2014 Canadian Tire Motorsport Park - Canadian Touring Car Championship

2014 was the eighth season for the Canadian Touring Car Championship. The series continued to offer racers an excellent opportunity to showcase their talents at some of eastern Canada’s most widely recognized and well-established race circuits. The series provided amateur competitors with professionally organized events that would attract fans and sponsors. The success of the championship was reflected in the number of drivers who participated during race weekends.

This 2014 schedule consists of seven race weekends at six different tracks. The format at each venue includes two races – generally, thirty-minutes in length. As has become tradition, the season kicks off on the Victoria Day long weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Next on the calendar is the series’ visit to Circuit Gilles Villeneuve during the Grand Prix of Canada weekend. The championship returns to Ontario for rounds five and six at Calabogie Motorsport Park. Early in July, teams will be at ICAR Mirabel. For the first time since May 2009, teams with compete at Shannonville Motorsport Park. Next up is the series annual stop on the street circuit at Trois-Rivieres. Series champions will be crowned when teams visit Canadian Tire Motorsport Park during the NASCAR Truck weekend.

In 2014, there were three classes. To help fans distinguish between the groups, the cars are fitted with different coloured windshield banners.

B-Spec – (White Window Banner) – B-Spec is the Canadian Touring Car Championship’s entry-level category. As a result, all adjustments made to a vehicle must be within the manufacturer’s specifications. Brake pads and rotors may be changed, but they have to retain the original dimensions. The maximum wheel size is 15X7 fitted with Continental 205/50R15 tires. There was an extensive list of cars that qualify for this class – Mazda 2, Mini Cooper, Honda Fit, Chevrolet Sonic, Fiat 500, Ford Fiesta, Nissan Versa and Toyota Yaris.
Touring - (Blue Window Banner) – Vehicles competing in this class are allowed a minimal amount of performance enhancements. This group is limited to a maximum engine displacement of 2.0-liters. The suspension components are unrestricted, but vehicles have a minimum ride height of three inches. Brake pads and rotors may be changed, but they have to retain the original dimensions. The maximum wheel size is 17X8 fitted with Continental 225/45R17 tires. Manufacturers represented in this group include the Mini Cooper S, Honda Civic, Mazda 3, Volkswagen Golf and Scion.
Super Touring – (Orange Window Banner) - Super Touring is the series fastest class. This category allows engine modifications and aerodynamic enhancements. The maximum engine displacement for this group is 3.0-liters. The suspension components are unrestricted, but vehicles must have a minimum ride height of four inches. Unlike the other two classes, the brake components are not subject to any restrictions. The maximum wheel size is 17X9 fitted with Continental 225/45R17 tires. Manufacturers competing in the group include BMW, Subaru, Honda, Pontiac and Hyundai.

Rounds thirteen and fourteen were the final races of the 2014 Canadian Touring Car Championship. Competitors would race around Canadian Tire Motorsport Park’s ten turn 2.459-mile in two thirty-minute contests.

The start of round thirteen at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and the pole-sitter, Remy Audette, leads the field through Moss Corner in the No. 21 Audette Racing Honda Civic Si-R. Behind Audette is the No. 66 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X of the third-fastest qualifier, Gary Kwok. Chasing Kwok is Roger Ledoux in the Lachute Performance Subaru WRX, the Honda Accord of Benjamin DiStaulo and Kwok’s brother, Tom.

M&S Racing’s Gary Kwok had a lot of issues in 2014 with the No. 66 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X. It wasn’t until round ten at Shannonville that the front-runner earned his first podium of the year. For Saturday’s race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Kwok qualified third. He moved into second of the opening and cruised to the victory when the pole-sitter, Remy Audette, retired. In the finale, he started fourth and finished third.

Damon Sharpe was the 2012 and 2013 Touring class champion. However, the driver of the No. 84 Blanchet Motorsports Honda Civic Si would not earn a ‘hat trick.’ Sharpe’s title hopes were dashed at Calabogie Motorsport Park when he failed to start both rounds. The finale at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park was one of the highlights of his season. Sharpe won the Touring category in both of the weekend’s races.

Last season, Normand Boyer, chased Karl Wittmer to a runner-up finish in the B-Spec championship. This season Boyer was the dominant player and secured his first Canadian Touring Car title. Entering the final weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, he had five victories in six starts. Boyer would add wins number six and seven in the last weekend of the series.

The defending Canadian Touring Car Super Touring champion, Scott Nicol, also had a challenging year. During 2014, Nicol earned seven podium finishes, including a victory at Trois-Rivieres; however, he failed to enter Calabogie and retired from two events. For round thirteen at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Nicol qualified seventh but charged to a runner-up result. Unfortunately, he did not start the finale.

The start of round fourteen at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park – the final race of the 2014 Canadian Touring Car Championship. On the pole, for the second time, this weekend is Remy Audette in the No. 21 Audette Racing Honda Civic Si. Absent from the grid is Saturday’s runner-up finisher, Scott Nicol and his No. 1 Honda Civic Si-R. Fourth place starter, Nick Wittmer, was unable to capitalize on this opportunity.

