CTMP Preview: Oh Canada!

It’s one of a group of historic race tracks that pepper the eastern half of the continent and one of the most picturesque too. Could there possibly be a better venue for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s lone trip north of the border than Canadian Tire Motorsport Park?

The circuit formerly known as Mosport Park has hosted Formula 1, Indy Car, Can-Am and – on and off since 1975 – IMSA competition as some of motorsport’s most legendary names have competed on the 2.459-mile track in Ontario.

This weekend it’s the turn of the crew of the #66 JG Wentworth Acura NSX GT3 Evo 22, Katherine Legge and Sheena Monk, to try to add their names to an exemplary list of winners.

“I always look forward to CTMP,” says Katherine, who has not raced at the track for four years and who finished second in GTD aboard an NSX GT3 in 2017.

“It’s fast and unique and requires both guts and precision. Coming off the back of a solid run at Watkins Glen we’re hoping for more points to keep us in contention.”

Katherine’s optimism may be well-placed. A fifth-place finish with team-mates Monk and Marc Miller aboard #66 last time out came after a charging drive across the six hours by the trio.

At two hours, 40 minutes, CTMP’s race is shorter and forms part of IMSA’s Michelin Sprint Cup, meaning that full-season drivers Katherine and Sheena will have the NSX to themselves this weekend as they try to climb from their current sixth place in the GTD points.

“I’ve only been to CTMP once and was amazed by the level of commitment it requires,” says Sheena, who is racing a GT3 car here for the first time.

“The high-speed, blind undulations test your bravery so I’m interested to see how much more aggressive you can be in a GT3 car.

“Watkins Glen was a big boost to our championship effort and the team is feeling reinvigorated for strong results in the second half of the season with our JG Wentworth Acura.”

So what do the team need to do to help Katherine and Sheena join a list of CTMP winners that includes Stirling Moss, Jack Brabham, John Surtees, Dan Gurney, Jackie Stewart, Emerson Fittipaldi, AJ Foyt, Al Unsers Sr and Jr, Hurley Haywood, Hans-Joachim Stuck and Tom Kristensen?

Team Manager Andris Laivins is pretty sure he knows.

“The biggest challenge here is getting the car comfortable so that the drivers can commit properly,” he says.

“This track rewards confidence in your car so you can get on the power early and stay on it through the high-speed sections. The choppy pavement upsets the car in a lot of places and although they’ve resurfaced in some areas, I don’t think it’s made much difference.

“Our job is to make the JG Wentworth Acura confidence-inspiring so Kat and Sheena can push as hard as they can.”

Coverage of Sunday’s Chevrolet Grand Prix is live on Peacock in the United States from 1200 ET. For viewers without an international TV broadcaster the race can be seen live at IMSA.TV. IMSA Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio will also have non-stop coverage of the race.

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