Tag: @imsa

Canadians Racing in today’s “The Rolex 24 at Daytona” race.
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Canadians Racing in today’s “The Rolex 24 at Daytona” race.

Here is a list of Canadian drivers who are participating in today’s 24hr race at Daytona International Speedway.

LMP2

(8th) #8 John Farano, Tower Motorsport, ORECA LMP2 07

(5th) #81 Devlin Defrancesco, DragonSpeed USA, ORECA LMP2 07

LMP3

(3rd) #13 Orey Fidani and Kuno Wittmer, AWA, Duqueine D08

(7th) #38 GarettGrist, Performance Tech Motorsports, Ligier JS P320

GDTPro

(2nd ) #9 Pfaff Motorsports, Porsche 911 GT3R

GTD 

(12th) #16 Zacharie Robichon, Wright Motorsports, 911 GT3R

(22nd) #27 Roman De Angelis, Heart of Racing Team, Aston Martin Vantage GT3

(7th) #28 Daniel Morad, Alegra Motorsports, Mercedes-AMG GT3

(1st) #57 Mikael Grenier, Winward Racing, Mercedes-AMG GT3

(11th) #98 Paul Dalla Lana, Northwest AMR, Aston Martin Vantage GT3

IMPC Canadian Participants for Today’s Race at Daytona
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IMPC Canadian Participants for Today’s Race at Daytona

Today’s opening round of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge series only has three cars with Canadian drivers in the lineup, they are as follows with qualifying positions in ():

GS

( 23rd ) #3 Kyle Marcelli, Infinity Autosport, Toyota Supra GT4

( 16th ) #83 Thomas Collingwood, BGB Motorsports, Porsche 718 GT4 RS CS

TCR

( 7th )#33 Robert Wickens and Mark Wilkins, Bryan Herta Autosport, Hyundai Elantra N TCR

Robert Wickens Returns to Racing as New Member of Hyundai Team in IMSA
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Robert Wickens Returns to Racing as New Member of Hyundai Team in IMSA

Bryan Herta Autosport Team Announcement:

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., Jan. 14, 2022 – Three-time International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) Michelin Pilot Challenge (IMPC) Champions, Bryan Herta Autosport (BHA) and Hyundai Motor North America, announced they have signed international racing star, Robert Wickens to co-drive the #33 Elantra N TCR racecar. Wickens will drive with fellow Canadian champion Mark Wilkins in the 2022 IMPC.

“Today is a monumental day for us as a team and as fans of Robert Wickens,” said Bryan Herta, president of BHA. “We have followed along with Robert’s rehabilitation and marveled at his determination and dedication, along with his many, many fans. To now announce that he will be making his professional motorsports return in one of our Hyundai Elantra N TCR cars is truly incredible. We thank Hyundai for their amazing support and helping us build a path for Robert to get back to where he belongs.”

In May of 2021, Wickens successfully evaluated the BHA #54 Hyundai Veloster N TCR using hand controls. It was his first time driving a race car after 989 days of rehabilitation following an IndyCar accident that left him paralyzed in 2018. Wickens will return to competition, taking the green flag at the IMPC season opener, a four-hour endurance race commencing the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona race weekend at Daytona International Speedway on Jan. 28.

“I’ve spent a lot of nights thinking and dreaming of this moment, and with the support from Bryan Herta and Hyundai it is all becoming a reality,” said Wickens. “I am hungrier now than I was before my accident to compete for wins again! I’m really looking forward to incorporating myself with the entire Bryan Herta Autosport team and finally get my first taste of the Hyundai Elantra N TCR.”

Wickens, a former Formula One test driver, took the American IndyCar scene by storm as a rookie in 2018. He won the pole position and led all but two laps in his first IndyCar race, went on to score four podium finishes and earned the Indy 500 Rookie of the Year honor, all in his first 12 IndyCar races in 2018. Race number 13 of his stellar rookie IndyCar season changed his life forever. Wickens was involved in an accident on lap 7 at Pocono Raceway, where he suffered a thoracic spinal fracture, spinal cord injury, neck fracture, tibia and fibula fractures to both legs, fractures in both hands, a fractured right forearm, fractured elbow, a concussion, four fractured ribs and a pulmonary contusion. Since the accident, Wickens’ perseverance and persistence has led to triumphant breakthroughs in his relentless regimes of physical rehabilitation and therapy that continues daily. Wickens and his team of therapists and trainers have become trailblazers in developing innovative technology and treatment methods for the spinal cord injury community.

The #33 Hyundai Elantra N TCR has been fitted with a custom hand-control system designed by BHA Technical Director David Brown and Development Technician Jonathan Gormley. The system features a custom metal ring connected to the brake pedal by a series of rods specifically tailored to the Elantra. The ring is attached behind the steering wheel that is pulled with fingers to activate the brake. Two linked throttle paddles and shift paddles, all attached behind the steering wheel, allow the driver to accelerate, shift and make steering inputs. The system also features a switch for Mark Wilkins when he takes over the cockpit in pitstops that deactivates the hand throttle. The Elantra will accelerate and brake using the traditional foot pedals when Wilkins is driving.

