JC Cote’s first experience of Toronto’s lakeside race-circuit this weekend at the Honda Indy was at the seat of a Pontiac Solstice, newly race-prepared for the fourth round of the 2010 Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship (CCTCC).

With time for just 9 laps of practice on Friday, the race was on for Cote to not only familiarize himself with his new rear-wheel driven Solstice, but also to learn the challenging and unforgiving Toronto track. 

A computer management system problem for JC's car #3 - and for his team-mate Etienne Borgeat's twin #2 car - had both drivers experiencing a loss of horsepower in fourth gear for most of the weekend. 

“The tighter in-field section of the track wasn’t such a problem because for much of it you’re in third gear” said Cote after Saturday morning’s Qualifying, “but as soon as I was getting onto the straights and changed into fourth, the power would bottom out and I couldn’t accelerate with the other cars through the faster parts of the track”.

Race One therefore saw JC starting from a disappointing 26th position in a field of 34 cars. A further problem with the brakes presented additional challenges during an eventful race:

“I had a complete brake failure at the end of the back straight around lap 10. I managed to stop the car using the gears and avoided the wall at the end of the run-off. I took the next few laps really gently to allow the brakes to cool down, but once they came back I was able to set some good lap times.”

Notwithstanding the brake issues, the systems management glitch and an increasingly slippery track due to light rain, Cote finished 13th in class. 

“It was an eventful first race but the most exciting thing is that the car shows some real pace. If we can get a couple of things fixed by tomorrow morning, I think we have a car capable of a top ten finish”.

JC felt suitably positive going into Sunday morning’s Race Two. Consistently fast lap times saw him challenging frequently for position, resulting in his first top 10 finish, coming across the line in 10th position with a fastest race lap of 1:25.049.

Cote thanks the GT Racing crew and his supporting partners, Redux Media, The Team 990, Operation Enfant Soleil, Chinook Productions and Xtreme Airbrush Designs.

He will race next with the CCTCC at the Grand Prix de Trois Rivieres, August 13-15.

With promising, competitive changes made to his #3 Hyundai Tiburon, JC Cote expected better results heading into last weekend’s Grand-Prix de Mirabel.

Saturday morning's Qualifying had him start his afternoon Race One at 20th, but the constrained track of Circuit ICAR made for a messy race from the start. Cote went into corner two on the first lap holding 20th, with cars 3-4 wide for the tight left hander. Unfortunately, some overly aggressive driving in the Touring class led to substantial contact, and #80 punted JC's driver’s side, costing him to fall to 28th. Taking the next half lap slow to assess any damage (which luckily wasn't substantial), JC set on an aggressive hunt of the pack ahead, moving steadily through the field to finally finish 14th in his Super Touring Class.

Sunday's Race Two's strategy involved a cautious, conservative approach in turns one and two. Immediate aggressive contact off the green flag resulted in various car parts strewn across the track, so JC settled back in 21st, biding time to begin his climb through the tightly packed field. After several cautions throughout the race, and with 10 minutes left, JC fought his way to up the field and was hit once again by #80, spinning him in turn 8. Though damage was not severe enough to end his race, he was left with little opportunity to regain his positions before the #66 Mitsubishi flipped going through turn 14, red-flagging the race. Cote was classified 15th in his Super Touring Class.

His disappointment was evident:

“I felt we were set to solidly crack the top 12 this weekend and I’m upset that the final ranking doesn’t reflect our speed and potential. But I have to shift my focus to the next race now, and I am really looking forward to moving to our Pontiac Solstice."

JC now begins preparation for the Honda Indy Toronto which takes place July 16-18 at Exhibition Place. He is supported by partners Chinook Productions, The Team 990, Redux Media, Operation Enfant Soleil and Xtreme Airbrush Designs.

The Grand-Prix du Canada has come and gone and JC Cote's first driving experience on the Circuit Gilles Villeneue as a rookie in the F1600 series has been deemed an outright success. With forty-five cars total registered in this series, he consistently improved his position and his lap times through each session over the course of this 3-day event.

