At a glance
- GT cars head to Canada without GTP class
- Wright Motorsports enters sprint race after podium at Watkins Glen
- Porsche 911 GT3 R represented in GTD Pro and GTD classes
BOWMANVILLE, Ontario, Canada. This week’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race is a two-hour, 40-minute sprint north of the border at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park (CTMP). The race is the seventh round of the championship and the first in the season without the GTP class of prototypes, including the Porsche 963. Only the LMP2 class, GTD Pro and GTD classes compete, with a pair of strong entries for Porsche.
“The race at CTMP is always an opportunity to highlight our customer programs and the Porsche 911 GT3 R,” Volker Holzmeyer, PMNA President and CEO, said. “The two WeatherTech championship entries are contenders in their classes, and the teams and drivers in Michelin Pilot Challenge can challenge for podiums in Saturday’s race. Everyone wants to continue the momentum after a very successful weekend last month at Watkins Glen.”
The race at the track previously known as Mosport is just the second two-hour, 40-minute race of the season. The last Porsche race win at the circuit, which hosted the Formula One Canadian Grand Prix a total of 14 times from 1961 through 1977, came in 2022.
Both AO Racing’s No. 77 “Rexy” livery and the No. 120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R enter the race on an upswing. Wright Motorsports finished second – behind the No. 912 Manthey Porsche 911 GT3 R - in the last round at Watkins Glen with drivers Adam Adelson and Callum Ilott, joined there by Porsche Motorsport North America selected driver Tom Sargent. AO Racing drivers Harry King and Nick Tandy were in contention late, but strategy and race flow forced a late pit stop that cost them the lead in that race and positions in the final standings.
The two-hour, 40-minute race will stream in its entirety on Peacock in the United States, beginning at 2 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 12.
Pilot Challenge, VP Challenge teams also competing
Both the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge and VP Racing SportsCar Challenge are in action at CTMP as well, featuring a total of nine Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsports in action.
The Michelin Pilot Challenge race is a two-hour race on Saturday, with seven Porsches competing. Currently CSM drivers Morgan Burkhard and Gordon Scully have been the best of the Porsches this season, currently 10th in the GS class Driver standings. Dan Amman and Owen Trinkler are currently second in the Bronze-driver sub class for VRC Motorsports Group.
Amman leads the Bronze category standings in the VP Racing SportsCar Challenge. Unlike the two-driver Pilot Challenge races, the VP Racing SportsCar Challenge features the same GT4-category cars in a sprint-race format with no scheduled pit stops.
Driver comments ahead of the race weekend
Callum Ilott (Porsche 911 GT3 R #120): ““Hopefully we’ll get that P1 we’ve been striving for at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, that would be really good. I’ve never been to CTMP before, but I just feel better and better with the car. I’m getting more comfortable and familiar with it, and I know what it needs in the race in order to be fast. I'm excited to see what we can do.”
Further information and links:
All Sessions at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park: The timetable (PDF)
All results and overall standings: Alkamelsystems
75 years of Porsche Motorsport: The #Raceborn history
CTMP statistics: The race in numbers
The on-screen action: Live streaming on Peacock
All Porsche teams at Laguna Seca
GTD Pro (Porsche 911 GT3 R):
AO Racing #77: Harry King (GBR) / Nick Tandy (GBR)
GTD (Porsche 911 GT3 R):
Wright Motorsports #120: Adam Adelson (USA) / Callum Ilott (GBR)
Motorsport