Canadians Competing In Continental Tire Challenge Enjoy Spotlight At Canadian Tire Motorsport Park

Please see attached press release, below is a text-only version.

Canadians Competing In Continental Tire Challenge

Enjoy Spotlight At Canadian Tire Motorsport Park

• Stevenson Camaro Has Three-Race Winning Streak
• Mazda’s Dwyer, Carbonell Take Lead In ST Standings

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 8, 2015) – Canadian teams and drivers will enjoy the spotlight when the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge visits Canadian Tire Motorsport Park for Saturday’s Round 5 of the 2015 season.

Multimatic Motorsport – led by Canadian veteran Scott Maxwell – and Mantella Autosport with an all-Canadian lineup give the Grand Sport (GS) class a solid Toronto-based presence. Compass360 Racing – also headquartered in Toronto – brings a two-car attack to the Street Tuner (ST) division.

Multimatic debuted Ford’s Shelby GT350R-C in the most recent race in Watkins Glen, New York two weeks ago. Maxwell won the TOTAL Pole Award and joined co-driver Billy Johnson in leading the race in the No. 15 Ford, while teammates Jade Buford and Austin Cindric finished fourth in the No. 158 entry.

“We’ve proved the car is fast and we’re going to some tracks we like and I think we’ll be a threat for the rest of the year, especially at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, my home track,” said Maxwell, a Toronto resident who also is helping the team develop the new Ford GT for 2016 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship competition. “I’m looking forward to it.”

Mantella Autosport’s two Chevrolet Camaro Z/28.Rs finished in the top 10 at Watkins Glen. Anthony Mantella and Mark Wilkins – both of Toronto – drive the No. 8 Gulf/Spyder/MBRP entry, the only Camaro carrying the iconic Gulf livery. Kyle Marcelli of Barrie and Martin Barkey of Huntsville co-drive the No. 80 MRBP/Praxair/The Sport Lab Camaro.

“It will be great to spend time at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in a racing environment with the people who are as passionate as we are about racing success,” Mantella said. “Obviously, having our biggest sponsor, Gulf Oil, at our home track is very exciting. Cars with the Gulf Oil colors have set records in the infancy of auto racing and have been driven by men whose names reside in the halls of fame. I’m proud to represent them in our series.”

The target for the GS teams is on the back of the No. 6 Stevenson Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro Z/28.R, with co-drivers Robin Liddell and Andrew Davis riding a three-race winning streak. The team is the defending GS winner at the circuit, with Matt Bell – a two-time TOTAL Pole Award winner in 2015 – winning last year’s race co-driving with Andy Lally. Bell returns this year in the No. 9 Camaro with co-driver Lawson Aschenbach.

BMW is coming off its best finish of the season, with Trent Hindman and Ashley Freiberg taking second at Watkins Glen in the No. 46 Fall-Line Motorsports IHG Rewards Club/Trim-Tex BMW M3. Doran Racing has scored back-to-back third-place finishes for Brad Jaeger and BJ Zacharias in the No. 14 Nismo GT Academy Nissan 370Z.

Racers Edge Motorsports will have a pair of Canadians in its two-car lineup. Louis-Philippe Montour of Blainville, Quebec joins Nick Galante in the No. 57 Legistics Ford Mustang Boss 302R, while James Vance of Stouffville, Ontario co-drives the No. 78 xBorder Foods & Wine/Bill Houston Ford/The FBI Group Ford Mustang Boss 302R with Chris Beaufait.

Davis and Liddell currently enjoy a 19-point lead atop the GS standings over Rum Bum Racing’s Daytona-winning No. 13 Porsche 911 of brothers Matt and Hugh Plumb, 137-119.

Compass360 Racing Audi Is The Car To Watch In ST

While a late electrical problem resulted in a 16th-place finish for Paul Holton and Kyle Gimple at Watkins Glen, both drivers charged through the pack to the front of the field in the No. 75 Compass360 Racing AERO Advanced Paint Technology/Children’s Tumor Foundation Audi S3.

Holton brought the car up to fifth after starting 22nd for the Canadian team. Gimple took over and worked his way to second before encountering issues following a red flag delay for rain that led to an added pit stop.

“The guys did an amazing job at Watkins Glen,” team owner Karl Thomson said. “That is one of the most electrically complicated cars in the paddock. We’ve made really good strides, but the rain at Watkins Glen threw a curve at us and the car wouldn’t shift. We made some changes on a pit stop, recycled the electronics, and we were all good.”

Compass360 racing also will field the No. 74 Compass360 Racing AERO Advanced Paint Technology/ Children’s Tumor Foundation Audi S3 for Jim McGuire and Nico Rondet.

Liam Dwyer and Andrew Carbonell finished fourth at Watkins Glen to take over the lead in the ST standings. Chad McCumbee and Stevan McAleer scored their first victory of the season at Watkins Glen in CJ Wilson Racing’s No. 5 ModSpace Mazda MX-5, and are tied for second in the standings with Justin Piscitell, two points behind the leaders, 106-104.

Piscitell won the TOTAL Pole Award as a substitute driver for all four ST races this year, driving with Mosing Motorcars/Murillo Racing and Alara Racing. He is still seeking a ride for this weekend.

Sebring winners Greg Liefooghe and Eric Zimmermann are fourth in the points, losing a share of the lead after finishing 18th at Watkins Glen in the No. 83 Next Level European Porsche Cayman. Jason Rabe and Ethan Low, drivers of the No. 31 Visit St. Pete-Clearwater/Delaware Investments Porsche Cayman, are fifth.

Vancouver’s Adam Isman and Remo Ruscitti won last year’s race for Autometrics Motorsports. Isman currently drives the No. 18 RS1 Porsche Cayman, while Ruscitti competes for LAP’s MINI John Cooper Works team. The biggest change in the ST paddock is the addition of Ryan Eversley to the HART lineup. He will co-drive the team’s No. 93 Honda Civic Si with Chad Gilsinger.

Opening practice at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park will be on Friday at 10:15 a.m. ET, with qualifying at 5:20 p.m. The two-hour, 30-minute race takes the green flag on Saturday at 1:25 p.m., and will be streamed live on IMSA.com and on the IMSA mobile app.

Contact:

Nate Siebens

Senior Manager, IMSA Communications

(386) 310-6568

nsiebens

imsa-ctmp ctsc-rls.pdf