Second Place for Kevin Lacroix at CTMP!

Second Place for Kevin Lacroix at CTMP!

Photo by : ©Ray MacAloney / cdn-r.com

Bowmanville (ON), September 4, 2022 – Kevin Lacroix almost claimed another win at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park this Sunday, as NASCAR Pinty’s concluded their last road course event of the season.

The driver of the #74 Lacroix Tuning | NAPA Auto Parts | Valvoline. car finished second after this fiery race. “With the championship race so close, I needed this win,” said Kevin Lacroix after the race.

He was well on his way to climbing on the top step of the podium after setting the fastest time in Saturday morning’s practice session and 3rd in qualifying.

At the start of the WeatherTech 200, Lacroix took the lead after just a few laps. Leading the field, Lacroix built a comfortable lead that melted during the first caution. Taking advantage of the caution flag, half of the field came down pit road, first for fuel, then a second time for the left side tires, and a third time for the right side tires.

The then race leader Andrew Ranger opted for a different strategy, staying on track. Starting 9th, Lacroix worked his way up to 3rd, where he was stuck behind Andrew Ranger and Marc-Antoine Camirand for a while before claiming second place.

The race had two more cautions. The last one spiced up the battle for the win with a few laps to go. Lacroix started in the second position and had to overtake Camirand while watching out for Gary Klutt behind. Camirand took advantage of the fight between Lacroix and Klutt to pull a gap. However, with two laps remaining, Lacroix was able to catch up with his main competitor. The 51-lap race ended with Lacroix in second place.

“Marc-Antoine (Camirand) did not make any mistakes during the race,” explained the driver of the #74 NAPA Auto Parts | Valvoline | Lacroix Tuning car. “It was hard to fight against him, but we had a great car, especially at the end. I wish the race would have lasted longer, but he deserved the win, and we are happy with 2nd place!”

Kevin Lacroix must win at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park this Sunday

Kevin Lacroix must win at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park this Sunday

Saint-Eustache (QC), September 1, 2022 – Kevin Lacroix has no choice but to win the last two events of the season to ensure he has a chance at winning the NASCAR Pinty’s Championship.

This weekend the Canadian NASCAR Series heads to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park for the final road course event of the season. The driver of the #74 Lacroix Tuning | NAPA Auto Parts | Valvoline  car currently sits in 4th place in the driver’s championship, 28 points off the first position. This is one of the most intense championship finishes that has been seen in years.

“I have no choice but to go for the win at Mosport,” said Kevin Lacroix. “It’s a good thing that this is a track that I know by heart and that I always do well on,” said Kevin Lacroix. Indeed, Lacroix Motorsport claimed the win during the first event of the season, in a fiery finish back in May.

Since his first event in 2016, Lacroix has picked up 6 wins at the Bowmanville track, so he will be looking to add one more to his tally. “It always plays rough at Mosport because most of the drivers in the field know the track as well as I do and could all win the race.”

“Some drivers have nothing left to lose and are aiming for the win at all costs; others have to be more careful and strategic about the championship. I’m between those two; I think I’ll only be able to decide during the race if I take risks to go for the win or if I should be conservative.”

The green flag for the WeatherTech 200 will drop at 1:05 p.m. on Sunday, September 4. Fans will be invited to meet the NASCAR Pinty’s drivers in the paddock at the series truck at 11 a.m.

Mixed Emotions for Kevin Lacroix at the Trois-Riviere Grand Prix

Mixed Emotions for Kevin Lacroix at the Trois-Riviere Grand Prix

Trois-Rivières (QC), August 8 – What started as a promising weekend turned into mixed emotions for Kevin Lacroix and the  Lacroix Tuning | NAPA Auto Parts | Valvoline NASCAR team at the Grand Prix of Trois-Rivières on Sunday, August 7th.

Unveiling his new colours on Saturday morning during the practice session, the driver from Saint-Eustache secured the 6th fastest time. “I was happy with my result during the practice session considering the level of difficulty we were experiencing with our car,” explained Lacroix.

“However, I felt like there was a problem, and as a matter of fact, we found a major problem with the engine. So we opted to change it before the qualifying session. The Lacroix Motorsports team worked hard to get me on track, completing the work just minutes before the session.”

The decision to change the engine paid off, as Lacroix grabbed pole position in front of a lively crowd decked out in Lacroix Tuning | NAPA Auto Parts | Valvoline shirts.

