FORD GT & GT4 TOP THE PODIUMS AT CANADIAN TIRE MOTORSPORT PARK!

BOWMANVILLE, Ontario – July 9, 2018 – As road racing crossed the border into Canada, it was the Fords that took the top podium positions for the second consecutive week in both the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship (WTSC) and Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge (CTSC) series.

The No. 67 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing (FCGR) team of Richard Westbrook and Ryan Briscoe won the Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix on Sunday, while the No. 60 Ford Mustang GT4 found Victory Lane in the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park 120 on Saturday afternoon.
“Congratulations to Ford Performance, Chip and his team, and the Roush Performance/KohR Motorsports teams,” said Doug Yates, President and CEO of Roush Yates Engines. “To put back-to-back wins together in consecutive weeks, in two highly competitive race series, is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the entire team. We are constantly collaborating with Ford Performance to give the teams the best package to go out and win.”

The No. 67, FCGR team started on the front row after team driver Ryan Briscoe secured a P2 starting position in Saturday’s qualifying event.

“The car was a real handful,” Briscoe commented in Victory Lane. “We made adjustments with the tire pressures and ran the absolute perfect strategy, got Rick in and he just drove masterfully. We caught the yellow at the end, saw that happening and dove in the pits and came out with the lead.”

The two-hour, 40 minute at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, started out a with a few challenges, with both FCGR cars finding it difficult to find grip in the tires.

It took patience and great strategy calls by the team manager to put the No. 67 in position to take over the lead in the race. With a risky call to stay out after the leader came in for their last pitstop, the No. 67 inherited the P1 position and was able to string together several fast laps to build a double-digit lead. The race came down to managing lap times, tires, and fuel which Westbrook did perfectly.
With 25 minutes left in the race a full course caution came out, leaving an opening for the No. 67 to hit pit lane for a splash of gas and two left side tires, executing a perfect pitstop before the pits closed.
The No. 67 Ford GT led the last 27 laps of the race to take the checkered flag and win their second race of the season and Roush Yates Engines’ 50th overall Road Race win.

No. 67 FCGR team regained the lead in the Driver and Team Points Standings. In addition, Ford built on its’ lead in the Manufacturer Points Standings, now leading by 8 points.
In the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge race, the No. 60 Roush Performance / KohR Motorsports Ford Mustang GT4, with drivers Nate Stacy and Canadian native, Kyle Marcelli made it to the top of the podium for the third time this season, following their wins at Sebring and Mid-Ohio.
Stacy drove a great opening stint, setting up Marcelli to jump in for the second stint. Marcelli drove a lean fuel strategy, taking the checkered flag on mere fumes before running out of fuel on the way to Victory Lane.

“It’s a pleasure racing here at home,” said Marcelli. “I love the weather, I love the racetrack, the people. It was a good day. It was a tough stint for me…it became a fuel conservation race for us. I went to the ‘fuel used’ page on the dash and just watched it and called out the number every single lap, so much that we were lifting early for turn one, two and eight, and basically just using the gearbox to slow the car down. It paid off. We saved about two-and-a-half laps of fuel and were able to win.”

The No. 80 AWA team of Martin Barkey and Brett Sandberg finished a strong second, following up their win in Watkins Glen. In addition, the No. 7 VOLT Racing Ford GT4 finished just off the podium in P4.
Marcelli and Stacy now lead the Drivers Points Standings, while Roush Performance / KohR Motorsports lead the Team Points Standings. In addition, Ford extended their lead in the Manufacturer Points Standings to 14 points in the IMSA Continental Tire Sportscar Challenge, GS class.

With one race left on the East Coast, we will shift focus to Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Connecticut on July 21st. Reference the full 2018 schedule on Roush Yates Engines.

14 CHAMPIONSHIPS – 336 WINS – 301 POLES!
*Photography courtesy of Ford Performance

Comments are closed.