Preview: Canadian Sports Car Challenge
If practice sessions throughout the week are any indication, the two Porsche GT entries and also the Dallara P217 Prototype entry of Fischer Motorsport are not among the fastest cars on track, but have very good pace on the long run.
“It’s been a challenge for sure, to get the cars dialed in for this race. This track is notoriously difficult to find a balance, because you’ve got hot summer temperatures and a lack of grip to deal with pretty much everywhere.”, Benjamin Fischer said.
“But I feel like the team has done a great job and we should be in good shape. Maybe in Qualifying we won’t be among the fastest, but we’re expecting to be competitive in race trim. It’s all about balance and car handling, but also to race smart.”
Racing smart is what the No. 14 Dallara and No. 84 Porsche accomplished at Watkins Glen last month, picking up season-first podium finishes. Now the team wants to keep the momentum going.
“Those podium finishes at Watkins Glen were great and gave us a big confidence boost. It shows that our hard work and the changes we’ve made in the team are working. But if we can’t keep it going, it’s all for nothing. We want to finish the season strong.”, Fischer added.
The Canadian Sports Car Challenge at the 2.55-mile short racing course located in Bowmanville, Ontario marks the sixth championship round of the season, with only two more races left after that.
In the series championship, the No. 14 Dallara sits in seventh place, with no realistic shot at the championship anymore. Still, the team’s confidence and motivation is high.
David Koopmans will replace Jason Birnie at the race, making his return to the series after being part of the team at Daytona in January already.
The No. 84 Porsche sits fourth in the GT3 class championship, but also realistically does not have a shot at the championship anymore. The gap of 440 points to the championship leaders is simply too large. But don’t tell that to drivers Manuel Mayer and Jay Van Meppelen.
“I think if we keep on improving like we did at Watkins Glen, where we were even leading for periods of the race, the sky is the limit. I think we’ve got what it takes to really compete with the front runners in this series, if we have a good day.”, Mayer said.
The team’s second GT entry, the No. 85 Porsche returns after a disappointing DNF at Watkins Glen. Nelson Eberth is replaced by Canadian driver David Leman who teams up with Briton Stephen Nobes, looking to make some noise.
“We know we’re not racing for the championship anymore. For us, it’s just about turning this team around, get good race results. We showed at Laguna Seca that we can get into the top-five. Mosport is a fantastic place to race - no bias here because I’m Canadian. (laughing)”, Leman said.
The race will go over a distance of two hours and 40 minutes and start Saturday 16:00 GMT / 12pm noon ET and will be broadcast live on Apex Racing TV.
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