All the signs were pointing towards a good race ahead, since Lacroix is a master on the streets of Trois-Rivières, and has been unbeatable on the road circuits so far this season.

Lacroix lost the lead off the start, but he was not intimidated and did not let Marc-Antoine Camirand out of his sight. However, on lap 3, Lacroix had an electrical problem that forced him to pit. He rejoined at the back of the pack without losing a lap to the leaders. He kept his chin up, put in the work, and moved back up to fourth.

“Despite the bad luck at the beginning, we still had a great race,” said Lacroix. “I think we could have hoped for a podium finish with a good strategy. However, my engine had other plans!”

On the 23rd lap, Lacroix’s engine, which looked like it was going to provide a promising performance, suddenly stopped working. It was an abrupt end to the race for Lacroix and his team. “I’m disappointed because I always win on the streets of Trois-Rivières. It seems that our bad luck has not left us just yet. However, I want to thank all the NAPA Auto Parts and Valvoline guests who were on site to cheer me on.”

The next NASCAR Pinty’s event will be August 16th at Ohsweken Speedway, a dirt track!

One-Two Finish For Parker Thompson at Road America

One-Two Finish For Parker Thompson at Road America

DATE OF RELEASE: Monday, August 8, 2022

Parker Thompson earned his third victory of the season and followed that up with a second-place finish in Rounds 11 & 12 of Carrera Cup North America presented by Cayman Islands at Road America. The result sees the season championship race tighten dramatically with just four rounds remaining. Driving the No.9 machine of JDX Racing, Shell Tap-Up, Surgere, Byers Porsche, Renier Construction, Jersey Mike’s Subs, and SSi Artificial Lift, Thompson sits second in the Pro-class standings, just sixteen points away from the championship lead.

After winning in the series’ visit to Road America in 2021, Thompson was a favorite again in 2022 and showed great pace in his opening laps around the 4.0-mile Wisconsin road course. Drama struck in Qualifying on Friday afternoon when a technical infraction by championship leader Kay Van Berlo and Kelly Moss Racing teammate Riley Dickinson disqualified the duo from the session. Thompson and the white, red, and yellow No.9 claimed an official lap record and pole position for races on Saturday and Sunday morning.

Thompson fully capitalized on his position at the front of the thirty-two car field when Race 1 began. The twenty-four-year-old Canadian drove a flawless race, leading from start to finish, claiming the fastest lap bonus, and earning twenty-eight out of a maximum twenty-eight points available.

Changing weather complicated Thompson’s effort for Race 2 on Sunday morning. With light rain expected for the duration of the 45-minute race, Thompson took a commanding lead when the race launched on a wet track. However, when the rain tapered off and the road surface began to dry, Thompson showed some challenges. He defended his lead valiantly for multiple laps but ultimately surrendered to the pace of MDK Motorsports driver Trenton Estep. He would hold second through to the checkered flag.

A win, a second-place finish, and bonuses for pole position and the fastest race lap contribute fifty points to Thompson’s 2022 campaign. That total matches his best weekend in the Carrera Cup North America series and is imposing in the context of other top drivers’ struggles. Thompson gained thirty-six points on the championship leader and now trails by just sixteen points.

From here, the series heads to Indianapolis Motor Speedway on September 3rd and 4th, where Thompson will hope to draw closer still. The one-time Formula 1 circuit is only minutes from Thompson’s current home and a venue where he has earned wins in multiple series throughout his career.

Parker Thompson
“Lots of positives here at Road America – Our first pole position in the series and a big win in Race 1 yesterday! We would have loved to pair that with another win today, but the track conditions didn’t quite work out as planned. Nevertheless, we took a big step forward in the championship race. That’s what it’s all about! With just four races remaining, everyone on this team can feel our goal is within reach. Indianapolis Motor Speedway is next. We expect to have another weekend like this one!”

Samantha Tan Racing Completes Maiden 24 HOURS OF SPA with Top 10 Finish In Class

Samantha Tan Racing Completes Maiden 24 HOURS OF SPA with Top 10 Finish In Class

August 2, 2022.- Samantha Tan Racing completed its first TotalEnergies 24 Hours of Spa this weekend, securing a 9th place finish in the Silver class at the team’s maiden attempt at the long-standing endurance racing colossus.

