Canadian Tire Motorsport Park: IMSA WeatherTech Championship Recap

Victory for AO Racing’s #99 ORECA
PJ Hyett and Dane Cameron clinched their first IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship win driving the #99 ORECA 07-Gibson, nicknamed “Spike the LMP2 Dragon,” at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. This triumph came during the Chevrolet Grand Prix, following a late crash by competitors Jeremy Clarke and Tom Dillmann in the #43 Inter Europol Competition car.

Race Dynamics
With just over 15 minutes remaining, Dillmann’s aggressive strategy yielded a lead after the final pitstop. However, he crashed into the tire barriers at Turn 3 after locking up. Although Dillmann was alert post-crash, he was cautiously transported to the medical center for evaluation.

Cameron and Hyett, who had led the majority of the race, reclaimed first as the field was impacted by the incident. The duo had lost the lead briefly during pit sequences but demonstrated strong performance throughout the race.

Final Standings in LMP2

1. 99 AO Racing (PJ Hyett/Dane Cameron)

2. 22 United Autosports USA (Daniel Goldburg/Tom Blomqvist)

3. 74 Riley (Gar Robinson/Felipe Fraga)

4. 2 United Autosports USA (Phil Fayer/Ben Hanley)

5. 52 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports (Nick Boulle/Benjamin Pedersen)

Notably, the #11 TDS Racing ORECA crossed the line third but was penalized for a collision with the #78 Forte Racing Lamborghini, dropping them to eighth.

With three races remaining, Cameron and Hyett have narrowed the points gap, now trailing Goldburg by 78 points in the LMP2 standings.

GT Class Highlights
In GTD PRO, the #81 DragonSpeed Ferrari 296 GT3 secured its first victory of the season, driven by Albert Costa and Giacomo Altoe. They capitalized on strategic timing, last stopping for fuel during a Safety Car period.

1. 81 DragonSpeed Ferrari 296 GT3 (Albert Costa/Giacomo Altoe)

2. 4 Pratt Miller Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3 (Tommy Milner/Nicky Catsburg)

3. 77 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R (Laurin Heinrich/Klaus Bachler)

Antonio Garcia and Alexander Sims in the #3 Pratt Miller Corvette maintain the GTD PRO points lead, though the gap has narrowed to 39 points after today’s race.

In the GTD category, the #45 Wayne Taylor Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2, piloted by Danny Formal and Trent Hindman, claimed its first win of the year following a comeback from an early first-lap incident. They faced challenges from the #78 Forte Racing Lamborghini that encountered a collision, fortuitously allowing the WTR team to secure victory.

1. 45 Wayne Taylor Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 (Danny Formal/Trent Hindman)

2. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 (Russell Ward/Philip Ellis)

3. 12 Vasser Sullivan Racing Lexus RC F GT3 (Parker Thompson/Jack Hawksworth)

Next Up
The IMSA SportsCar Weekend will continue at Road America, with all classes scheduled to compete on Sunday, August 3.