Tower Motorsports Dominates Practice Sessions at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park

BOWMANVILLE, ON – Tower Motorsports and its super-sub driver, Renger van der Zande, have showcased their dominance in the opening practice sessions for the Chevrolet Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Van der Zande’s #8 Tower ORECA 07 posted a blistering lap time of 1:08.175, setting a new unofficial LMP2 course record.

Following closely in the LMP2 class, the #22 United Autosports USA ORECA driven by Daniel Goldburg registered a competitive 1:08.500, positioning the American team in second place. Felipe Fraga in the #74 Riley ORECA secured third, with the #43 Inter Europol Competition and #99 AO Racing rounding out the top five.

In the GT classes, Vasser Sullivan’s Lexus RC F GT3 vehicles displayed strong performance. The #14 Lexus, piloted by Aaron Telitz, led GTD PRO with a time of 1:15.270, followed by Antonio Garcia in the #3 Corvette Z06 GT3.R and teammate Tommy Milner in the #4 Corvette, finishing second and third, respectively.

In GTD, Jack Hawksworth’s last-minute effort put the #12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus at the top with a time of 1:15.597, surpassing local favorite Robert Wickens, who had set a commendable time of 1:15.985 in the #36 DXDT Racing Corvette.

The session experienced a brief red flag due to an incident involving Casper Stevenson in the #27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin, who made contact with the barriers at turn nine. Additionally, the #79 JDC-Miller Motorsports ORECA faced an engine failure after just nine laps, necessitating repairs before qualifying.

Qualifying for the Chevrolet Grand Prix is set to begin at 4:00 PM ET, with live coverage available on the IMSA YouTube channel and Peacock in the U.S.

Practice 2 Results:

• LMP2:

  1. 8 Tower ORECA 07 – Renger van der Zande: 1:08.175

  2. 22 United Autosports – Daniel Goldburg: 1:08.500

  3. 74 Riley ORECA – Felipe Fraga: (Time not specified)

• GTD PRO:

  1. 14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus – Aaron Telitz: 1:15.270

  2. 3 Corvette Z06 GT3.R – Antonio Garcia: (Time not specified)

  3. 4 Corvette Z06 GT3.R – Tommy Milner: (Time not specified)

• GTD:

  1. 12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus – Jack Hawksworth: 1:15.597

  2. 36 DXDT Racing Corvette – Robert Wickens: 1:15.985

  3. 13 AWA Corvette – Matt Bell: (Time not specified)

The teams will now focus on optimizing their setups ahead of qualifying, where strategic placement will be crucial for the race outcome.