The 2009 Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship presented by Toyo Tires offered racers an excellent opportunity to showcase their talents at some of eastern Canada’s most widely recognized and well-established race tracks. The series provided amateur competitors with professionally organized events that would attract sponsors and fans. The success of the championship was reflected in the number of drivers who participated in race weekends. The average car count per event was twenty-nine- entries.

This 2009 schedule consists of eight race weekends at six different facilities. The format at each venue includes two races – generally, thirty-minutes in length. The season kicks off on the Victoria Day long weekend at Mosport International Raceway. This is followed by the series only stop at Shannonville Motorsports Park. In mid-June, the championship returns to Mosport as a support event for the NASCAR Canadian Tire series. Two weeks later, teams travel Quebec and compete at the ICAR Mirabel Airport circuit. Then it is back to Ontario for the series premiere event – Exhibition Place, Toronto, with the IndyCar Championship. Then teams make their only stop at Calabogie Motorsports Park in July. The final events are conducted in Quebec. The penultimate rounds take place on the street circuit at Trois-Rivieres. The last weekend is the second visit to ICAR in September.

In 2009, there would be two classes. To help fans distinguish between the groups, the cars are fitted with different coloured windshield banners.

  • Touring - (Blue Window Banner) – This is intended to be an entry-level category. Vehicles competing in this class are allowed a minimal amount of performance enhancements. Manufacturers represented in this group include the Mini Cooper S, Honda Civic, Mazda Protege, Nissan Sentra and Acura Integra.
  • Super Touring – (Yellow Window Banner) - Super Touring includes many of the same makes and models found in Touring. However, this category allows engine modifications and aerodynamic enhancements. Additional manufacturers competing in the group include BMW, Subaru and Audi.

The first two rounds of the Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship presented by Toyo Tires were held at Mosport International Raceway on the Victoria Day long weekend. There were two thirty-minute races conducted on Saturday and Sunday around the ten-turn 2.459-mile road course.

The first lap through Moss Corner for race one of the 2009 Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship at Mosport International Raceway. Leading the way is Sports Car Club of America World Challenge competitor and the second-fastest qualifier, Kuno Wittmer, driving the No. 44 Lombardi Racing Honda Civic Si-R. Behind Wittmer is the No. 12 Acura RSX Type-S of the third-place starter, Mathieu Audette.
The opening round of the Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship was conducted in wet conditions. One of a few drivers that demonstrated their prowess in the rain was David Ciekiewicz. Ciekiewicz qualified sixth fastest and lapped up to the seventh-place finisher en route to the victory. On Sunday, he started on the pole in the No. 56 Spin2Win Racing BMW 328i and finished fourth in the Super Touring category.
Perhaps, more impressive the Cieklewicz’s performance in race one was that of Alain Lauziere. The driver of the No. 47 Mini Canada Mini Cooper S finished fifth overall and won the Touring category. Lauziere was the only driver in his class that was not lapped by the leader. In round two, he was unable to hold off the Honda Civic Si of Anthony Rapone and finished second in Touring – fourteenth overall.
The reigning Super Touring champion, Nigel Krikorian, return to the 2009 season to defend his title. In round one, Krikorian qualified fourth fastest in the No. 1 Krikorian Motorsports Subaru WRX STi and was able to capture the final position on the class podium. The following day, he started third and before the checkered flag, Kirkorian moved into the top spot and won by a margin of almost four seconds.
Sunday’s Touring class winner was Anthony Rapone. Rapone drove the No. 72 Durabond Racing Honda Civic Si and was the fastest qualifier in his group for round one. However, in the rain, he was no match for Alain Lauziere and finished fifth in his category. In round two and with dry conditions, Rapone performed much better. He moved from eighteenth to thirteenth place and captured the class victory.
Sports Club of America World Challenge regular, Kuno Wittmer, joined his brother, Nick, for the opening weekend of the Canadian Touring Car Championship. Kuno raced the No. 44 Lombardi Racing Honda Civic Si-R in the Super Touring category. In Saturday’s contest, he started on the outside of the front row and survived the wet conditions to earn a runner-up finish. The next day, Kuno captured the final spot on the podium.
GT Racing’s, Etienne Borgeat, found Saturday’s wet conditions very challenging and it was reflected in his results – sixteenth overall and twelfth in the Super Touring category. In more favourable conditions on Sunday, the No. 2 BMW 330i was gridded sixteenth. Borgeat charged through the field and moved into the runner-up position before the conclusion of the thirty-minute contest.
Not quite ‘spin and win,’ but Steve Greiner’s mishap at Moss Corner during race one of the weekend didn’t impact him too severely. Greiner qualified twenty-second overall; however, he moved up the race order and finished second in Touring. The pilot of the No. 00 Team 00 Acura Integra Type R dropped down the race order on Sunday and was classified twenty-fifth overall – two laps behind the leaders.
Nigel Heron drove the No. 90 Heron Motorsports Acura Integra Type R. Unlike many of the other competitors, Heron did not appear to be challenged by the changing weather conditions that ‘Mother Nature’ delivered during the weekend. In round one, he qualified a distant fourth in the Touring category but finished third. On Sunday, in a repeat performance, Heron captured his second podium result of the event.

