Miscellaneous News Archives - Page 3 of 75

Posted by admin on Aug 8 ^th 2022 in Miscellaneous News

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!

Posted by admin on Aug 8 ^th 2022 in Miscellaneous News

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!”

Posted by admin on Aug 2 ^nd 2022 in Miscellaneous News

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!”

Posted by admin on Jul 28 ^th 2022 in Miscellaneous News

Solid Twin Races for Ranger, Camirand on the Podium but Suffers Engine Failure in the Second Race

Saskatoon, SK, July 28, 2022 – Andrew Ranger had a very strong outing at Sutherland Automotive Speedway, posting two solid runner-up finishes as the NASCAR Pinty’s ended its trip West with Twin 125 races. Marc-Antoine Camirand also scored a strong third place finish for Paillé Course//Racing in the first race but suffered mechanical issues in the second.

Ranger has been quick all day on the short oval in Saskatoon, SK. He qualified his GM Paillé/Chevrolet Canada n°27 Camaro in second place, only 0,008 second from pole position. Ranger set up the pace early in the 125-race and took the lead of the field at lap 52.

He was on the top spot when a late caution forced the race into NASCAR Overtime. At the restart, he couldn’t hold his competitor who passed him on the outside and sealed a runner-up finish at the end of the first Leland 125 twin race.

“I had a very fast car. It’s a shame that we couldn’t hold the first place until the checkered flag, but we’re very happy with another strong result”, said Ranger.

After a quick break, the field was back on track for the second twin 125 race and the starting grid was set according to race one fastest times. Fifth at the start, Ranger stayed among the top runners and scored another second-place finish.

“We had a very good trip out West, with three podium finishes -one third place and two second places. We are heading to GP3R with momentum and hoping it continues that way for our biggest race this season”, said Ranger.

On his side, his Paillé Course//Racing teammate Marc-Antoine Camirand had a bittersweet day at Sutherland Automotive Speedway. After post-race inspection at Edmonton International Speedway, NASCAR issued a penalty to car n°96 regarding the mufflers, causing the loss of 12 Driver and Owner Championships points, as well as the suspension for one event of crew chief Robin McCluskey. The team is filling for appeal to this penalty. However, considering the short notice between the reception of the penalty and the event in Saskatoon, the timing was too short to defer the suspension of the crew chief, who served his suspension at Sutherland Automotive Speedway doubleheader.

During practice session, Camirand posted the 15^th time, but felt his GM Paillé/Chevrolet Canada n°96 Camaro would be quick on the long run. He qualified in 10^th place and started to gain some track positions early in the first race.

While fighting for a position, Camirand spun in turn one at lap 41 but managed to avoid any collision and stayed on track after falling to the 15^th spot. He then climbed back the field and was running in a tight front pack when he avoided a late-race crash that happened just in front of him. Third when the race restarted for a green-white-checkered, he kept his place and scored his fourth podium finish this season.

“I’m happy with this second strong result during this trip out West. My car felt a little bit tight during the race, but I was able to avoid crashed during the race. We were in a good position at the end, and we’re happy with this podium finish”, said Camirand.

On the second 125-lap race, he was having a good pace early in the race after starting from 9^th place. He was running in the top-five, posting fast lap times, but started to lose power on his engine. He retired from the race at lap 61 and scored a 20^th-place finish.

“It is not the way we wanted to end the trip, but I guess it’s also part of racing. We’ll be ready to race in Trois-Rivières next week”, he concluded.

Andrew Ranger, Marc-Antoine Camirand and Paillé Course//Racing will be back in action for their biggest event of the year, on August 5-7, on the famous street course of the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières.

Posted by admin on Jul 28 ^th 2022 in Miscellaneous News

KEVIN LACROIX STILL LEADING THE NASCAR PINTY’S STANDINGS AFTER HIS TRIP OUT WEST!

Saskatoon, (SK), July 28, 2022 – It wasn’t an easy race for Kevin Lacroix at Sutherland Automotive Speedway. It was a promising event as the car was excellent, and Kevin Lacroix was confident of a double Top 5. Although he finished 21st and then 7th, he still leads the NASCAR Pinty’s driver standings.

The driver of the #74 Lacroix Tuning | ESR Performance Wheels | La Boulonnerie car started the day off on the right foot, posting the fifth fastest time in qualifying for the first 125-lap events.

The first of the Leland Twin 125s went very well until eight laps to go. Lacroix was involved in a crash where he was only a spectator, having no place to escape. With the car heavily damaged, he could not finish the race.

“It’s a real shame what happened,” said Lacroix, “because I wasn’t involved in the accident in front of me, but we were so close that I couldn’t get away from the pack, and I was a victim of the collision.”

With a one-hour break between the two races, the team didn’t have enough time to repair the heavy damage, so they elected to run the spare car for the second portion of the night. Kevin Lacroix was supposed to start from the 4th position, but his unplanned switch to a new car moved him to the back of the field.

With 20 cars in front of him and only 125 laps to make it to the front, Lacroix started to climb in the field right from the start. Approaching the halfway point, he had already moved up to 12th place, then was 10th with 25 laps to go. He finally crossed the checkered flag in 7th.

“The result is good for the points, but it’s an event to forget. I am lucky in my bad luck because all my other competitors had a bad race. However, I am not letting that get me down, and I am looking forward to the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres and getting to the front!”

The next NASCAR Pinty’s event will be on the streets of Trois-Rivieres August 6-7 for the 60 tours Métal Rousseau.