Top 4 for Kevin Lacroix at Autodrome Chaudière
Posted by admin on in NASCAR Pinty's Series

Top 4 for Kevin Lacroix at Autodrome Chaudière

Vallée-Jonction (QC), June 11, 2023 – The Autodrome Chaudière in Vallée-Jonction was the host of an action-packed race last Saturday. Kevin Lacroix finished just shy of the podium in 4th place during the 300-lap Bud Light 300.

Lacroix was behind the wheel of the #74 NAPA Synthetic Motor Oil | Valvoline car on Saturday evening, in front of a full house. He finished the morning practice session in 8th position, then went on to set the 6th fastest time in qualifying a little later in the day.

Lacroix started the race from the third row and he wasted no time in moving up the field, battling with the competitors around him. By the halfway mark, he was in the leading pack, and was giving it his all to try to take the win.

“Our car was very fast, probably one of the fastest on the track,” said Kevin Lacroix. “It is quite challenging to overtake at Autodrome Chaudière. I was stuck running two cars wide for the whole race, which made it difficult for me to make progress and move up the field quickly.”

He went on to say that “I was hanging around in 4th place a lot, and when I got back up to 3rd, I didn’t have much time to catch up to the first two cars before the cautions. This scenario played out a few times. As for the restarts, I was starting from the inside line, but the outside line was a bit faster. Therefore I was almost guaranteed to lose a position on each restart.”

“We had a final restart with 4 laps to go. I was running in 3rd but lost my position at that point, but that’s life. I’m satisfied with the event, it went very well overall.”

Kevin Lacroix leaves Vallée-Jonction with valuable points in the bank, enabling him to maintain 3rd place in the overall standings with 122 points, 17 points behind the leader.

The next NASCAR Pinty’s event will be at Eastbound International Speedway in Newfoundland on June 24.

ST RACING OPENS 2023 GT WORLD EUROPE ACCOUNT WITH PODIUM IN PAUL RICARD
Posted by admin on in Miscellaneous News

ST RACING OPENS 2023 GT WORLD EUROPE ACCOUNT WITH PODIUM IN PAUL RICARD

5 June, 2023.- Samantha Tan Racing by Rinaldi Racing moved itself back into championship contention with a convincing run to 2nd in-class at the 1000km Circuit Paul Ricard, round two of this year’s GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup.

Following an early end to its GTWC Europe season opener at Monza in April, ST Racing’s second round got off to a promising start when the #38 Ferrari 488 GT3 – driven by team owner Samantha Tan, fellow 2021 24H SERIES Overall GT Drivers’ champion Jon Miller, and Isaac Tutumlu Lopez – qualified 3rd fastest of the Pro-Am runners. The run, good enough for 49th on the overall grid, was banked courtesy of a 1m 55.347s from Jon, the third fastest Pro-Am lap across all three qualifying sessions. Similarly competitive times from Samantha and Isaac hinted towards the Rinaldi-prepared Ferrari’s strong pace around Circuit Paul Ricard.

Carrying his qualifying momentum into the race proper, Jon quickly moved up from 49th to 39th place overall, and 2nd in-class, during the opening laps. A mistimed pass for position by a rival however caused the #38 Ferrari to spin shortly afterwards, dropping ST Racing to the tail of the field and off the Pro-Am podium. Jon though was already back up to 3rd in Pro/Am when he handed the Ferrari over to Samantha shortly before one-third distance.

After a consistent double stint, Samantha, back at Paul Ricard for the first time since 2021, had worked her way up to 38th overall and 2nd in-class before handing the Ferrari over to Isaac for the closing night stage, the 2013 Spanish GT Champion dutifully bringing the car home without incident for the Pro/Am runners-up spot.

With standings leader Barwell Motorsport eliminated on the first lap, the result has catapulted ST Racing with Rinaldi back into Pro/Am Teams’ championship contention in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup. 2nd in-class also marks ST Racing’s best result in an endurance event since the Canadian team claimed Silver class honours at last year’s Indianapolis 8 Hours. 

Samantha Tan, team co-owner/driver: “P2 at the 1000km of Paul Ricard! After a few months of bad luck, especially after Monza, we kept working hard and were finally rewarded with a podium. Rinaldi gave us a great car and we qualified P3! Jon took the start and unfortunately got hit and spun out 20 minutes in, putting us in last. Thankfully, nothing broke on the car and we had an incredible recovery drive and flawless run to the finish. We gave a proper send off to our lovely 488 GT3, as we will now be running the 296 GT3 for the remainder of the season.”

