The WeatherTech Championship Returns to Canada for the First time since 2019
By Mark Robinson
Entry List (Click here)
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – For the first time in three years, the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship heads north of the border for this weekend’s Chevrolet Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP).
Twenty-seven cars are entered in the four competing classes at the track in Bowmanville, Ontario. This is the eighth event on the 2022 schedule.
Here’s what you need to know for race weekend:
Canadian Tire Motorsport Park – Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada
July 1-3, 2022
Fast Facts
Race Day/Time: Sunday, July 3 – 3:05 p.m. ET
NBC Network Coverage: LIVE – 3-6 p.m.
Streaming Coverage: LIVE – Flag-to-flag beginning at 3 p.m. on Peacock (in the U.S.) and IMSA.com/TVLive (outside the U.S.)
IMSA.com/TVLive Live Qualifying Stream: Saturday, July 2 – 12:35 p.m.
IMSA Radio: Select sessions live on IMSA.com and RadioLeMans.com; SiriusXM live race coverage begins Sunday, July 2 at 3 p.m. (XM 207, SiriusXM Web/App 992)
Circuit Type: 2.459-mile, 10-turn road course
Classes Competing: Daytona Prototype international (DPi), Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3), Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO), Grand Touring Daytona (GTD)
Race Length: 2 hours, 40 minutes
Track Social Media:
- Twitter: @CTMPOfficial
- Instagram: @ctmpofficial
- Facebook: @CanadianTireMotorsportPark
Event Hashtags: #IMSA, #ChevroletGrandPrix
WeatherTech Championship Track Records
Qualifying:
DPi: Colin Braun, Nissan DPi, 1:05.452 / 135.250 mph, July 2019
LMP3: first class appearance at CTMP
GTD PRO: new class in 2022
GTD: Jack Hawksworth, Lexus RC F GT3, 1:15.546 / 117.124 mph, July 2018
2019 Chevrolet Grand Prix Winners
DPi: Oliver Jarvis/Tristan Nunez, No. 77 Mazda Team Joest Mazda DPi
LMP3: first class appearance at CTMP
GTD PRO: new class in 2022
GTD: Bill Auberlen/Robby Foley, No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M6 GT3
Storylines
- O Canada! It’s Good to See You again: The global pandemic and international travel restrictions prevented the WeatherTech Championship from racing at CTMP the past two years, so teams and drivers are eager to return. And the knowledgeable and passionate Canadian fans are just as eager to see the racing again.
- No Rest after The Glen: The Chevrolet Grand Prix is the back half of the only back-to-back racing weekends on the 2022 calendar, following Sunday’s Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen just over the border in Watkins Glen, N.Y. It places two of the more fabled North American road courses on consecutive weeks to heighten the anticipation and competition.
- Tight Points Battles: Three of the four classes racing this weekend are competing for points toward the overall WeatherTech Championship, and all three are embroiled in tight battles. With their win Sunday at The Glen, Ricky Taylor, Filipe Albuquerque and the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 reclaimed the DPi class lead by 17 points over Oliver Jarvis, Tom Blomqvist and the No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian Acura. No. 54 CORE autosport drivers Jon Bennett and Colin Braun moved into the LMP3 points lead by 50 over No. 30 Sean Creech Motorsport’s Ari Balogh and Garett Grist and 53 ahead of Gar Robinson, Felipe Fraga and the No. 74 Riley Motorsports entry. GTD PRO is just as close, with Matt Campbell, Mathieu Jaminet and the Canada-based No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R only 38 points up on Ben Barnicoat and the No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3, and 41 ahead of Antonio Garcia, Ricky Taylor and the No 3 Corvette Racing Corvette C8.R GTD.
- IMSA WeatherTech Sprint Cup Resumes: The GTD class is racing this week only for points in the IMSA WeatherTech Sprint Cup – consisting of the eight non-endurance events for the class. The No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 holds a sizable 134-point lead on the No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW with Bill Auberlen and Robby Foley, but there are still four Sprint Cup races remaining and the Auberlen and Foley are the defending class winners from 2019.
Who’s Hot?
- Acura’s Dynamic DPi Duo: Albuquerque, Ricky Taylor and the No. 10 Acura from Wayne Taylor Racing have won three of the last four races to surge ahead. But don’t sell the No. 60 Meyer Shank Acura short since it has finished second in all four of those races.
- CORE in LMP3: Bennett, Braun and the No. 54 Ligier JS P320 have finished first and second in the last two LMP3 races to move atop the standings in that class. With their stellar record at CTMP, they must be considered a favorite to expand that lead.
Who’s Good Here?
- CORE of the Matter: CORE autosport has six IMSA wins at CTMP. Bennett and Braun have been the drivers for four of them. They won in the Prototype Challenge class in 2013, ’15 and ’16, then followed it with a Prototype class and overall victory in 2018.
- Corvette … but Not Recently: Corvette Racing reeled off 11 CTMP class wins in a 14-year span (2001-14) to top all active teams, but it’s been a dry spell since. Garcia and Ricky Taylor look to end that drought this weekend.
Previous Chevrolet Grand Prix Winners in 2022 Field (12)
Jonathan Bennett (4): PC – 2013, 2015, 2016; P – 2018
Colin Braun (4): PC – 2013, 2015, 2016; P – 2018
Bill Auberlen (2): GTLM – 2017; GTD – 2019
Richard Westbrook (2): GTLM – 2016, 2018
Earl Bamber (1): GTLM – 2019
Robby Foley (1): GTD – 2019
Antonio Garcia (1): GTLM – 2014
Oliver Jarvis (1): DPi – 2019
Cooper MacNeil (1): GTC – 2013
Olivier Pla (1): P – 2014
Jordan Taylor (1): P – 2015
Ricky Taylor (1): P – 2015
Previous Chevrolet Grand Prix Pole Winners in 2022 Field (5)
Colin Braun (3): PC – 2012, 2016; P – 2018; DPi – 2019
Ricky Taylor (2): P – 2015, 2017
Robby Foley (1): GTD – 2019
Antonio Garcia (1): GTLM – 2016
Alex Riberas (1): GTD – 2016
Previous Chevrolet Grand Prix Winning Teams in 2022 Field (9)
Corvette Racing (11): GTS – 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004; GT1 – 2005, 2007, 2008; GT2 – 2009; GT – 2011, 2013; GTLM – 2014
CORE autosport (6): PC – 2011, 2013; GTLM – 2015; PC – 2015 2016; P – 2018
Action Express Racing (2): P – 2016, 2017
Chip Ganassi Racing (2): GTLM – 2016, 2018
Riley Motorsports (2): GTD – 2014, 2018
Turner Motorsport (2): GTD – 2016, 2019
BMW M Team RLL (1): GTLM – 2017
PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports (1): LMP2 – 2019
Wayne Taylor Racing (1): P – 2015
Previous Chevrolet Grand Prix Winning Manufacturers in 2022 Field (7)
Porsche – 17
Chevrolet – 13
BMW – 4
Acura – 3
Aston Martin – 1
Cadillac – 1
Mercedes-AMG – 1