Disappointing yet promising race for Thomas Nepveu in Toronto
Posted by admin on in NASCAR Pinty's Series

Disappointing yet promising race for Thomas Nepveu in Toronto
(Photo by Ray MacAloney / CDN-R.com)

 

Toronto (Ontario), July 16, 2023 – It was Toronto’s turn to host the NASCAR Pinty’s field in the city streets. Thomas Nepveu shone at the renowned Toronto Indy event last Friday, in front of thousands of spectators and supporters.

The driver of the #24 Evirum | Home Hardware car had an exceptional start to the day, kicking off the busy Friday with a practice session, followed by qualifying immediately after. He went on to qualify sixth, marking his best qualifying in the series so far this season, and securing him a start from the third row for the main event that took place later that afternoon.

As the green flag waved to kick start the 35-lap race, Thomas was immediately going wheel to wheel through the narrow turns. He battled it out on track with Treyten Lapcevich, the current championship leader, as the two went side by side across multiple laps.

As he continued to charge towards the Top 5, the action was momentarily halted as the yellow flags came out on lap 7. As the field prepared to restart just 5 laps later, misfortune struck for Nepveu as the race returned to green. He lost positions on the restart as he suffered an electrical issue, resulting in the car losing power. He was then rear-ended by a competitor, resulting in another full course caution as Nepveu’s car suffered too much damage and had stopped on track before being assisted back into the pit lane. The team was able to fire back up the car to let Thomas join the track and finish the race in 18th place.

“On the bright side, I’m very happy with how my qualifying went,” said Thomas Nepveu. “I’m disappointed with the race result, but the car had great pace and I think we’ve made great steps forward. It’s a shame that we were dealt some bad luck, but hopefully it will turn around and we’ll be ready to try again.”

Despite the unfortunate outcome, Nepveu showed great promise and will be ready to challenge the pointier end of the field once more in his next event.

Posted by admin on in NASCAR Pinty's Series

Paillé Course//Racing Shines in Toronto Double Top-Five for Camirand and Ranger

(Photos by Ray MacAloney/cdn-r.com)

Toronto, ON, July 16, 2023 – Paillé Course//Racing achieved a brilliant double top-five finish, Friday, as the NASCAR Pinty’s series was on the streets of Toronto, as part of the Honda Indy event. Marc-Antoine Camirand made a spectacular come back to achieve a podium finish after trouble in qualifying, while Andrew Ranger rounded off his race with a fifth-place finish.

 The day didn’t smart smoothly for the GM Paillé/Chevrolet Canada n°96 team. Marc-Antoine Camirand completed only two laps in practice, when a piece of the rear suspension broke on his car, causing sustainable damage to the driveshaft. The Camirand Performance team then spent the entire time remaining in the combined practice and qualifying session to repair the car, and fell sort to get the car back on track in time to post a qualifying lap.

18th on the grid, Camirand managed to climb back positions quickly in the 35-lap race. Around mid-race, he had climbed to the top five and his GM Paillé/Chevrolet Canada n°96 Camaro was the fastest car on the track. He then quickly closed up the gap between the leaders. “I was sitting third, and I was waiting for Kevin (Lacroix, in second place) to make a move. I would have taken the opportunity myself, but it never happened. My car was really fast at the end of the race,” stated Camirand.

Camirand finally scored a well-deserved podium finish. “My crew worked extremely hard all day to get my car rolling for the race and I had a very good car throughout the 35 laps. We are really happy of this great comeback,” concluded Camirand, who achieved his best finish at the Toronto race in the Pinty’s series.

His Paillé Course//Racing teammate, Andrew Ranger, also had a strong outing, finally leaving hard luck behind. Fastest in practice and second in qualifying, he was confident that his GM Paillé/Chevrolet Canada n°27 Camaro could battle for the win, as he had won three times before in the streets of Toronto in the NASCAR Pinty’s series.

“My car was very fast and I had a great battle with Tagliani for the lead. Around mid-race, I started to experience brake problems. At the end of the race, I was really struggling with my car and I was just trying to survive the last few laps,” told Ranger.

He finally scored a fifth-place finish, his best result to date this season. “I’ve had a very difficult beginning of the season. I knew I had a fast car, and I could have battled for the win, but I am still happy with this top-five finish,” concluded Ranger.

Paillé Course//Racing, with Marc-Antoine Camirand and Andrew Ranger, comes back in action as soon as next Saturday at Edmonton International Raceway, as the NASCAR Pinty’s series heads to its annual Western swing.

Thomas Nepveu Takes On the Streets of Toronto
Posted by admin on in NASCAR Pinty's Series

Thomas Nepveu Takes On the Streets of Toronto
(Photo by Ray MacAloney / CDN-R.com)

 

Oka (Quebec), July 11, 2023 – Thomas Nepveu will be back racing in the streets of downtown Toronto this upcoming Friday for NASCAR Pinty’s Tiffany Gate Grand Prix. The event, located at Exhibition Place, will run in support of the INDYCAR championship, with thousands of spectators in attendance.

The Oka-native will be commandeering the #24 Evirum | Home Hardware Nepveu car once again. It will be a very different driving experience this time around, as he previously competed at the street track in single-seaters.