Remy Audette spent the season battling with Roger Ledoux for the Super Touring crown. Audette opened 2014 with a pair of victories and captured another three before the final weekend. However, some poor results, including a failure to finish round three at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, hurt his title aspirations. In the last weekend, Audette retired from race one but won the final contest of the year.

Roger Ledoux’s final weekend of the 2014 Canadian Touring Car season was uneventful. The new Super Touring champion qualified second fastest for round thirteen in the No. 4 Lachute Performance Subaru WRX and finished a distant fifth in class. On Sunday, Ledoux started seventh overall and finished sixth in his category. His success in capturing the crown could be attributed to scoring points in every event.

Stuart Clark ran a partial schedule in the No. 85 Blanchet Motorsports Honda Civic Si and only competed at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve rounds. In race three at Montreal, Clark captured a runner-up result. During the final weekend of the Canadian Touring Car Championship, he claimed a pair of runner-up finishes and set the fastest race lap while chasing his teammate, Damon Sharpe.

After five seasons, Michel Sallenbach earned his first Touring class title. Sallenbach joined the series in 2010 and finished second in the championship to Anthony Rapone, and in 2012 and 2013, he was the runner-up to Damon Sharpe. But this would be the year for the driver of the No. 46 Mini Cooper Coupe. During 2014, Sallenbach collected podium finishes on ten occasions, of which five were victories.

FINISH	CLASS	DRIVER	CAR / SPONSOR	LAPS	RETIREMENTS
1	Super Touring	Gary Kwok	Mitsubitshi Lancer Evo X / M&S Racing	20	-
2	Super Touring	Scott Nicol	Honda Civic Si-R / Velocity Motorsport	20	-
3	Super Touring	Benjamin Distaulo	Honda Civic Si-R / Lombardi Honda Racing	20	-
4	Super Touring	Tom Kwok	Honda Civic Si / M & S Racing	20	-
5	Super Touring	Roger Ledoux	Subaru WRX / Lachute Performance	20	-
6	Touring	Damon Sharpe	Honda Civic Si / Blanchet Motorsports	19	-
7	Touring	Stuart Clark	Honda Civic Si / Blanchet Motorsports	19	-
8	Super Touring	Nick Wittmer	Honda Accord / Ste-Rose Honda	19	-
9	Touring	Charles Leclerc	Scion TC / Media Racing Team	19	-
10	Touring	Martin Crisp	Mazda MX-5 / wutfun Racing	19	-
11	Touring	Karl Wittmer	Honda Civic Si / Ste-Rose Honda Racing	19	-
12	Touring	Michel Sallenbach	Mini Cooper S / Octane Motorsport	19	-
13	Touring	Samantha Tan	Mini Cooper S / Octane Motorsport	19	-
14	Touring	Paul Gravel	Mini Cooper S / Octane Motorsport	19	-
15	B-Spec	Normand Boyer	Mazda 2 / Boyer Motorsports	17	-
16	B-Spec	Rui Teixeira	Honda Fit / Lombardi Honda Racing	17	-
17	Touring	Eric Lacouture	Mini Cooper S / Octane Motorsport	13	Did Not Finish
18	Super Touring	Nathalie Hénault	Subaru WRX / Lachute Performance	6	Did Not Finish
19	Super Touring	Rémy Audette	Honda Civic Si-R / Audette Racing	5	Did Not Finish

FINISH	CLASS	DRIVER	CAR / SPONSOR	LAPS	RETIREMENTS
1	Super Touring	Rémy Audette	Honda Civic Si-R / Audette Racing	19	-
2	Super Touring	Gary Kwok	Mitsubitshi Lancer Evo X / M&S Racing	19	-
3	Super Touring	Tom Kwok	Honda Civic Si / M & S Racing	19	-
4	Super Touring	Benjamin Distaulo	Honda Civic Si-R / Lombardi Honda Racing	19	-
5	Super Touring	Nick Wittmer	Honda Accord / Ste-Rose Honda	19	-
6	Super Touring	Roger Ledoux	Subaru WRX / Lachute Performance	19	-
7	Touring	Damon Sharpe	Honda Civic Si / Blanchet Motorsports	18	-
8	Touring	Stuart Clark	Honda Civic Si / Blanchet Motorsports	18	-
9	Touring	Alain Lauzière	Mini Cooper S / Octane Motorsport	18	-
10	Touring	Michel Sallenbach	Mini Cooper S / Octane Motorsport	18	-
11	Touring	Martin Crisp	Mazda MX-5 / wutfun Racing	18	-
12	Touring	Karl Wittmer	Honda Civic Si / Ste-Rose Honda Racing	18	-
13	Touring	Paul Gravel	Mini Cooper S / Octane Motorsport	18	-
14	Touring	Samantha Tan	Mini Cooper S / Octane Motorsport	18	-
15	B-Spec	Normand Boyer	Mazda 2 / Boyer Motorsports	16	-
16	B-Spec	Rui Teixeira	Honda Fit / Lombardi Honda Racing	12	Did Not Finish
17	Touring	Charles Leclerc	Scion TC / Media Racing Team	12	Did Not Finish
18	Super Touring	Nathalie Hénault	Subaru WRX / Lachute Performance	6	Did Not Finish
-	Super Touring	Scott Nicol	Honda Civic Si-R / Velocity Motorsport	0	Did Not Start

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