2017 Canadian Tire Motorsport Park - Canadian Touring Car Championship

In 2017, the Canadian Touring Car Championship (CTCC) was in its eleventh year.

In the offseason, the series announced two significant changes:

The first was a new relationship with Pirelli Tires Canada. The three-year partnership would make Pirelli the official tire supplier and presenting partner of the Canadian Touring Car Championship.

Secondly, the Grand Touring class would be called GT Sport. The new name was a better description for cars competing in this category.

The championship is being contested over six race weekends at four different tracks in Ontario and Quebec. The series opens in May on the Victoria Day Weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP). Following CTMP, teams would compete at Calabogie Motorsports Park, Circuit ICAR and Trois-Rivieres. The final two race weekends would see the championship return to CTMP and Circuit ICAR.

The series has three different classes:

Touring: This is intended to be an entry-level category. Vehicles competing in this class are allowed minimal performance enhancements. Manufacturers represented in this group include the – Mini Cooper S, Honda Civic Si, Acura RSX and Hyundai Tiburon.

Super Touring: Super Touring includes many of the same makes and models found in Touring. However, this category allows engine modifications and aerodynamic body enhancements. Additional manufacturers competing in this group include BMW, Subaru and Porsche.

GT Sport: The Ford Mustang is the most popular vehicle racing in this category. However, this class also includes cars such as the Hyundai Genesis Coupe, Acura TLX, Toyota GT86, Ferrari 458 Challenge and Porsche Cayman GT4. Like Super Touring, some changes and modifications are permitted. Cars in this class are typically powered by six or eight-cylinder engines. Of the three groups, these cars produce the most horsepower.

The Victoria Day race weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park included the NASCAR Canadian Tire and Pirelli World Challenge series. This event would be the Canadian Touring Car Championship’s season opener. Drivers would be competing in two 40-minute races around the ten-turn 2.459-mile road course.

The start of Sunday’s very wet contest. Fastest qualifier, Bob Attrell in the No. 88 Hyundai Genesis Coupe paces the field. Sharing the front row with Attrell was fellow GT Sport competitor, Chris Sahakian driving a Ford Mustang. A total of fourteen drivers risked the treacherous conditions and none of them failed to finish.

New season, new cars and new drivers – one of the most impressive was the Ferrari 458 entered by Automobiles Etcetera and driven by Mario Guerin. Guerin topped the timesheets in the first practice and qualifying session – he was the only driver to dip into the 1:23s. Guerin led flag to flag in Saturday’s contest and won the GT Sport class by a margin of 2.549-seconds. He did not start race two.

Jerimy Daniel’s is best known for competing in Porsches but at the season opener, he made a guest appearance in one of the 8Legs Racing’s BMWs. Daniel adapted quickly to the BMW 330i and made the most of the opportunity. In race one, he started at the back of the grid but won the Super Touring category. And, on Sunday, Daniel’s topped that performance by not only winning his class but finishing first overall.

It was business as usual for the defending Touring Car Champion, Michel Sallenbach. Sallenbach swept the weekend in the Team Octane prepared Mini Coupe. He was over a second quicker than his closest rival in the practice and qualifying sessions. Sallenbach followed up these accomplishments with back to back Touring class victories.

M&S Racing debut their new Honda Civic TCR. The TCR was created for a global touring car championship and is powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine which produces approximately 300-horsepower. The car did not appear to have any teething problems and was quick each time it hit the track. On Sunday, in the rain, Gary Kwok, started fourth and was able to lead a lap but had to settle for second overall and first in the GT Sport category.

Veteran Canadian Touring Car competitor, Bob Attrell appeared at the season’s first event with a new sponsor – Quaker State motor oil. As usual, Attrell was one of the front runners - qualifying third for race one but he retired on lap-17 when a problem with the dipstick caused oil to cover his windshield. The following day he started on the pole but had to pit when the oil issue returned – he finished third overall.

Joining Chris Sahakian and the United Auto Racing team in a second Ford Mustang was his sister, Ashley. In the weekend’s race, Chris qualified second while Ashley was sixteenth. At the checkered flag, the pair finished where they started. Ashley did not participate in Sunday’s event. Chris finished ninth after starting on the front row.

The No. 8 M&S Racing Honda Civic Si was driven by Jon Young. Young could not match the pace of two-time Touring class champion, Michel Sallenbach and qualified second in class for rounds one and two. In Saturday’s contest he collected the runner-up position but on Sunday he was overtaken by the new Honda Civic of Scott Nicol and finished third.

In the offseason, Damon Sharpe got a new ride. Sharpe replaced his Hyundai Genesis Coupe with a Scion FRS. In round one, he qualified fifth in GT Sport and finished fourth overall and in class. Despite problems during the weekend’s second event, the Blanchet Motorsports entry captured the final position on the GT Sport podium.

