2023 Canadian Tire Motorsport Park - IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Challenge

In 2023, the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) was celebrating its 54th anniversary. IMSA was founded by NASCAR's Bill France, John Bishop (a former executive director of the Sports Car Club of America), and Bishop's wife, Peggy. They succeeded in creating their vision to build a sanctioning body for professional road racing in North America. From its humble roots, IMSA currently sanctions seven different race series: IMSA WeatherTech SportCar Championship, IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, IMSA Prototype Challenge, Porsche Carrera Cup, Mazda MX-5 Cup, Lamborghini Super Trofeo and the Ferrari Challenge.

The 2023 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship consisted of eleven race weekends.

January 20-22 - 'Roar Before the 24' Daytona test
January 26-29 - Rolex 24 at Daytona
March 15-18 - Twelve Hours of Sebring
April 14-15 - Long Beach
May 12-14 - WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
June 22-25 - Watkins Glen International
July 7-9 - Canadian Tire Motorsport Park
July 21-22 - Lime Rock Park
August 4-6 - Road America
August 25-27 - Virginia International Raceway
September 15-17 - Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course
Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta (Petit Le Mans)

The IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup will be a separate championship that recognizes the top finishers in four events:

Rolex 24 at Daytona
Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring
Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen
10-Hour Motul Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta

The biggest news for 2023 was the introduction of the GTP category.

Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) – These are purpose-built race cars and the quickest in the series. They are prepared to either LMDh (Le Mans Daytona h) or LMH (Le Mans Hypercar) guidelines. Chassis from Dallara, Ligier, Multimatic and Oreca are available to those teams choosing the LMDh rules. Cars built to LMH specifications are allowed more freedom in design. However, all vehicles are subject to a Balance of Performance. This season there are entries from Porsche (Porsche 963), BMW (BMW M Hybrid V8), Cadillac V-Series R) and Acura (Acura ARX-06).
Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) – These are also purpose-built race cars developed by four approved constructors. The LMP2 cars are powered by a 3.8-liter Gibson V8 engine. Competitors use chassis' from ORECA, Ligier and Riley Technologies. Unlike the DPi cars, these vehicles are eligible to compete in the FIA World Endurance Championship and the 24-Hours of Le Mans.
Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3) – This division was introduced in 2017. Several race car manufacturers are producing chassis for this category: Ligier, Duqueine, Ginetta and Adess. They are equipped with Michelin tires and powered by a 5.6-liter naturally aspirated Nismo V8 motor, which produces over 420 horsepower. All vehicles must weigh no less than 950 kg.
Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) – This production-based class uses FIA-GT3 technical regulations. Vehicles in the category include Chevrolet Corvette C8.R, Porsche 911 GT3 R, Ferrari 488 GT3, BMW M4 GT3, Acura NSX GT3 Evo, Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo, Mercedes AMG GT3 Evo, Lexus RC F GT3 and Aston Martin Vantage GT3. The vehicles in this group weigh 2,915 lbs and the engines produce approximately 540 horsepower. The IMSA technical staff uses many methods to ensure parity.
Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD Pro) – This category uses the same cars as GTD but adopted current GTLM Sporting Regulations on driver ratings, qualifying, grid placement and race procedures. GTD Pro is geared toward factory-supported teams and drivers; on-track performance levels achieved by the GTD Pro class are expected to exceed that of the GTD.

Round six of the 2023 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship was held at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Drivers would compete in the Chevrolet Grand Prix, a two-hour, forty-minute contest around the ten-turn 2.459-mile road course.

The start of the Chevrolet Grand Prix and nine GTPs charge into Canadian Tire Motorsport Park's first turn for round six of the 2023 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The pole-winning No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-06 leads the field, shared by Tom Blomqvist and Colin Braun. Beside the No. 60 Acura is the Acura ARX-06, driven by Ricky Taylor and Filipe Albuquerque, who shared the front row.

Round six of the 2023 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship would allow Tom Blomqvist to redeem himself. Last year, Blomqvist qualified on the pole, but he and his teammate, Oliver Jarvis, finished second. Once again, Blomqvist was the fastest qualifier in the No. 60 Acura ARX-06. He was sharing the driving with Colin Braun. The duo led over half the race to capture their second GTP victory of the season.

The LMP3 category competes in six WeatherTech Championship events. Round six at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP) was the third race of the season for LMP3. The No. 74 Riley Motorsports Ligier JS P320 of Gar Robinson and Felipe Fraga won the previous two races. At CTMP, the pair was in a tight battle with the No. 30 Jr III Racing Ligier JS P320. An aggressive place late in the contest gave them the win.

