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Honda offers contingency program to Canadian Touring Car teams

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Damon Sharp crests Turn 2 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park

Great news this morning for Honda racers in the Canadian Touring Car Championship, as Honda has announced a contingency plan for teams campaigning their products in the popular series. Administered through Honda Performance Development and applies to all Honda & Acura vehicles. There is added incentive for teams that run 2012 models. The program applies to Touring and Super classes, along with the new for 2012 Spec B class.

CTCC is a pro series, but most competitors are very much grass roots, meaning that every dollar consumed is carefully budgeted. In other words, every penny counts. A driver winning their class in a 2012 Honda model will receive a prize of $1,000. That will be a welcome boost for most teams.

Head past the jump to read the series press release.
[Read more…]

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Getting revved up for the Canadian Motorsports Expo this weekend in Toronto

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As our not so nasty Winter wears on in Ontario, everyone involved with racing is itching to get on track. As has become tradition, many Canadian racers begin their season at the Canadian Motorsports Expo, presented by our friends at Inside Track. Running this weekend at Toronto’s International Centre, the CME has something for everyone from fans to photographers and of course racers.

For the fans, there will be cars ranging from drag racers to road racers and everything in between. The show stage will feature appearances by drivers, along with other exciting interactive events:

  • NASCAR Busch Series (now Nationwide Series) Champ, Randy Lajoie
  • Canadian Indycar star James Hinchcliffe
  • NASCAR star Carl Edwards
  • Canadian racing legend and Mosport owner, Ron Fellows
  • NASCAR team owner and engine builder extraordinaire, Robert Yates
  • Meet the media fan forum
  • Inside Track Reader’s Choice Awards
  • NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Driver Q & A

[Read more…]

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Attrell and Hebert win at the NAPA Auto Parts 200 presented by Dodge

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Toronto, August 20th 2011 – It was an exciting day for Castrol Canadian
Touring Car Championship presented by Continental Tire (CTCC) competitors as
they were competing in Round 13 at the NAPA Auto Parts 200 presented by
Dodge. On the starting grid of the famed Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Pole
position was held by St. Leonard d’Aston driver Marc-Antoine Camirand in
his BMW Z3 with a best lap time of 1:51.796. Camirand was followed by
Brampton drivers Sasha Anis in his Hyundai Genesis Coupe and his teammate
Bob Attrell in third in a Hyundai Genesis Coupe. The fourth and fifth grid
positions were held by Montreal drivers Etienne Borgeat in a Pontiac
Solstice and Nick Wittmer in his Honda Civic Si. Also in the field,
Marc-André Bergeron from Trois-Rivières was driving his Mazda RX8 starting
at the 28th position and Simon Dion-Viens from St. Joseph de Kamouraska was
driving a BMW 328 from 8Legs Racing, starting at the 11th.
As the race started, Dion-Viens had to pull off on the first lap and had to
retire from the race due to mechanical problems. A few laps later, the
leader in Super Class points, King City driver Richard Boake pulled off in
the last corner with a blown engine. Sure enough, this misfortune has cost
him his first place in the Championship, for the time being with only two
Rounds left this season. St. Anne des Lacs driver, Mathieu Audette also blew
his engine unexpectedly early in the race.
[Read more…]

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CTCC webisode #4 features P.J. Groenke at Toronto Indy

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The marketing folks at the Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship presented by Continental Tire have made a rather serious effort to create an ongoing campaign that is much cooler than the super long series title. Part graphics package, part social media and part reality tv, the marketing presence of this series has grown as the 2011 season progresses.
[Read more…]

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CTCC brings the excitement at Grand Prix of Mosport

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Over the past few race weekends there has been a bit of grumbling around the media room about the Canadian touring cars and the somewhat shrunken grids as compared to last year. Beyond the series thoroughly up to date and exciting marketing endeavors, the Castrol Canadian Touring Car competitors proved this series is the place to race yesterday by putting on the absolute best race of the annual Grand Prix of Mosport. From the first lap to the finish line, there was excitement everywhere on track.

