BOWMANVILLE, ON – July 8, 2017) The Cadillac DPi-V.R. team of Ricky and Jordan Taylor will start on pole for Sunday’s Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix, Round 7 of the 2017 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP).
Ricky Taylor secured the pole driving the No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R, with a 1:08.459, eclipsing the previous Prototype (P) class qualifying record set at CTMP in 2014. Coming into the weekend, the Taylor brothers, both from Apopka, Fla., sit atop the driver’s championship standings, while their Konica Minolta team and manufacturer (Cadillac) sit atop the team and manufacturer’s standings respectively. In the Prototype Challenge (PC) class, the Performance Tech Motorsports team of James French (Indianapolis, Ind.) and Patricio O’Ward (San Antonio, Tex.) will start on pole after French posted a 1:11.471 in the No. 38 ORECA FLM09. The Porsche GT team of Dirk Werner (Wurzburg, Germany) and Patrick Pilet (Rocquencourt, France) will start from the top spot in GT Le Mans (GTLM) – Werner set the fastest lap in class piloting the No. 911 Porsche 911 RSR to a 1:14.085 – while Sage Karam (Nazareth, Penn.) set the fastest lap (1:16.563) in GT Daytona (GTD) in the No. 14 3GT Racing Lexus RCF GT3 and will start on pole in class with co-driver Scott Pruett (Auburn, Ca).
Saturday’s action also featured a thrilling Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge Round 5. Jesse Lazare and Chris Green, both of Montreal, teamed to take the No. 69 Motorsports in Action McLaren GT4 to a third-place finish in the Grand Sport (GS) class. Green, starting from pole, led for most of the first portion of the race before Lazare took over during a full-course caution at the 50-minute mark of the two-hour race. On the ensuing restart lap, Lazare relinquished top spot through Moss Corner to Robin Liddell, of Edinburgh, Scotland, in the No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro GT4.R. To make matters worse, Lazare was issued a drive-through penalty for failing to slow to safety car speed prior to the restart as directed by race control. With the penalty, the No. 69 car was shuffled back, but with 23 minutes, Lazare had come back up through the field slotting into 2nd within four seconds of Liddell. With the clock ticking down he couldn’t further close the gap. On the last lap, Lazare’s machine slowed on the front straight and was passed before crossing the line by the No. 28 RS1 Porsche Cayman GT4 MR driven by Dillion Machavern, of Burlington, Vt. Liddell and co-driver Matt Bell, of San Mateo, Calif., scored the victory, with Machavern and co-driver Dylan Murcott, of Ancram, N.Y. in second. In the Street Tuner (ST) class, Toronto’s James Vance and Mike LaMarra, of Brighton, Mich., placed third in the No. 37 MINI JCW Team machine – Jeff Mosing (Austin, Tex.) and Eric Foss (Dallas, Tex.) in the No. 56 Murillo Racing Porsche Cayman took the victory.
In other action, Kyle Kirkwood, of Jupiter, Fla, in the No. 8 Cape Motorsports machine claimed the victory in Round 7 of the 2017 Formula 4 United States Championship, while Montreal’s Raphael Forcier finished second in the No. 62 Parizeau Pawulski Deslandes Architects machine.
The day closed with the IMSA Prototype Challenge presented by Mazda race. Kenton Koch, of Glendora, Calif., took the overall win in the No. 8 P1 Motorsports Ligier JS P3.
Sunday’s schedule features the popular WeatherTech Championship Series Open Grid Walk – spectators will be able to gather in pit lane prior to the scheduled 12:05 pm green flag start, along with all the cars, drivers and crews. Fans are encouraged to bring their Sharpies, autograph book, and camera because there will be excellent opportunities to meet and speak with the drivers.
Tomorrow’s schedule also includes two Formula 4 United States Championship series races and one for the IMSA Prototype Challenge presented by Mazda series.
Sunday tickets are still available at the gate for $50. Children 16 and under are free with paid adult admission. For more information on the weekend visit online at www.canadiantiremotorsportpark.com.
About Canadian Tire Motorsport Park
Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP) is the leading racing and automotive performance facility in Canada. And more than that, now it is a unique entertainment venue, suitable for most any occasion. In addition to our major international races, we have hosted events ranging from corporate needs to fashion shows, to weddings. Our state-of-the-art facilities offer the flexibility and capacity to accommodate any event. Visit canadiantiremotorsportpark.com for more information.
From: Dave Drimmie/ CTMP Communications Manager
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