| The Time Between Visits to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park Makes It Difficult to Predict Any Favorites, Other than the Homegrown Teams and Drivers June 30, 2022 By David Phillips IMSA Wire Service  DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – And now for something at once completely different yet vaguely familiar. Different? This weekend’s Chevrolet Grand Prix marks the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s first visit to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP) since 2019. Thus, not a few competitors will be pitting themselves against the demanding, high-speed, maximum-commitment road course for the first time. Familiar? Demanding, high speed, maximum commitment. Sounds a lot like the 3.4-mile Watkins Glen International circuit that IMSA competitors tackled only last weekend in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen. Given that three years have elapsed since the WeatherTech Championship last visited CTMP, the historical record offers only the vaguest hint as to who and what are best suited to the iconic track this weekend. What’s more, some sections of the 2.459-mile, 10-turn circuit were recently resurfaced, so the added grip that accompanies fresh pavement throws another “unknown” into the mix. It’s Cadillac Go Time It’s hardly a revelation to observe that the Acura ARX-05 has thrived on high-speed, natural-terrain road courses this season – most recently in the 1-2 Daytona Prototype international (DPi) finish at The Glen by Wayne Taylor Racing’s No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura and the No. 60 of Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian. What’s more, CTMP’s newly smooth surface will enable the Acuras to run minimal ride height, thus generating maximum downforce that will come in handy in the blindingly quick run from Turn 1 through Turn 4 as well as Turn 8. And what about Cadillac? Cadillac Racing has a win, two thirds and a P4 to show for the last two races. A late run to challenge for the DPi championship is not out of the question, but the Cadillac Racing entries, along with the No.31 Whelen Engineering Racing and No. 5 JDC-Miller MotorSports Caddies, will have to become regular fixtures atop the podium from here on out. The Chevrolet GP would be a great place to start. Michelin Pilot Challenge in the Spotlight Many (maybe all?) eyes will be on the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge this weekend after Robert Wickens and Mark Wilkins teamed to score a glorious Touring Car (TCR) class win at Watkins Glen last weekend. It was, of course, Wickens’ first win since suffering spinal cord injuries in a 2018 crash while competing in the IndyCar Series. Given that he and Wilkins both hail from nearby Toronto, the No. 33 Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian Hyundai Elantra N TCR figures to be a veritable magnet for fans and media alike this weekend. And while that’s a good thing for Wickens, Wilkins, BHA and Hyundai, the fact that the spotlight will shine on the series as a whole is great news for a series that, week-in and week-out, features 40-plus entries and stages some of the fiercest racing competition to be found in any of the four corners of the globe. More Canadian Spotlight and Love With two wins earlier this season paired with last week’s third-place finish at The Glen, Pfaff Motorsports heads to CTMP atop the Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) standings, with drivers Mathieu Jaminet and Matt Campbell occupying the same position in the driver rankings. Pfaff’s distinctive silver and plaid-liveried No. 9 Porsche 911 GT3 R will doubtless attract even more attention than usual given that this will be the Toronto-based team’s first appearance on home turf since coming home fifth in the GTD class at CTMP in ’19, the team’s WeatherTech series debut season. Having captured the 2021 WeatherTech Championship’s GTD crown, Pfaff moved into the new GTD PRO class this year and would like nothing more than to add another win to the record this weekend in front of their home fans. If you’re not fortunate enough to be at CTMP this weekend, be sure and catch all the action on the IMSA channels. WeatherTech Championship qualifying is live Saturday on IMSA.com/TVLive and IMSA Radio at 12:35 p.m. ET. The Michelin Pilot Challenge race kicks off Saturday at 4 p.m. on Peacock and IMSA Radio. The WeatherTech Championship race airs at 3 p.m. Sunday on NBC and IMSA Radio. |
