Written by Sean McKean
Following an action-packed endurance race in Watkins Glen, IMSA will trek further north to Canadian Tire Motorsports Park in Ontario for the Chevrolet Grand Prix. This weekend will notably not feature the main GTP class.
There are 35 entries expected: 12 in LMP2, 9 in GTD Pro, and 14 in GTD.
This event will be two hours and forty minutes long – the fourth sprint event of the season. This will be the only race that won’t feature the GTP class.
For the LMP2s, though their perfect run came to an end in upstate New York, the #18 Era Motorsport squad of Ryan Dalziel and Stuart Wiltshire will look to bring the team back into winning form. Whether the absence of Dwight Merriman will affect the team or not is yet to be seen, but the pace has been there all year.
After the previous round, the #74 Riley squad of Felipe Fraga and Gar Robinson have inherited the lead in the LMP2 class following a second place finish. Will they continue their form into Bowmanville, Ontario – perhaps turning it into their first victory on the season?
As for the GTD Pro class, the #77 Porsche of Laurin Heinrich and Sebastian Priaulx have been the class of the field. With two wins on the season, their sixth-placed result in Watkins Glen is more of a small blemish on an otherwise stellar campaign, as they sit atop the standings.
Despite suffering issues last round, the #14 Lexus of Jack Hawksworth and Ben Barnicoat still rallied to finish fourth. Having taken a top four in this class in this race last year, they certainly have the calibre and experience to turn this into a great result.
Finally, the GTD class has been dominated by the #57 Mercedes of Russell Ward and Philip Ellis. They’ve taken four out of five class victories so far this year, and they seem unstoppable heading into a track that will suit the Benz very well.
The #12 Lexus of Parker Thompson and Frankie Montecalvo will be ones to watch as well. Montecalvo raced this event last year – highlighted by a rather strong stint – so this team will be looking to prove a point after a lacklustre Watkins Glen.
The race will begin on Sunday, 14 July at 11:00 AM local.
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