Defending Super Touring Champion, Eric Hochgeschurz was joined by Jerimy Daniels for the opening weekend. In the qualifying session for the season opener, Horchgeschurz was the quickest Super Touring competitor. But the driver of the No. 11 8Legs BMW 330i was passed by Daniels and Jeff Kingsley - he collected a third in class. Horchgeschurz did not participate in Sunday’s event.

Honda employee, Scott Nicol replaced his Super Touring class Honda Civic Si with a new Civic prepared to compete in the Touring category. As expected, the new car had some issues and Nicol did not record a qualifying time but completed the race. In the weekend’s final contest, he started third in class and rewarded the team with a second place.

There were four new BMW M235iRs entered in the season’s opening event. The No. 58 M235iR was driven by Nathan Blok and competed in the Super Touring class. It was a good debut for the BMW as Blok took a fourth in round one and was the runner-up on Sunday. He left Canadian Tire Motorsport Park third in the Driver’s point standings.

In addition to Blok’s BMW, SCB Racing entered a second M235iR for Jeff Kingsley. Kingsley started and finished second in Super Touring on Saturday. In the weekend’s final contest, he was fifth in class at the checkered flag after qualifying fourth.

FINISH	CLASS	DRIVER	SPONSOR / CAR	LAPS	RETIREMENTS
1	GT Sport	Mario Guerin	Automobile Etcetera / Ferrari 458 Challenge	27	-
2	GT Sport	Chris Sahakian	United Auto Racing / Ford Mustang Boss 302S	27	-
3	GT Sport	Tom Kwok	M&S Racing / Honda Civic TCR	27	-
4	GT Sport	Damon Sharpe	Blanchet Motorsports / Toyota GT86	27	-
5	GT Sport	Lee Chaplin	Fastco Motorsports / Ford Mustang Boss 302	27	-
6	GT Sport	Andrew Danyliw	SCB Racing / Porsche Cayman GT4	27	-
7	Super Touring	Jerimy Daniel	8Legs Racing / BMW 330i	27	-
8	Super Touring	Jeff Kingsley	SCB Racing / BMW235iR	27	-
9	Super Touring	Eric Hochgeschurz	8Legs Racing / BMW 330i	27	-
10	Super Touring	Nathan Blok	SCB Racing / BMW235iR	26	-
11	Super Touring	Nathalie Henault	QuickSeries Racing / Subaru STI	26	-
12	GT Sport	Michael Delle Donne	RMP Competizione / BMW235iR	26	-
13	Touring	Michel Sallenbach	Team Octane / Mini Cooper S	26	-
14	Touring	Jon Young	M&S Racing / Honda Civic Si	26	-
15	GT Sport	Gary Kwok	M&S Racing / Mitsubishi EVO	25	-
16	GT Sport	Ashley Sahakian	United Auto Racing / Ford Mustang Boss 302S	25	-
17	Touring	Paul Gravel	Team Octane / Mini Cooper S	25	-
18	Touring	Scott Nicol	Velocity Motorsports Club / Honda Civic Si	24	-
19	Super Touring	Jean-Francois Hevey	The Racing Company / Porsche Cayman S	24	-
20	GT Sport	Rocco Marciello	RMP Competizione / BMW235iR	21	-
21	GT Sport	Bob Attrell	Hyundai Racing Canada / Hyundai Genesis Coupe	17	-
22	Grand Touring	Glenn Chaplin	Fastco Motorsports / Ford Mustang Boss 302	16	-
DNS	GT Sport	Jocelyn Hebert	89 Racing Team / Acura TLX	-	DNS

FINISH	CLASS	DRIVER	SPONSOR / CAR	LAPS	RETIREMENTS
1	Super Touring	Jerimy Daniel	8Legs Racing / BMW 330i	24	-
2	GT Sport	Gary Kwok	M&S Racing / Honda Civic TCR	24	-
3	GT Sport	Bob Attrell	Hyundai Racing Canada / Hyundai Genesis Coupe	24	-
4	Super Touring	Nathan Blok	SCB Racing / BMW235iR	24	-
5	Super Touring	Eric Hochgeschurz	8Legs Racing / BMW 330i	24	-
6	Super Touring	Jean-Francois Hevey	The Racing Company / Porsche Cayman S	24	-
7	GT Sport	Damon Sharpe	Blanchet Motorsports / Toyota GT86	24	-
8	Super Touring	Jeff Kingsley	SCB Racing / BMW235iR	23	-
9	GT Sport	Chris Sahakian	United Auto Racing / Ford Mustang Boss 302S	23	-
10	Touring	Michel Sallenbach	Team Octane / Mini Cooper S	23	-
11	Touring	Scott Nicol	Velocity Motorsports Club / Honda Civic Si	22	-
12	Touring	Jon Young	M&S Racing / Honda Civic Si	22	-
13	Super Touring	Nathalie Henault	QuickSeries Racing / Subaru STI	22	-
14	Touring	Paul Gravel	Team Octane / Mini Cooper S	22	-

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