FINISHCLASSDRIVERCAR / SPONSORLAPSRETIREMENTS
1Super TouringDavid CiekiewiczBMW 328i / Spin2Win Racing16-
2Super TouringKuno WittmerHonda Civic Si-R / Lombardi Racing16-
3Super TouringNigel KrikorianSubaru WRX STi / Krikorian Motorsports16-
4Super TouringGary KwokAcura CSX / M&S Racing16-
5Super TouringPaul Dalla LanaBMW 330i / GT Racing16-
6TouringAlain LauzièreMini Cooper S / Mini Canada16-
7Super TouringNick WittmerHonda Civic Si-R / Lombardi Racing15-
8Super TouringRichard BoakeSubaru WRX STi / Can Jam Motorsport15-
9Super TouringDavid BensadounBMW 328i / Aldo15-
10Super TouringArek WojciechowskiMercury Cougar / 8Legs Racing15-
11Super TouringGlenn ChaplinHyundai Tiburon / Fast Wheels Racing15-
12TouringSteve GreinerAcura Integra Type R / Team 0015-
13TouringNigel HeronAcura Integra Type R / Heron Motorsports15-
14Super TouringP.J. GroenkeSaab 93 Sport / JL Racing15-
15TouringAldo LombardiHonda Civic / Team Azapa15-
16Super TouringEtienne BorgeatBMW 330i / GT Racing14-
17Super TouringGilbert TomaroHyundai Tiburon / Team Vitesse14-
18TouringAnthony RaponeHonda Civic Si / Durabond Products Ltd.14-
19Super TouringNicholas KrikorianSubaru WRX STi / Krikorian Motorsports14-
20TouringPieter van DoornHonda Civic / PK Racing14-
21Super TouringGreg PootmansBMW 330i / GT Racing14-
22Super TouringEric HochgeschurzBMW 328i / 8Legs Racing14-
23TouringPatrick SéguinHonda Civic Si / Canadian Classic Cars13-
24Super TouringMathieu AudetteAcura RSX Type-S / Audette Racing12-
25Super TouringDean FantinBMW 330i / Amico Racing11-
26TouringFrank BlanchetAcura Integra Type R / Blanchet Motorsports10Did Not Finish
27Super TouringJonathan RashleighHyundai Genesis / Hyundai Racing Team5Did Not Finish
28Super TouringJean-Guillaume ShoonerAcura RSX Type-S / Shooner Racing5Did Not Finish
29Super TouringLee ChaplinHyundai Tiburon / Fast Wheels Racing2Did Not Finish
30Super TouringBob AttrellHyundai Genesis / Hyundai Racing Team1Did Not Finish
31Super TouringAlex HealyAcura RSX Type-S / Krikorian Motorsports0Did Not Finish
-Super TouringAndrew WojteczkoLexus IS300 / Auto Analyser Racing0Did Not Start
-TouringRyan BlanchetNissan Sentra / Blanchet Motorsports0Did Not Start
-Super TouringAndy WojteczkoLexus IS300 / Auto Analyser Racing0Did Not Start
-TouringJocelyn FecteauToyota Corolla XRS / Media Racing Team0Did Not Start
-TouringRoger BowesAcura Integra Type R / Engineering Seismology0Did Not Start

