August 15, 2012.- After a mechanically frustrating performance at the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres, the Bonzaï Racing Team had decided to send Ray Courtemanche Jr.’s car back to McColl Racing for further development. The Montreal driver wants his car to be perfect for the NAPA Autopro 100, the last road course event in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series (NCATS) 2012 season. “This is my first season racing at the top level in Canadian stock cars, and I have gained an immense respect for the NCATS drivers and teams who run consistently in the Top 10 on ovals and on road circuits,” said Courtemanche. “The standard of driving and car preparation is beyond what I knew and I certainly have learned a lot so far this year.”
The car will also be tested before coming back to Montreal, to ensure that all systems are okay. Ray Jr. is looking for perfection as far as the car is concerned, to optimise his performance over the 23-lap race. “Fortunately, I have already raced on the Gilles Villeneuve circuit, in the NCATS race last year, and in the Formula Tour 1600 race over this year’s Canadian Grand Prix weekend, where I finished third in the ‘Master’ class,” he said. “So I have no excuses – it is now up to me to get in there, push the button hard… and run a mistake-free race!”
The NCATS cars will be on track for a one-hour practice on Thursday, August 16, at 4: 50 p.m. Qualifying will take place on Friday at 2:30 p.m. The 23-lap race will be green-flagged on Saturday at 9:30 a.m. and shown live on RDS.
The Bonzaï Racing team will again give all NCATS winnings to the “Fondation Centre de cancérologie Charles-Bruneau,” as they have done all year.
From Félix Bégin
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