Race Report: Mosport Victoria Day Speedfest

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.”