A 4th Place Finish and Valuable Points for Justin Di Benedetto at Circuit Mont-Tremblant
Mont-Tremblant (QC), July 26, 2021 – Di Benedetto Racing travelled to the Laurentians region in the province of Québec for the second round of the Sentra Cup. Circuit Mont-Tremblant was the host of two action-packed races that saw driver Justin Di Benedetto finish 6th and 4th.
Justin Di Benedetto was no stranger to Circuit Mont-Tremblant as he had raced on this track last season in the Micra Cup. He didn’t lose time getting used to the track again, setting flying laps during the practice sessions. When it came time to qualify, Justin set the 4th fastest lap time on Saturday and Sunday morning, putting the #4 Wondr Gaming Nissan Sentra on the second row for both races.
Saturday’s race was full of action as the field proved to be highly competitive once more. “Race 1 started pretty well,” explains Justin Di Benedetto. “I qualified 4th, which set us to start on the outside row. When the green flag came down, I lost a little bit of ground compared to cars on the inside row. I was running in 5th place trying to pass a few cars, so I lost time there, and I also lost the opportunity to catch up with the lead pack.”
“The pace was very strong throughout the race; the crew gave me an excellent car that I feel I could have put on the podium if it wasn’t for the time lost fighting my way back up. In the end, I finished 6th, which is a strong result for points towards the championship.”
Sunday’s race was slightly different for Justin as competitors were more eager to get a spot on the podium. “I started 4th, on the outside row once again. I had a good initial getaway, but I had to deal with a few drivers who started from the back of the field that were charging their way through, and I ended up 5th or 6th. Everything went well until a driver made an over-ambitious move in Turn 12, resulting in pretty heavy contact in the left rear side of the car. I lost quite a few positions from that but the contact ended up causing an ABS issue for the remainder of the race, which made the car extremely hard to drive.”
Although Justin crossed the line in 6th place, penalties were applied after the race, putting Justin in 4th place. “It was unfortunate. I feel Sunday’s race could have gone a lot better. The pace was there, but I had to manage the ABS issue, causing me a lot of time. However, I am happy with the points scored this weekend. Now it’s a matter of recovering and keep going forward.”
Justin is now 7th in the Championship standings, with 121 points, only 5 points away from 5th place. The Sentra Cup is headed to the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières in three weeks, on August 13,14 and 15. At one time or another, some of the best drivers raced at this mythical event in the streets of Trois-Rivières. Like Formula 1 Champion James Hunt, who raced there in 1976 in the Formula Atlantic series, he came in 2nd, beat by future star Gilles Villeneuve who got a shot in Formula 1 after James Hunt praised his driving skills to McLaren Cosworth.
Joining Wondr Gaming on Di Benedetto Racing’s Nissan Sentra; Drone Delivery Canada, Danavation Technologies, Nugen Medical Devices, Launch Capital, Irwin Lowy LLP, Hybrid Financial, Canaccord Genuity – The Polonoski Team, Whitecap Canada, Rentex Realty, KJ Harrison Investors, Air Canada Cargo, First Canadian Capital, Buzbuzian Capital Corp., Cormark Securities, Lynwood Capital, D&B Accountants, Humphries Planning Group, Channel 13, Sussex Strategy, Marrelli Support Services, Ventresca Travel and Grazie Ristorante.
Technical Partners include; SPI Racing, Ultraray Motorsports, Wrap Werks and Kevin Glover Racing.
Follow Justin Di Benedetto and Di Benedetto Racing on social media: Facebook, Instagram and Twitter or through their website: https://www.dibenedettoracing.com/
Nissan Sentra Cup Calendar
June 25- 27 : Races 1 & 2 – Shannonville
July 23 – 25 : Races 2 & 3 – Circuit Mont-Tremblant
August 13 – 15: Races 4 & 5 – Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières
August 27 – 29: Races 6 & 7 – Circuit ICAR
September 3 – 5 : Races 8 & 9 – Canadian Tire Motorsport Park
Septembre 23 – 26: Races 11 & 12 – Circuit Mont-Tremblant