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Preview
The racing calendar of the IMSA SportsCar Championship is keeping drivers and teams running at high revs: Just one week after the six-hour race at Watkins Glen, North America’s premier sports car racing series now heads to Bowmanville not far from the metropolis of Toronto on 10 July for the only race in Canada. The
The race
The first sports car race on the previous Mosport International Raceway, Canada’s oldest racetrack, was contested in 1961. Stirling Moss won the inaugural race in a Lotus 19. The Canadian Formula 1 Grands Prix were held here on the storied 3.957 kilometre circuit from 1967 to 1977. In the races of the American Le Mans Series and its successor series the IMSA SportsCar Championship,
The
The reigning IMSA GT Champion Patrick Pilet (France) and Nick Tandy (Great Britain) travel to Bowmanville with the
The
For 2016, the 911 RSR not only received a new factory design, but also underwent modifications to the aerodynamics to comply with the new regulations. The position of the rear wing was moved further to the back, with the rear diffuser now considerably larger. The 911 GT3 R was built by
The schedule
The race in the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park takes off on Sunday, 10 July, at 11.05 hours local time (17.05 hours CEST) and runs over 2.40 hours. It is broadcast live outside the USA on www.imsa.com.
Pre-race quotes
Steffen Höllwarth, Program Manager IMSA SportsCar Championship: “After Watkins Glen we only have a few days to prepare for the race in Canada. We will use this time to prepare ourselves as much as possible for the very fast and demanding circuit. Last year we won in the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. But it will be very difficult to repeat this result.”
Patrick Pilet (911 RSR #911): “We’re looking forward to this racetrack. Our victory here in 2015 marked the start of a series of successes which ultimately led to
Nick Tandy (911 RSR #911): “The Canadian Tire Motorsport Park is my all-time favourite racetrack in North America. Last year we won the race from pole position, so it’s great turf for
Earl Bamber (911 RSR #912): “I think it’s great to contest another race just a week after Watkins Glen – and on such a fascinating and traditional racetrack. The only Canadian round of the IMSA SportsCar Championship is one of the highlights of the season for me. For us the fight for the title continues in the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. We’re only halfway through the season – and there are still many opportunities for us to earn important championship points.”
Frédéric Makowiecki (911 RSR #912): “This will be a completely new experience for me. I’ve actually never driven on this racetrack. I’ve heard from my teammates that it’s very demanding and above all very fast. I’m really excited and can hardly wait to drive the 911 RSR there. Of course it would be wonderful if we could repeat last year’s victory for
Jörg Bergmeister (911 GT3 R #73): “The former Mosport International Raceway is a very special track, ultra-quick with relatively few run-off zones. It’s huge fun to drive here but you have to use your head and always know what you’re doing. This circuit is merciless if you make even the smallest mistake. Turn 2 is critical. You come over a crest and if you brake too late you can quickly end up in a wall of tyres.”
This is the IMSA SportsCar Championship
The IMSA SportsCar Championship is a sports car race series contested in the USA and Canada, which was run in 2014 for the first time. The series was formed from the merger of the American Le Mans Series and the Grand-Am Series. Sports prototypes and sports cars start in four different classes: GTLM (GT Le Mans), GTD (GT Daytona), P (Prototype) and PC (Prototype Challenge). The
911 GT3 RS: Fuel consumption combined 12.7 l/100 km; urban 19.2 l/100 km; extra urban 8.9 l/100 km; CO2 emissions 296 g/km; efficiency class (Germany): G
All reports on the previous season can be found in our archive.