The Garage Blog

The Garage: Your daily dose of automotive news, reviews and motorsports coverage

2013 Honda Indy Toronto

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Smoke show!

Smoke show!

Yes, I missed out on the smoke show that concluded the Indycar race at this year’s Honda Indy Toronto. At that point, I was hanging out with my Dad in Honda’s hospitality suite, enjoying a cool pint or two.

And yes, the Toronto Indy was a month ago. Sorry folks, but I have been crazy busy with stuff over at the Toronto Star’s Wheels.ca and haven’t been able to get on top of my photo editing from the Toronto race.

So, here is a quick gallery of images of the action in Toronto.

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Robb Holland joins Compass360 Racing for World Challenge opener in St. Pete

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Popular Denver, Colorado racer Robb Holland finished off the 2011 Pirelli World Challenge season with a third place in the championship, but that didn’t mean he had a ride for 2012. The problem was that the Volvo C30 program being run by K-Pax racing came to an end at the close of the season.

Earlier this week, Karl Thomson of Compass360 Racing announced that Holland would be returning to the Toronto based team to drive the #70 Civic at the season opening race in Florida. The St. Petersburg race is a support event for the Indycar season opener. While the deal is currently just for the one race, it sounds like there is a possibility that there might be more news soon.

Check out a gallery of Holland in action at the 2011 Mosport round of WC, along with the team press release after the jump.
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Lapping Laguna with the Caddy boys

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Andy Pilgrim lifts a wheel at Mosport earlier this season

All of you video gamers out there think you know the ins and outs of Laguna Seca but do you really? Crank the volume, choose full screen and prepare to be schooled by Cadillac Racing’s Andy Pilgrim and Johny O’Connell.

Video after the break [Read more…]

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Tony Ave wins rain soaked Trans Am crash fest at Mosport

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While the Trans Am cars sat on the mock grid, the World Challenge teams were circling Mosport International Raceway under a full course yellow. The reason? A damp track that deposited 5 cars into the tires between corners 9 and 10. Typical of Mosport’s weather patterns, the rain stopped and started a couple of times. As the TA cars made their way out on the track, the skies opened.

One quick lap behind the pace car and the field went green. For about 30 seconds.
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Mosport Victoria Day Speedfest heats up a rainy week!

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Andy Pilgrim hauls ass in the EVIL CTS-V Coupe!

Day 1 of the Victoria Day Speedfest at Mosport has wound down and I’m having a chance to put together a few images to share with our readers. There is so much to talk about from today, but I’m too burnt out to get into all of it so I’ll just give you a few highlights.

K-Pax Racing has brought the new S-60 World Challenge GT racer out to play for the first time and it is nothing short of magnificent. They only have one car ready, so Randy Pobst is playing ambassador for the team this weekend while Alex Figge runs his new ride. K-Pax is also running a pair of C-30’s in the Touring class for Rob Holland and Canadian Aaron Povoledo, who won at Miller Motorsports Park a few weeks ago. In the second practice session today, Povoledo led the lap charts.

Long time friend of The Garage, Mike Skeen, dominated the Pirelli World Challenge GT class practices today, in the same Corvette that Ron Fellows won with in this race last year. Interesting to note that his fastest lap time was a 1:19.705 which was quicker than all but one of the Trans Am cars. In a production based car!
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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.
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Mike Skeen captures podium finish at St Petes

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Racer Mike Skeen became a friend of The Garage a couple of years ago, largely because he’s one hell of a personal marketer who uses new media better than most other racers. Sure, the big teams have hired staff loading content into Facebook and launching the occasional tweet, but Skeen does it all himself and does a great job.

Since Mike began sending us content, we’ve ridden shotgun with him as he has raced Trans Am and even a few lapping days. Today’s video is by far the most awesome flick he has sent our way!

This 25 minute video is condensed from Sunday’s full race in the Pirelli World Challenge Championship race in St Petersburg, where Skeen battled hard to a 3rd place finish in the Cragar Wheels/CRP Racing Corvette. Skeen’s pace during this race is astounding, and had his luck been better during the race he might have even taken the top spot. Do not be tempted to turn the video off partway through, as the most exciting bits are in the last 10 minutes!

Turn the speakers up really loud, select full screen on the highest resolution your monitor will handle and sit back and enjoy the race!

Opening photo by Mike Lee at 26 Inch Productions.

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Talk with Cadillac racing live tonight

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CTV-V Coupe race car at Detroit Auto Show

Between the American Le Mans series and the SCCA World Challenge, GM has developed some incredible fan loyalties for the Corvette and Cadillac brands respectively. A large chunk of that loyalty is due to the personalities driving the cars. Once upon a time led by Canadian Ron Fellows, Andy Pilgrim and Johnny O’Connell are fan faves in their own right. Now that Big Ron has more or less retired, the spotlight has shifted to Andy and Johnny.

As the team gets ready for the season opener in St Pete’s in March, the team’s social media efforts are likely going to be epic. To start things off, the team is hosting a live chat on Facebook tonight. Fans can chat directly with Andy Pilgrim and Johnny O’Connell.

To get in on the chat, “Like” the Cadillac page on Facebook and then be sure to visit the page from 8 to 8:30 est tonight.

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Ron Fellows is still the Mayor of Mosport

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Long before the invention of Four Square and other location apps, Ron Fellows had been dubbed the Mayor of Mosport by his fans. After a red eye flight from a race at Laguna Seca on Saturday, Big Ron showed just why he has that title.

Early morning qualifying put Fellows’ Carlisle Companies/Cragar Wheels Chevrolet Corvette on the front row alongside The K-Pax Volvo S60 of Randy Pobst. Off the start, Pobst’s all wheel drive Volvo took an early lead, with Kuno Wittmer in the Viper in 2nd. It took less than a lap for Fellows to pass Wittmer and begin hunting Pobst.
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Things are hot at Mosport already

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The May Two Four. Victoria Day Weekend. A sure sign that Spring has arrived in Ontario. The smell of lilacs and racing fuel mix gently in the breeze while the sounds of internal combustion engines threatens the eardrums. Yes, racing has returned to Mosport!
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