cars will share the streets with the Formula One World Championship on the circuit named in honor of renowned driver Gilles Villeneuve at the Grand Prix du Canada.
The 2.71-mile, 14-turn circuit will play host to the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge by Yokohama in a unique format that combines both the Canadian and the US Series in a shoot out for overall winners, as well as individual Platinum and Gold Cup honors by designated Series.
The unique “race-within-a-race” strategy promises lots of excitement and action as the stars of the Canadian series run head-to-head with their US counterparts under US rules as governed by IMSA. “This race is unique. For one thing, it is a part of the Grand Prix du Canada weekend and has been for several years,” said Laurance Yap, Manager, Marketing for Porsche Cars Canada, Ltd. “It also marks the only time this year our Canadian teams will have to run under US rules.”
The race promises plenty of action as US series’ young guns Madison Snow and Sean Johnston take on veteran Fernando Pena and Canadian points leader Jean-Frédéric Laberge for the overall Platinum class victory.
The “inter-continental” war for Gold Class honors is led by Angel Andreas Benitez and Melanie Snow for the US, against Canadian series leaders Bruce Gregory and Shaun McKaigue.
“We are always honored to have the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge by Yokohama invited to participate as part of the F1 Grand Prix du Canada,” said Steven Sewell, IMSA Development Series Director. “We are pleased to be able to showcase our North American Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge talent, a privilege often reserved for the professional pilots of the prestigious Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup.
It is especially fitting this year,” he continued, “that we have been able to include competitors from our companion GT3 Cup Challenge Canada series alongside the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge by Yokohama veterans. In just over 12 months the Canadian series has firmly established itself as the fastest growing single-make series in North America: a testament to the popularity of Porsche GT3 Cup competition in general and Canadian motorsports in particular.”
Opened in 1978, the Circuit du Gilles Villeneuve is located on a man-made island in the St. Laurence River and integrates Parc Jean-Drapeau within its famed walls. The circuit’s most famous wall, the “Wall of Champions” or Quebec Wall (Mur du Québec), is located on the outside of the exit of the final chicane just before the front straight. The “Wall of Champions” has plagued the world’s most experienced drivers and ended races for various series champions since 1999.
In addition to hosting the Formula One World Championship, IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge by Yokohama, Ferrari Challenge and the Canadian Touring Car Challenge this weekend, the circuit has played host to several other major racing series including NASCAR Nationwide and Canadian Tire Series and the former Champ Car World Series.
Race Weekend Schedule:
Friday, June 8
5:15—6:00 PM Practice
Saturday, June 9
11:15—11:45 AM Qualifying
Sunday, June 10
10:40-11:10 AM IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge by Yokohama Race (30 min.)
IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge by Yokohama:
The IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge by Yokohama is one of three official Development Series sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). It is also the largest one-make series in North America. The Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge by Yokohama produces intense, exciting competition for semi-professional drivers alongside some of the most promising career-minded GT drivers in one of the world’s most successful and iconic race cars, the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, and on some of North America’s most hallowed road racing circuits.
To learn more about the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge by Yokohama, visit imsachallenge.com on the Web, http://www.facebook.com/gt3cupchallenge on Facebook and @GT3Challenge on Twitter.
About Yokohama Tire Corporation:
Yokohama Tire Corporation is the North American manufacturing and marketing arm of Tokyo, Japan-based The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., a global manufacturing and sales company of premium tires since 1917. Servicing a network of more than 4,500 points of sale in the U.S., Yokohama Tire Corporation is a leader in technology and innovation. The company’s complete product line includes the all-new AVID® Ascend™ – the first mass-market tire using Yokohama’s breakthrough orange oil technology – as well as tires for high-performance, light truck, passenger car, commercial truck and bus, and off-the-road mining and construction applications. For more information on Yokohama’s extensive product line, visit www.yokohamatire.com.
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