Corvette Racing has gone without a win since March 2022. In round six at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor rectified that situation. The No. 3 Corvette C8.R GTD started twentieth overall and third in GTD Pro. Taylor drove the first stint and pitted in fourth place. Garcia made his way to the front and grabbed the victory after the Porsche of Patrick Pilet and Ben Barnicoat's Lexus went off course.

Qualifying second overall and in the GTP category at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park were Ricky Taylor and Filipe Albuquerque. The pair started their 2023 campaign with a runner-up result at the Rolex 24. However, the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 hasn't visited the podium since that event. Mid-race, they led fourteen laps and were five seconds behind the leader when the race ended under caution.

Winning the GTD category at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park were Madison Snow and Bryan Sellers. This was the third victory of the season for the drivers of the No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3. Their other wins were at Sebring International Raceway and Long Beach. With over half the season completed, they led the points chase with 212-markers more than Roman De Angelis and Marco Sorensen.

The GTP podium for round six of the 2023 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. In the center from Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian are the winners, Tom Blomqvist and Colin Braun. The runner-ups, Ricky Taylor and Filipe Albuquerque are standing on the left. Completing the rostrum are the third-place finishers, Nick Yelloly and Connor De Phillippi, the victors of the previous race at Watkins Glen International.

The LMP3 category was the second wave of competitors to enter Canadian Tire Motorsport Park's corner one for the start of the Chevrolet Grand Prix. Leading the field of six LMP3 entries is the pole-winning No. 74 Riley Motorsports Ligier JS P320 of Gar Robinson and Felipe Fraga. Immediately behind the No. 74 Robinson / Fraga Ligier is the No. 13 AWA Duqueine D08, shared by Orey Fidani and Matt Bell.

The hometown favourite was the No. 9 GTD Pro entry from Pfaff Motorsports with backing from Canadian Tire's Motomaster brand. Regular drivers Patrick Pilet and Klaus Bachler claimed a win at Sebring with Laurens Vanthoor. The pair battled with the class-winning Corvette C8.R GTD and point-leading Lexus RC F GT3 in round six. An off-course excursion resulted in the team finishing in the runner-up position.

LMP3 competitors Garett Grist and Ari Balogh shared the No. 30 Jr III Racing Ligier JS P320. The Jr III Racing team had a run-in with the No. 74 Riley Motorsports entry at Watkins Glen. The team hoped to redeem themselves; however, history would repeat itself. Grist led the category when there was contact with Felipe Fraga in the No. 74 Ligier. Grist would cross the finish line second in class.

The GTD Pro rostrum for round six of the 2023 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The class winners, Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor, stand in the center. On the same weekend, a fourth-place finish clinched the GTE Am title for Corvette in the FIA World Endurance Championship. Patrick Pilet and Klaus Bachler, standing on the left, finished second. And in third place were Daniel Juncadella and Jules Gounon.

Nick Yelloly and Conner De Phillippi were awarded the win in the previous round at Watkins Glen International when the No. 6 Penske Porsche 963 was disqualified. The No.25 BMW M Hybrid V8 was gridded seventh at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Yelloly and De Phillippi finished third, their fourth podium in the last five races. More importantly, they are ten points short of the GTP championship lead.

Keeping the GTD winners honest were Brendan Iribe and Frederik Schandorff. The pair piloted the No. 70 Inception Racing McLaren 720S GT3. Before the series stopped at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, their best result was a third in class at the Rolex 24. At round six, the car started twenty-eighth overall and eighth in their category. At the checkered flag, they were eighteen overall and second in GTD.

Finishing third in the GTD class were Mikael Grenier and Mike Skeen. They shared the No. 32 Team Korthoff Motorsports Mercedes AMG GT3. This topped their best result to date, fourth place at Long Beach. In qualifying at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, they were twenty-third fastest and third in their group. An excellent strategy and skilled driving were rewarded with the duo's best result of the season.

The GTD Pro No. 14 Vasser-Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 leads a field of eighteen GTD and GTD Pro entries through Canadian Tire Motorsport Park's corner one. Behind the Ben Barnicoat / Jack Hawksworth Lexus is the No. 79 WeatherTech Racing Mercedes AMG GT3 of Jules Gounon and Daniel Juncadella. Trailing the WeatherTech Mercedes is the No. 23 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3.