Wickens and Wilkins join the previously announced 2022 BHA driver lineup featuring six Elantra N TCR entries to defend the team’s trifecta of series titles, and they will vie for Hyundai’s third straight manufacturers title. The 2022 season kicks off with the season opening test days, the “Roar Before the Rolex 24,” at Daytona International Speedway, Jan. 21-23, 2022. Round one of the 2022 IMPC season takes place the following weekend with the BMW Endurance Challenge, a four-hour race during the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona race weekend on Friday, Jan. 28, 2022.

Kyle Marcelli signs with Infinity Autosport for the 2022 IMPC season.
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Kyle Marcelli signs with Infinity Autosport for the 2022 IMPC season.
Photo By: Ray MacAloney
Kyle Marcelli announced today that he will be piloting the Infinity Autosport ( formerly known as Motorsport In Action )  No. 3 Toyota Supra GT4 in the 2022 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge GS class with co-driver Sheena Monk.
Kyle’s Announcement:
As you may have seen the teams official announcement yesterday, I will be piloting the No. 3 @jgwentworth @infinityautosport Toyota Supra GT4 in the 2022 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge and co-driving with @sheenamonk_.
I look forward to racing the Toyota Supra – the car showed great potential throughout its debut in 2021. I also look forward to reuniting with some of my friends and former colleagues at TRD, whom I got to know during my time at the wheel of the Lexus RCF GT3 program.
Thanks to @waynetaylorracing for bringing me together with Sheena. She is determined and I know has big aspirations for herself in motorsport. I hope to share what knowledge and experience I have, and together challenge for race wins.
The newly branded Infinity Autosport has a proven track record of running up front and I expect much of the same from us this year.
2022 is shaping up to be a busy year and I am grateful to all those involved. I also want to thank Dean Martin and @kohrmotorsports for their trust in me the last four years. It will be strange to compete against them this year, and I wish them much success.
Thompson earns third win of the year as Carrera Cup North America visits Indianapolis Motor Speedway
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Thompson earns third win of the year as Carrera Cup North America visits Indianapolis Motor Speedway

(Photo credit Porsche Motorsports North America)

The Porsche Sportscar Together Fest and Indianapolis Motor Speedway played host to a unique event for Carrera Cup North America Presented By Cayman Islands this past weekend. Three races at The Yard of Bricks provided a massive opportunity to transform the championship. Porsche Canada driver Parker Thompson entered the weekend holding third place in the overall standings. Coming off of a win last month at Road America, expectations for Thompson were high. He did not disappoint. Thompson piloted the #9 Porsche 992 of JDX Racing to his third win of the season, leading more laps than all drivers throughout the weekend.

After setting the fastest time in Friday afternoon’s practice, Thompson began qualifying with a blistering lap of 1:36.620 seconds. That would hold as best for most of the session. A late lap by Seb Priaulx would better that time by little more than a tenth of a second, and Thompson was unable to counter before the session closed. He would start on the outside of the front row for all three races throughout the weekend.

In Race 1 on Saturday afternoon, Thompson and the red, white, and grey #9 of JDX Racing would hold second for the entirety of the contest. In an incident-free race, his position was never challenged. Apart from aggressive passing attempts on the opening lap, Thompson followed Priaulx through twenty-eight laps to the finish and took the second step on the podium.

Seemingly taking a lesson from Race 1, Thompson was able to exploit Priaulx as the pair again lined up on the front row for Race 2. Thompson got a jump on Priaulx at the start and was able to pass him under braking into turn one on the opening lap. From there, the Canadian never looked back, holding his lead through two re-starts and taking the checkered flag after twenty-five laps. It was a dominant win from Thompson, and one that provided a massive boost in the championship standings as fellow contenders Priaulx and Van Berlo fell victim to incidents late in the race.

In the weekend’s final race, Thompson again lined up beside Priaulx at the start and again seemed to find an early advantage. Aggressively committing to holding the outside position through turn one on the opening lap, Thompson set the #9 JDX Racing car on the advantageous inside line for turn 2. Narrowly squeezing past Priaulx, he took the lead in the opening moments of the race. Unfortunately, a mid-field collision on that opening lap resulted in a lengthy caution as the crew worked to clean an extensive spill. After ten laps under yellow, race action resumed, and Thompson was immediately penalized for a start lane violation. Re-emerging in 19th position, he had limited time to recover. In four laps, Thompson moved eight spots to P-11 before the checkered flag fell.

With the results of Race 3 providing a reverse of fortunes to Race 2, Thompson maintains his third position in the standings for Carrera Cup North America Presented By Cayman Islands. The standings tighten however. Less than 60 points separate the top three drivers. As Thompson and JDX Racing seem to grow stronger and stronger as the season progresses, we can expect action in the series to intensify with five rounds remaining. Rounds 12 and 13 will run October 8 – 10 at Virginia International Raceway.

Parker Thompson

“Any weekend that I get to go racing is special, but three races in two days here with Porsche taking over Indianapolis Motor Speedway was an experience I’ll never forget. I’m so honored to work with the team at JDX Racing. The #9 feels like it gets faster and faster every stint. That takes an effort that extends to each member of our group. Special thanks go to our incredible partners at Porsche Canada, Surgere, SSi Artificial Lift, Byers Porsche, and Renier Construction. We had a penalty in Race 3 that we are less than happy about, but I’m not going to let that take away from our overall performance this weekend. We put another win in the books. Now, it’s time to put our heads down and get ready for VIR.”