The narrow track is notoriously challenging, with rough surfaces, tight corners, and a high speed straightaway giving drivers a wide variety of obstacles and elements to contend with. Fortunately, Nepveu is already coming into the event with prior experience, having raced on the same track one year prior in the USF2000 series, where he stood on the podium in front of a home crowd.

“I’m really happy to be returning to downtown Toronto,” said Thomas. “I’ve had the opportunity to familiarize myself with this track. I had a strong race here last year and took home a second-place finish. It will be an interesting challenge to see how it feels to drive around here in a completely different type of car.”

He went on to add that “it’s a difficult track to master, so every lap counts when trying to get confidence and extract the most you can out of the car. I’ll be giving it my maximum effort in the practice session to reinforce my knowledge and adapt to the handling of the stock car. From there, it’s all about making sure I have a strong qualifying session to put us in the best position ahead of the race on Friday afternoon.”

The green flag for the Tiffany Gate Grand Prix of Toronto will be waved at 5:10pm ET on Friday, July 14th. The race will be broadcast live on the TSN+ app.

IMSA drivers join FEL Motorsports at the Honda Indy Toronto
Posted by admin on in FEL Motorsports

IMSA drivers join FEL Motorsports at the Honda Indy Toronto
 (Photo by Ray MacAloney / CDN-R.com)

 

ST. CATHARINES, ON (July 11, 2023) – Three IMSA drivers will compete in the Sports Car Championship Canada presented by Michelin at the 2023 Honda Indy Toronto on July 14,15,16.

IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge TCR driver, Mark Wilkins, will compete in a Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai Elantra N TCR car. Mark will represent Hyundai alongside Hyundai Racing Canada TCR drivers Connor and Quinn Attrell.

IMSA TCR and LMP3 stand-out, James Vance, will pilot the FEL Motorsports Hyundai Veloster N TCA car alongside Bob Attrell who will pilot the other FEL Motorsports-owned TCA vehicle. James is not only a long time IMSA competitor, he has also been an Instructor for FEL on several automotive manufacturer drive events. James played an instrumental role in the Audi FIA Race Licence Program that FEL delivered for Audi Canada in 2018. James has been living in Florida for the past few years as he pursues his dream of being a full time IMSA driver.

Driver, Nick Galante, will round out the IMSA group of three in the GT4 class. Nick will be piloting one of the VPX Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT4’s in the three Honda Indy Toronto races. Nick has been driving for Phil Frengs, Racing 2 End Alzheimers’ various racing programs, for the past six years. Racing 2 End Alzheimers’ has raised over $750,000 USD since it conception and and one hundred percent of the proceeds raised go to various Alzheimers’ associations around North America. To learn more about Racing 2 End Alzheimer’s check out the website by clicking here.

About FEL Motorsports

FEL Motorsports grew out of a deep base of automotive roots from FEL Automotive Learning and Promotion. FEL Motorsports is focused on growth and sustainability in the Canadian Motorsports landscape by giving back to its teams through prizing and prize money.

For further information on FEL Motorsports visit felmotorsports.com

ST RACING SET TO DEBUT NEW FERRARI 296 GT3 AND ICONIC LIVERY AT 24 HOURS OF SPA
Posted by admin on in Miscellaneous News

ST RACING SET TO DEBUT NEW FERRARI 296 GT3 AND ICONIC LIVERY AT 24 HOURS OF SPA

June 27, 2023 — ST Racing with Rinaldi is thrilled to announce its participation in the highly anticipated 2023 Crowdstrike 24 Hours of Spa. The team is testing today in the run up to the race, where it debuts the all-new Ferrari 296 GT3, accompanied by a striking new livery paying homage to the legendary #112 Ferrari 250 GTO “Lady in Blue” that graced racetracks throughout the 1960s.

 Following a commendable performance last year, where ST Racing finished 9th in class with the BMW M4 GT3, the team is eager to unleash the full potential of their Ferrari 296 GT3 at this prestigious endurance race. The state-of-the-art car, featuring all the latest Ferrari technology and performance, promises to captivate spectators and challenge competitors alike.

 In addition to the captivating new livery and the remarkable Ferrari 296 GT3, ST Racing with Rinaldi is thrilled to announce the inclusion of a new talent to their driver lineup. Leo Weiss will be joining forces with full season drivers Samantha Tan, Jon Miller, and Isaac Tutumlu Lopez. Leo brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record, adding further strength to the already formidable team. Leo was part of the Pro-Am class winning lineup at the Nurburgring 24 Hour in the 296 GT3 with WTM Racing and is regular front runner in the European Le Mans championship.

 With mounting excitement for the 24-hour showdown at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, ST Racing is eagerly poised to kick off the week with a flying start. With the new Ferrari 296 GT3 and a tribute livery inspired by the iconic #112 Ferrari 250 GTO, the team is ready to make their mark on this prestigious event.

 ST Racing invites fans, supporters, and motorsport enthusiasts to witness this exciting chapter in their racing journey. Stay tuned for updates on their progress throughout the race weekend by visiting www.st-racing.org or following us on Instagram @samanthatanracing and Twitter @stracing_team.