The GTD podium for round six of the 2023 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. In the center are the winners, Madison Snow and Bryan Sellers. This was their third victory of the season, giving them a commanding lead in the points chase. On the left are the runner-ups from Inception Racing, Brendan Iribe and Frederik Schandorff. Finishing in the third position were Mikael Grenier and Mike Skeen.

Sharing the driving duties on the No. 79 WeatherTech Racing Mercedes AMG GT3 are Jules Gounon and Daniel Juncadella. The pairing has collected GTD Pro victories at the Rolex 24 and round four at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. At Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, they started seventeen overall and second in class. Gounon and Juncadella finished third but are now within ninety points of the championship-leading Lexus.

Sharing the No. 17 AWA Duqueine D08 were Anthony Mantella and Wayne Boyd. At the Rolex 24, the pair were joined by Nico Varrone and Thomas Merrill and won the LMP3 category. The car started thirteenth overall at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and qualified fourth in class. A steady run in round six of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship was rewarded with third-place in their division.

The LMP3 podium at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. In the center from Riley Motorsports are the winners, Gar Robinson and Felipe Fraga. This was the team's third consecutive class victory. Standing on the left is a dejected-looking Garett Grist. This is the second race in a row that the runner-up was knocked out of the lead. Completing the rostrum are round one winners, Anthony Mantella and Wayne Boyd.

POS.	CLASS	DRIVERS	CAR	LAPS	RETIREMENTS
1	GTP	Blomqvist / Braun	Acura ARX-06	120	-
2	GTP	Taylor / Albuquerque	Acura ARX-06	120	-
3	GTP	De Phillippi / Yelloly	BMW M Hybrid V8	120	-
4	GTP	van der Helm / Rockenfeller	Porsche 963	120	-
5	GTP	Tandy / Jaminet	Porsche 963	120	-
6	GTP	Campbell / Nasr	Porsche 963	120	-
7	GTP	Derani / Sims	Cadillac V-Series.R	120	-
8	GTP	Eng / Farfus	BMW M Hybrid V8	120	-
9	GTP	Bourdais / van der Zande	Cadillac V-Series.R	117	-
10	LMP3	Robinson / Fraga	Ligier JS P320	113	-
11	LMP3	Balogh / Grist	Ligier JS P320	113	-
12	LMP3	Mantella / Boyd	Duqueine D08	113	-
13	LMP3	Fidani / Bell	Duqueine D08	113	-
14	LMP3	Willsey / Barbosa	Ligier JS P320	113	-
15	GTD Pro	Garcia / Taylor	Chevrolet Corvette C8.R	111	-
16	GTD Pro	Bachler / Pilet	Porsche 911 GT3 R	111	-
17	GTD	Sellers / Snow	BMW M4 GT3	111	-
18	GTD	Iribe / Schandorff	McLaren 720S GT3 EVO	111	-
19	GTD Pro	Juncadella / Gounon	Mercedes-AMG GT3	111	-
20	GTD	Skeen / Grenier	Mercedes-AMG GT3	111	-
21	GTD	De Angelis / Sorensen	Aston Martin Vantage	111	-
22	GTD	Auberlen / Hull	BMW M4 GT3	110	-
23	GTD	Montecalvo / Telitz	Lexus RC F GT3	110	-
24	GTD	Brynjolfsson / Hindman	Porsche 911 GT3 R	110	-
25	GTD	Hyett / Priaulx	Porsche 911 GT3 R	110	-
26	GTD	Metni / van Berlo	Porsche 911 GT3 R	110	-
27	LMP3	Staikos / Comeau	Ligier JS P320	110	-
28	GTD	Ward / Ellis	Mercedes-AMG GT3	110	-
29	GTD	Monk / Legge	Acura NSX GT3	103	-
30	GTD	Brule / Udell	Porsche 911 GT3 R	103	-
31	GTD Pro	Hawksworth / Barnicoat	Lexus RC F GT3	89	-
32	GTD	Gallagher / Foley	BMW M4 GT3	86	Did Not Finish
33	GTD	Goikhberg / Spinelli	Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2	82	-
34	GTD Pro	Gunn / Riberas	Aston Martin Vantage GT3	58	Did Not Finish

Copyright Notice:

All content (photographs and text) appearing on this website are the exclusive property of © www.zoompics.com and are protected under International copyright laws. The subject matter on this website may not be reproduced, copied, stored or manipulated.