Not surprisingly, the familiar red, white and green Hyundai Genesis Coupe of Sasha Anis led the field towards me in turn 1. That lead didn’t last though as an uncharacteristic tie rod failure stuffed Anis into the tires in 3. That left Richard Boake in the black and yellow Subaru in the lead with Arek Wojciechowski in second.
[Read more…]

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Pfaff Castrol VW GTI Dominates CTCC at Mosport

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Team press release

P.J. Groenke takes first place in Round 5 and 6

TORONTO, ON – June 28, 2011 – The Pfaff Castrol Motorsport team is thrilled to announce two first-place wins in the Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship. P.J. Groenke raced the VW GTI — sponsored by Pfaff, Castrol and Verax.ca — to victory in Round Five and Round Six of the Touring Car Series this past weekend.

“We are thrilled about Groenke’s race results and are confident the team can continue this momentum throughout the season,” said Christopher Pfaff, president and CEO of Pfaff Automotive Partners.
[Read more…]

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Anis and Sallenbach win Round 3

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Series press release

Mirabel, June 4th 2011 – It was under a great sky and almost perfect
weather that the CTCC competitors got on the track for the 3rd round of the
season at Circuit ICAR.

Starting in the pole position, new competitor Philip Fayer lead the race for
the first half of the race until his engine blew up. That gave the first
position of the podium to Sacha Anis from G1 Racing. Anis was followed by
his teammate Bob Attrel l for second position. Third position went to Arek
Wojciechowski of 8Legs Racing in his BMW 328i.
[Read more…]

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First CCTC webisode of 2011 features Alex Healy

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Following up on the success of last year’s popular post race webisodes, the Castrol Canadian Touring Car series has decided to step things up a notch with this year’s coverage. Following the first event of the season at Mosport during the Victoria Day Speedfest, CCTC has released this nicely produced video of the weekend.
[Read more…]

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Mosport’s Victoria Day SpeedFest On Track In Two Weeks

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Mosport press release

In just two weeks, Mosport International Raceway will kick off its 2011 season with the sights and sounds of thundering GT and Touring car racers on the Victoria Day SpeedFest Weekend, May 20-22.

Some of North America’s best road racing sedan championships – the Pirelli World Challenge Series, the SCCA Pro Racing Trans-Am Series, the Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship, the classic Sundown Grand Prix endurance race into darkness and new to Mosport in 2011, the SCCA Pro Spec Racer Ford and SCCA Pro Formula Enterprises – take to the 3.96 km circuit for Mosport’s traditional holiday season-opener.

Headlining the three-day weekend is a Pirelli World Challenge doubleheader, with combined class races for GT, GTS and Touring cars. The “Sports Car Wars” entry list is full of popular brands such as Acura, BMW, Cadillac, Corvette, Honda, Mazda, Porsche, Viper, Volkswagen and Volvo. The 2010 GT Rookie of the Year Fred Roberts of Toronto, coming off an eighth place finish at Miller Motorsports Park in Utah, placing him 11th in points, will have his work cut out for him as he battles against the brand new Cadillac CTS-V one-two punch of Johnny O’Connell and Andy Pilgrim. Roberts’ Viper teammate Jason Daskalos is coming off a win and currently sits third in the driver’s championship. Two-time defending American Le Mans Series GT champion and Porsche factory driver, Patrick Long will look to take back the points lead after missing the last race. Long got his 2011 campaign off to a hot start, winning the first two races of the year.
[Read more…]

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CCTC announces race at NAPA Auto Parts 200 presented by Dodge

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Series press release

Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship presented by Continental Tire will
compete at NAPA Auto Parts 200 presented by Dodge

Montreal and Toronto, May 4th 2011 – The Castrol Canadian Touring Car
Championship presented by Continental Tire (CTCC) and Stock-Car Montréal
are proud to announce the first participation of the popular Castrol
Canadian Touring Car Championship at the NAPA Auto Parts 200 presented by
Dodge, August 19th and 20th 2011 on Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve.
[Read more…]

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