FINISHCLASSDRIVERCAR / SPONSORLAPSRETIREMENTS
1Super TouringNigel KrikorianSubaru WRX STi / Krikorian Motorsports20-
2Super TouringEtienne BorgeatBMW 330i / GT Racing20-
3Super TouringKuno WittmerHonda Civic Si-R / Lombardi Racing20-
4Super TouringDavid CiekiewiczBMW 328i / Spin2Win Racing20-
5Super TouringGreg PootmansBMW 330i / GT Racing20-
6Super TouringMathieu AudetteAcura RSX Type-S / Audette Racing20-
7Super TouringNick WittmerHonda Civic Si-R / Lombardi Racing20-
8Super TouringPaul Dalla LanaBMW 330i / GT Racing20-
9Super TouringDavid BensadounBMW 328i / GT Racing20-
10Super TouringRichard BoakeSubaru WRX STi / Can Jam Motorsport20-
11Super TouringGary KwokAcura CSX / M&S Racing20-
12Super TouringNicholas KrikorianSubaru WRX STi / Krikorian Motorsports20-
13TouringAnthony RaponeHonda Civic Si / Durabond Products Ltd.19-
14TouringAlain LauzièreMini Cooper S / Mini Canada19-
15Super TouringAlex HealyAcura RSX Type-S / Krikorian Motorsports19-
16Super TouringEric HochgeschurzBMW 328i / 8Legs Racing19-
17TouringNigel HeronAcura Integra Type R / Heron Motorsports19-
18Super TouringArek WojciechowskiMercury Cougar / 8Legs Racing15-
19TouringAldo LombardiHonda Civic / Team Azapa19-
20TouringFrank BlanchetAcura Integra Type R / Blanchet Motorsports19-
21Super TouringJean-Guillaume ShoonerAcura RSX Type-S / Shooner Racing18-
22TouringRyan BlanchetNissan Sentra / Blanchet Motorsports18-
23TouringPatrick SéguinHonda Civic Si / Canadian Classic Cars18-
24Super TouringP.J. GroenkeSaab 93 Sport / JL Racing17-
25TouringSteve GreinerAcura Integra Type R / Team 0017-
26Super TouringGlenn ChaplinHyundai Tiburon / Fast Wheels Racing12Did Not Finish
27TouringPieter van DoornHonda Civic / PK Racing12Did Not Finish
28Super TouringLee ChaplinHyundai Tiburon / Fast Wheels Racing9Did Not Finish
29Super TouringDean FantinBMW 330i / Amico Racing7Did Not Finish
-Super TouringGilbert TomaroHyundai Tiburon / Team Vitesse0Did Not Start
-Super TouringJonathan RashleighHyundai Genesis / Hyundai Racing Team0Did Not Start
-Super TouringBob AttrellHyundai Genesis / Hyundai Racing Team0Did Not Start
-Super TouringAndrew WojteczkoLexus IS300 / Auto Analyser Racing0Did Not Start
-Super TouringAndy WojteczkoLexus IS300 / Auto Analyser Racing0Did Not Start
-TouringJocelyn FecteauToyota Corolla XRS / Media Racing Team0Did Not Start
-TouringRoger BowesAcura Integra Type R / Engineering Seismology0Did Not Start

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