Practice and Qualifying
Being Cote's first introduction to Mortimer Racing's car 28, he aimed to use Friday practice to get a feel for its capabilities and to learn the racing line and braking points of this challenging circuit. The loss of clutch and a sticking throttle undermined his best efforts and produced a series of frustrating stalls and slow lap times, placing him in 37th position for Qualifying. Fortunately, with mechanical issues mostly resolved in time for Saturday, and thanks to improved mechanical performance and expert advice from former Formula Atlantic driver, Claude Bourbonais (technical consultant to Mortimer Racing), Cote shaved nearly 9 seconds off his lap time despite a detached rear sway-bar and some serious understeer.

Race One
Having earned 27th position for Race Once by the end of Qualifying, JC's run was notably clean and solid. Avoiding various collisions and numerous incidents along the way, he happily brought the car home in 17th position to a huge, highly animated crowd:

"Wow, what can I say? I feel I should talk about how the car ran today... but I can't get over the crowd and how enthusiastic they were. Going through the hairpin with 50,000 people in that section alone...it's a moment I won't ever forget."

Race Two
The final race of the weekend commenced with fresh tires and an improved grid position. Cote comfortably pushed the limits of the car and immediately attacked from the green flag. Catching two cars ahead of him in turn one, and getting around the outside of a third car exiting the Senna esses, he was quick to slot in with the lead pack at 12th position. A little bad luck on Lap 9 nearing the infamous Wall of Champions however, forced Cote to execute an avoidance manoeuvre which set him back several places:

"I caught the car ahead coming down the straight and I guess he was watching me in his mirrors, because he missed his braking point and cut across the curbs, catching air. I had to stand on the brakes and veer into the run-off area to avoid him. I'm glad he didn't land on me, but still a little disappointed to have lost those crucial positions in the meantime."

All told, Cote maintained pace with the top five cars reaching his top speed in the car of 133.315 km/h and earning a personal best lap time on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve of 1:57.763.

Finishing on a high note
An intact, spotless car and a steady climb from 37th to 16th over the course of the weekend had Cote leave the circuit satisfied and eager to return. He and his team plan to race there again in support of NASCAR, August 27-29.

Very special thanks go to Cote Racing's sponsors and media partners: The Team 990, Redux Media, Produits Neptune, ProSportsBlogging.com, Xtreme Airbrush Designs and Chinook Productions.
 
Anyone interested in having their picture appear on JC's car as part of his ongoing Facecar social media campaign or sponsoring his racing season can contact him at the following addresses:

www.jccote.com
www.twitter.com/jccote
Facebook Group: Cote Racing 

The Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship kicked off its 2010 season with an action packed Victoria Day Speedfest weekend at the Mosport International Raceway.

A blown gearbox in Friday practice meant JC would drive without a fifth gear for the weekend, handicapping his speed and ability to overtake at three crucial parts of the track. Despite this, JC posted an impressive 1:37:036 in qualifying, placing him 22nd of 38 cars on the grid for Race 1 on Saturday.

A sudden throttle failure ended JC's otherwise solid first race of the season with three laps remaining - but not before securing his fastest lap time on the famed Mosport track of 1:37.080.

Starting Race 2 on Sunday from 29th position and aiming for a mid-field finish, JC was forced onto the grass at the exit of turn one (resulting in a spin and a damaged front splitter) dropping him down to 33rd. In the remaining 20 minutes, he caught up to the rest of the field and finished at a commendable 26th with a fastest lap of 1:37.571.

“It wasn’t what I was hoping for because I feel that the improvements we made to the car really had the potential to make all the difference. A few mechanical difficulties and a racing incident put a damper on what should’ve been a great weekend. But this is only the first race and there are still lots of positives to draw from the experience” said JC post-race.

“Considering we are between 40-50 horsepower / torque down on the top runners, I think the overall package has the potential to finish much higher up towards the front of the field.”