The 2022 TotalEnergies 24 Hours of Spa marked ST Racing’s first GT World Challenge Europe event as well as the Canadian outfit’s first visit to the vaunted Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. The 74th annual running of the event welcomed back thousands of fans and featured the return of the Spa parade, absent from the 24 Hours of Spa for two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions. Anticipating a challenging weekend with an enormous field of 66 cars, ST Racing relished the opportunity to prove itself amongst the most competitive GT3 teams around the globe.

Thursday’s opening practice session proved to be a difficult one – a brief affair with the barriers on top of Raidillon cut even further into ST Racing’s already limited practice time. Thanks to a timely repair by the experienced crew, the Canadian team rejoined later in the pre-qualifying session and went on to qualify 17th in the Silver class and 58th overall with a combined time of 2m 21.479s from drivers Samantha Tan, Nick Wittmer, Harry Gottsacker and Dutch newcomer Maxime Oosten. The field looked extremely competitive ahead of race day but the team remained confident that race pace, consistency and pit strategy would be the keys to success at the historic venue.

During the opening hours of the race, Samantha and Harry each put in solid stints, flying through the Belgian forest consistently lap after lap until sundown. As night fell and Nick Wittmer took over for his first stint, trouble struck: a broken diffuser mount cost ST Racing nearly 20 laps. The crew jumped into action to repair the issue as quickly as possible. Following the repair, each of the STR drivers – who were either new to the track or new to the car – drove incredibly well throughout the night into the next day, staying clean and putting out metronomic lap times in their BMW M4 GT3. The team climbed up to 9th place in-class and 36th overall by the end of the full 24 hours of running.

Although the race was more competitive than initially anticipated, ST Racing is extremely proud of their performance at the 2022 24 Hours of Spa, bringing the car home top 10 in-class during their very first outing at the challenging circuit.

 Samantha Tan, co-owner/driver: Wow. What can I even say? We finished our first ever running of the 24 Hours of Spa 9th in-class and made up 22 positions over the course of the race. Despite the challenges we had — including no experience at the track, extremely limited practice time, and a mechanical issue in the first few hours which set us back 17 laps — we faced them head-on and accomplished exactly what we came here to do. I want to dedicate this finish to my team, who had less than five hours of sleep each night, worked countless hours to setup and repair the car after the Raidillon incident during free practice, and ran flawless pit stops every single time. I’d also like to thank my amazing co-drivers for embarking on this adventure with me, for their faith, trust, and endless support. This was by far the toughest race we’ve ever competed in, one where we went up against the best of the best in GT3 amongst the top drivers and teams in the world. I’m so proud we made it to the finish line!”

 Kenneth Tan, team principal: What a race weekend! It’s our first time ever at the biggest and most important GT3 race in the world and it did not disappoint; the atmosphere was electric yet relaxed. So many fans came out to watch the top GT3 teams in the world endure 24 hours of hard battle. And how did we do? I have to say, we did pretty well, all things considered. We came here to see where we stand as a team against the best of the best, and aside from another rear diffuser issue, our car was reliable throughout and we were happy with its performance. Our drivers did outstanding jobs preserving the car while keeping decent lap times, even though it was their first ever GT3 race at this very challenging track. We leave Spa happy but even hungrier and cannot wait to return next year. Now that we have experience, we know what needs to be done.”

 Harry Gottsacker, driver: I am very proud of our Samantha Tan Racing team for a P9 finish in the Silver Class of the TotalEnergies 24 Hours of Spa! We worked hard all week on our BMW M4 GT3 and our constant improvement in the race showed that. This iconic event was a great experience for the team and me, and I am thankful for them for putting their trust in me! I am already looking forward to the next one!

 Maxime Oosten, driver: It was my first 24-hour race and my first real experience in a GT3 car, which was really special for me. I made a small mistake in one of the practice sessions, which bruised my ego a bit, but I adapted and moved on for qualifying. From there, we made big progress each session. There was an issue with the diffuser around midnight but the whole team put in a great effort and handled the situation very well to fix the car as quickly as possible. It was an incredible feeling to be a part of this event, and I’m really proud of everyone at ST Racing and what we achieved this weekend during my first 24-hour race!

 Nick Wittmer, driver: We had an incredible race! We started P58 and were making up ground until we discovered a little issue with the diffuser heading into the night. We had to pull the car into the garage and lost roughly 20 laps in the process, but once we got back out there everyone put their visors down and got the job done by putting in clean laps and avoiding silly errors. By the end, we managed to climb up to P9 in class and P36 overall which everyone at ST Racing is extremely proud of, especially at such a historic track with no room for error. Thank you to ST Racing for doing an amazing job all weekend!