Kenneth Tan, team principal: “Finally we showed our potential. I’m very relieved, I want to thank the Rinaldi Racing team for preparing a very strong car. Looking forward to Spa in our new Ferrari 296 GT3. Forza Ferrari!”

Jon Miller, driver: “We’re thrilled with the result after a hard-fought race. We missed out on the bulk of the pre-season test here with an odd technical problem, and without any laps at Monza we’re still very much learning the 488 GT3. With not much practice time this weekend, and some of it affected by rain, I went into qualifying having to really think differently about my approach. I’m happy to report that things clicked, and even with some traffic in-front of me, I was able to set a lap that I was relatively pleased with. I found some things in the driving style of the Ferrari that helped to extract more out of the car and this peak of this tire. The Rinaldi guys executed perfect stops all night and we’re looking forward to the Spa 24 hour in the 296 GT3 up next!”

Isaac Tutumlu Lopez, driver: “It was a very good race! We knew we had a car with strong pace, I think we did a great job altogether setting the car up to be easy to drive while also making sure it was competitive over the length of a stint. Jon had a great start and Sam backed it up with a solid drive, so we were in a good position when I hopped in the car for my stint. I pushed hard during my first hour while fighting for P2 until the team told me that P3 had a problem and we had enough of a margin to bring it home safe and sound. Happy to achieve this result with the team heading into the 24 Hours of Spa!”

Samantha Tan Racing with Rinaldi continues its GTWC Europe Endurance Cup campaign on 29 June to 2 July on the North American outfit’s second stab at the legendary Spa 24 Hours. Prior to that, both ST Racing and BMW M Motorsport brand ambassador Samantha Tan will be back in GT World Challenge America action with the #38 BMW M4 GT3 on 16-17-18 June, round four of the season taking competitors to the Virginia International Raceway.

 

YOUNG CANADIAN DUO DO WELL AT THEIR FIRST OUTING DURING THE 24H LE MANS EVENT
Posted by admin on in Miscellaneous News

YOUNG CANADIAN DUO DO WELL AT THEIR FIRST OUTING DURING THE 24H LE MANS EVENT

Montreal, QC (June 4, 2023) When the Ali brothers headed out for Le Mans earlier this week, it was agreed that there should be no expectations. The plan was to simply take in the experience at this historical 100th Anniversary 24 Hours of Le Mans, and get accustomed to their new racing career in endurance, after years of karting.

Today, both Adam and Daniel Ali paired up in the 1-hour Ligier European Series’ race, and successfully finished in 7thplace overall, driving their #14 Ligier JS P4 for InterEuropol on the 8.5-mile legendary Le  Mans circuit. The young Canadians enjoyed every moment despite a minor issue leaving the grid.

Seventeen-year old Daniel took the green flag at 2:00 pm local Le Mans time, and quickly worked his way up the 25-car field while dealing with yellow flags and safety car outings.

The Torontonian did a great job keeping up the pace. When older brother Adam jumped in the car for his stint, he put in a great drive and took the checker flag an hour later in 7th place.

“This was my first race of a busy LeMans weekend and it went very well” said Daniel, smiling from ear to ear. “It was difficult as it was my first time racing the Le Mans circuit and also my first time in the Ligier LMP4 race car. But Adam and I were soon able to build up to a quick pace. Although we ended up starting the race from the back of the field, we were able to charge through the field and finish 7th overall.”

“Racing at Le Mans in the Ligier European Series this weekend was an incredible experience” commented Adam. “Since I began my motorsports career, I have looked forward to driving on this historical circuit. Even though it was our first race in the car, my brother and I had strong pace throughout the day. Though 2 safety cars hindered our drive from the back of the grid, we were still able to recover to a P7 finish and within a few seconds of the leader by the last lap. Certainly a strong debut in the car and series for me. The support of InterEuropol Competition and my driving coach Colin Noble was of great help this weekend.” 

“Driving at Le Mans has been a dream of mine for a very long time” said Daniel, and I’m very happy that I got the chance to race here at Le Mans. In only a few years I went from watching the race on television hoping to one day watch the race in person, and now I get to compete in the support race. It’s been an incredible adventure so far and I owe it all to my family, BAM Motorsports, InterEuropol Competition, and my driving coach Colin Noble.”

Daniel Ali is now gearing up for his 2nd participation in the Le Mans weekend, where he’ll be competing in the Michelin Le Mans Cup, in two 1-hour races on Thursday and Friday. Stay tuned!

