@CTMPOfficial Archives

Posted by admin on May 22 ^nd 2023 in NASCAR Pinty's Series

Camirand Second in Dramatic Last Lap Action, Ranger Suffers Mechanical Failure at CTMP

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 18^th-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 10^th, 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.

Posted by admin on May 22 ^nd 2023 in NASCAR Pinty's Series

Heartbreaking End to a Promising Race for Thomas Nepveu at CTMP

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.

Posted by admin on May 22 ^nd 2023 in NASCAR Pinty's Series

A Challenging Race for Kevin Lacroix at CTMP

Bowmanville (ON), May 22, 2023 – Kevin Lacroix finished fourth commandeering his #74 Adaptive One Brake Calipers | NAPA Auto Parts car during the NASCAR Pinty’s event at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park (CTMP) last Sunday.

The weekend didn’t go as planned as rain and fog invited themselves to the party on Saturday. While it seemed uncertain if the drivers would bring out their cars, the series elected to build the starting grid based on last year’s championship points, cancelling the qualifying session. The drivers had the opportunity to run a practice session later in the afternoon, but most teams decided not to take any unnecessary risks while the track was still wet.

Lacroix started the 51-lap eBay Motors 200 from the second position with Marc-Antoine Camirand at his side. Very quickly, he found himself in a thrilling battle with the leader for a good part of the race.

His success quickly turned into misfortune as he stopped in the pits on lap 15. Kevin left his pitbox too quickly, thinking that the order was given for a safe release while the team was still in the refuelling phase. This incident forced Lacroix to stop on the pit lane and go back on track without the right amount of fuel.

Lacroix had to return to the pits to put the missing fuel into the tank. Then a third and fourth time for tires. “We made an unscheduled stop, which cost us a lot of track time,” said Lacroix.

Then, on a restart with just over 30 laps completed, Kevin found himself behind a much slower competitor, “I tried to pass him, but we touched, and the front wheel was damaged. The car’s alignment was compromised, which prevented me from making my way up the field”.

He held on to the fourth place for the last few laps, not without pressure from Louis-Philippe Dumoulin, who was eyeing the position. Lacroix finally held on, collecting precious points in the standings.

The next NASCAR Pinty’s race will be held on June 10th at Autodrome Chaudière in Vallée-Jonction.

Posted by admin on Feb 17 ^th 2023 in FEL Motorsports

Radical Cup Canada presented by Michelin announces 2023 schedule

Photo By: ©Ray MacAloney/cdn-r.com

For Immediate Release:

Radical Cup Canada presented by Michelin announces 2023 schedule

FEL Motorsports’ RCC to mirror SCCC four-weekend, three-race format

ST. CATHARINES, ON (February 17, 2023) – FEL Motorsports is excited to announce the 2023 schedule
for the Radical Cup Canada (RCC) presented by Michelin. The 2023 RCC schedule will follow the format change of sister-series, Sports Car Championship Canada presented by Michelin. Both will run as a 12-race championship, now condensed into four weekends, each featuring three races. The new format is designed to save all teams money and allow for personal time and travel, while delivering the same great competition experience.

“The new format was designed based on feedback from the existing teams of the RCC,” said Series Manager, Jessica Benevides of this year’s Radical Cup Canada event schedule. “The RCC teams and drivers are comprised of a mix of upcoming talent and gentlemen drivers. A condensed hybrid schedule of main-stream and regional events will allow drivers to showcase their talents in front of the biggest crowds in Canadian motorsport.”

Radical Cup Canada presented by Michelin 2023 Schedule

Rounds 1, 2, 3 – May 19, 20, 21 @ Canadian Tire Motorsport Park Victoria Day Speedfest
Rounds 4, 5, 6 – July 14, 15, 16 @ Honda Indy Toronto
Rounds 7, 8, 9 – August 19, 20 @ Calabogie Motorsports Park
Rounds 10, 11, 12 – September 1, 2, 3 @ Canadian Tire Motorsport Park Labour Day Sprints

“We are definitely gaining traction going into the 2023 season. We have previously announced the prize package for the Radical Cup Canada, as well as the addition of Honda Indy Toronto to the schedule,” said FEL Motorsports President, Chris Bye. “I think the Radicals put on some of the best road racing in Canada and we will do our best to keep the momentum going,” Bye continued.

Registration is now open. Visit www.felmotorsports.com for more details about the series.

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.

Posted by admin on Sep 5 ^th 2022 in Miscellaneous News

Crucial Victory for Camirand, Ranger Eighth at CTMP

Bowmanville, ON, September 5^th, 2022 – Marc-Antoine Camirand clinched a brilliant victory to increase his point lead, as the NASCAR Pinty’s series was at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park this weekend. His Paillé Course//Racing teammate Andrew Ranger scored an eight-place finish after leading some laps in the race.

Marc-Antoine Camirand came to CTMP as the NASCAR Pinty’s championship points leader and aimed at securing as many points as possible with two races to go in the season. He showed great speed throughout the weekend. Camirand scored the pole position after being second in practice earlier Saturday, and for the third race in a row, he started first on the starting grid.

He kept the first place for six laps, before he was passed by Kevin Lacroix but kept putting pressure on the leader. Then, when the first caution occurred, he stopped for fuel first, and stopped a second time to change the left tires but didn’t take fresh right-side tires. The GM Paillé/Chevrolet Camaro n°96 Camaro was tenth at the restart, in front of his championship opponents who took four tires.

This strategy turned out good for Camirand. He managed to climb back the field in no time, and when he took back the lead from his Paillé Course//Racing teammate Ranger, he never looked back. He held Kevin Lacroix who was tailing him for the lead, and won his third race of the season, his first this year on a road course.

“I couldn’t have dreamed of a better weekend. We were looking to secure our championship place, but we ended up increasing that lead with that win. I couldn’t thank my Camirand Performance crew and the whole GM Paillé family enough for that victory,” said Camirand after the race. He now holds a 33-point lead over Kevin Lacroix with one race to go.

His Paillé Course//Racing teammate Andrew Ranger experienced a more difficult weekend on the fast road course located near Bowmanville, ON. Ranger qualified in fifth place on Saturday, after having issues finding some speed on his GM Paillé/Chevrolet Canada n°27 Camaro during practice. He was hoping for a strong top-five finish in the 51-lap race.

After a timely pit stop for fuel just before the first caution, he took the lead of the race and ran good lap times in front of the field. The team chose to pit later in the race to change tires.

“This strategy didn’t turn out like we were hoping to. Even with newer tires, I had some trouble climbing back the field,” explained Ranger. He scored an eight-place finish at the end of the WeatherTech 200.

Paillé Course//Racing, Marc-Antoine Camirand and Andrew Ranger will be back on track for the last race of the NASCAR Pinty’s series 2022 season, on September 25, at Delaware Speedway, near London, ON.