Camirand Second in Dramatic Last Lap Action, Ranger Suffers Mechanical Failure at CTMP
Posted by admin on in NASCAR Pinty's Series

Camirand Second in Dramatic Last Lap Action, Ranger Suffers Mechanical Failure at CTMP
 (Photo by Ray MacAloney / CDN-R.com)
 (Photo by Ray MacAloney / CDN-R.com)

Bowmanville, ON, May 22, 2023 – Paillé Course//Racing achieved a first podium finish this season, as Marc-Antoine Camirand almost made it to victory lane and scored a brilliant second place after an action-packed last lap. Andrew Ranger suffered mechanical failure early in the race and dropped to an 18th-place finish.

Heavy rain showers hit the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, on Saturday, and forced NASCAR to cancel all track activities, including practice and qualifying. The starting line-up has been set per 2022 points standings, with Camirand therefore starting on pole position.

Third in the 15-minute shakedown Sunday morning, Camirand was confident he could repeat his September 2022 victory at CTMP. He led the first laps of the eBay Motors 200 and then went into a great battle for the first spot. After pit stops for left-side tires and fuel, Camirand was back in the field and quickly came back in the leading pack.

He took the lead back at lap 43 of 51, but he knew pressure was coming from behind, as his adversary had taken all four tires later in the race. “I lost a few tenths of a second to pass a lapped car, and I knew he was catching up. I did all I could to hold him off,” said Camirand.

The move for the win finally came at the last turn of the last lap, after a contact from behind sent the GM Paillé/Chevrolet Canada n°96 Camaro wide into turn 10.

“I knew that move was coming, and, well, this is NASCAR. I’m not too disappointed. I would have liked to win back-to-back here, but it’s a good race for points. It’s a long season, and we’ll be ready for next race,” concluded Camirand.

His Paillé Course//Racing teammate Andrew Ranger had a much more disappointing day, as he was expecting a strong comeback after the last race. While Ranger had a brand new road course car prepared by Wight Motorsport, he was confident that he could achieve a great result for the first road course race of the season.

He didn’t have the chance to show how fast his GM Paillé/Chevrolet Canada n°27 Camaro could be. He took the start from the eighth spot, but after only a few laps in the race, a broken sway bar forced him back to the pits.

“I went back on track with a lap down, and I have never been able to go back on the lead lap. It’s a shame because we had high hopes for the weekend. I look forward to going back on track at Chaudière, where I won last year,” said Ranger.

Paillé Course//Racing, Marc-Antoine Camirand and Andrew Ranger will be back in action on June 10th, for the first race this season in Quebec, as the NASCAR Pinty’s series will be on the short-banked oval of Autodrome Chaudière, in Vallée-Jonction, QC, where Ranger and Camirand finished first and second last year.

 

Heartbreaking End to a Promising Race for Thomas Nepveu at CTMP
Posted by admin on in NASCAR Pinty's Series

Heartbreaking End to a Promising Race for Thomas Nepveu at CTMP
(Photo by Ray MacAloney / CDN-R.com)

Bowmanville (ON), May 22, 2023 – It was a challenging event for Thomas Nepveu at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park this weekend as he attempted to complete his first NASCAR Pinty’s road course race commanding the #24 Evirum | Pétrole Bélanger | Home Hardware Nepveu machine.

It was a new track for Nepveu, who had never raced at the iconic Ontario facility, sometimes called Mosport. “I was looking forward to racing on this track,” said Thomas. “I had tested there a few weeks ago, and I was confident we would have a good race. Thomas was helped by Alex Labbé this weekend, as the veteran and 2017 NASCAR Pinty’s champion was tasked with spotting the young rookie.

The event went differently than planned, as inclement weather brought an early end to Saturday’s activities. With the qualifying session cancelled and the 2022 championship points used to build the starting grid, drivers had the option of taking to the track late in the day for practice. However, most teams closed shop instead, not wanting to take an unnecessary risk, and such was the case for the Jacombs Racing crew.

Not having competed in 2022, Thomas started 19th, at the back of the grid, in Sunday morning’s race. From the start, Thomas wasted no time and began making his way toward the pointier end of the field. However, at the beginning of the second lap, a competitor used Thomas’ car to make a turn. This dangerous maneuver resulted in a flat right front tire, which sent the young driver into the outside wall in turn two.

“I have to say I’m not happy about this situation,” said Thomas. “We had a great race ahead of us, and if that competitor had been patient, we could have gone up the field together. He ruined my race before it even started.

Nepveu was forced to retire, leaving valuable championship points on the table. The next event will be held at Autodrome Chaudière in Vallée-Jonction. This is a familiar oval for Thomas, who tested there last fall.