We require a series like this in Western Canada

[Tachyon]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-drive/new-cars/motorsports/wittmer-captures-second-straight-championship/article1710592/

Motorsports
Wittmer captures second straight championship
NicK Wittmer with the checkered flag at Mirabel, Que. Canadian Touring Car Championship
Montrealer claims title with victory at Mirabel
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Globe and Mail Update
Published on Thursday, Sep. 16, 2010 3:14PM EDT

Last updated on Thursday, Sep. 16, 2010 3:18PM EDT Globe and Mail


For the fourth time in as many seasons, the Canadian Touring Car Championship went down to the wire.

When the checkered flag fell on the final race in the series, at the ICAR circuit near Mirabel, Que., Nick Wittmer, 25, of Montreal won the Super Touring championship – for the second time in two seasons – while Anthony Rapone, 26, of Thornhill, Ont., came across the finish line as the Touring class champion.

For Wittmer, driving a Honda Civic Si sedan for Lombardi Racing of Ottawa, the championship came at the end of a sleep-deprived week as he and his crew worked furiously to find the speed that had eluded them at the series' previous two events at Mosport International Raceway and Circuit Trois-Rivieres. Fortunately, for Wittmer, a testing session and some tinkering with the car's suspension setup at ICAR before the first race on Saturday Sept. 11 drew some additional speed from the Civic and put him on solid footing for the weekend ahead.


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"This year, it was a lot more stressful and the competition was a lot harder," said Wittmer. "I had to always be running up front."

Until the races at Mosport and Trois-Rivieres, Wittmer's car was consistently fast and reliable. He posted two second places in the opening weekend races at Mosport on May 22 and 23, won the first race at the next event at Mosport, won both races on the July 3 and 4 events at ICAR, then placed first and second, respectively in the races at the Honda Indy Toronto on July 17 and 18. Then came the brake problems and suspension issues.

"Nick really had to work hard for (the championship)," said series president John Bondar. "He had some great races at the beginning of the season, but by the mid-point he was looking in his mirror." Fortunately for Wittmer, he carried his slim, 46-point lead into the final event at ICAR, a track he particularly enjoys racing at. "It's a really technical track and that's what I like about it."

The Canadian Touring Car Championship consists of a combination of amateur and semi-professional drivers competing in two classes of production-based cars: the Touring class (2.0-litre machines such as Mazda Proteges and Mini Coopers) and the Super Touring class cars, which includes 2.5-litre Saab 9-3s, Subarus and BMWs.


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Rapone, who drove a Honda Civic Si coupe, worked hard and had consistent results all season. He was eager to make up for last season, which was highlighted by a final lap blunder in one CTCC race at the Honda Indy Toronto. As Rapone raced along the main straightaway to take the checkered flag, he tried to drive along the pit wall to salute his cheering team. Instead, he drove into the wall and was forced to watch eventual 2009 Touring class Alain Lauziere take the checkered flag. The incident also resulted in Rapone being treated later for post-concussion syndrome.

"This year, I just kept it clean, drove hard and drove smart," he said. "We were much more consistent than last year. I pushed and pushed and made sure we finished where we had to to get points.

So consistent, in fact, that Rapone came into the final race at ICAR with a 246-point lead ahead of Michel Sallenbach of Roxton Pond. Que., who took second place in the Touring class championship. Rapone's teammate, Karl Thomson of Toronto came in third. In the Super Touring class, Dave Ciekiewicz of Toronto came in second behind Wittmer, with Mathieu Audette of Ste-Anne-Des-Lacs, Que. in third spot.

Series president John Bondar is happy the season came down to the final race. "We did it again," he said. "That's four years in a row. It really creates some drama, and I'm really, really pleased with the professionalism and quality of our teams and drivers." That's even as, in Bondar's words, the first of two races during the final weekend, was "boring."

"I think they just wanted to get through Saturday and move on to Sunday," he said. "Sunday was a clean start, everybody got through, but you could tell they were on it. The pace was quicker and there was a lot of brakes locking up."

Sunday's race was a 40-minute event, a 10-minute increase over previous events and a bit of a surprise to the drivers and teams. Bondar said he made the call to increase the length of the race based on a request from ICAR officials who wanted to give the fans a bit of extra racing to watch, and throw an added challenge at the drivers and crews for the season finale.


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Overall, Bondar said he was pleased with the season. The series is gaining a higher profile – webisodes from race events at touringcar.ca are helping the site gain a million hits every month – and race reports are finding their way to enthusiast websites in Europe. New drivers and teams have approached him about participating in the 2011 season, which could include a supporting race slot at next year's Formula One event in Montreal.

As well, Bondar is working with Chrysler Canada to convince it to enter a team of Fiat 500s next season. A 500 was the series pace car at races in Mosport and at the Toronto Indy, which attracted fans of the stylish and diminutive Mini-fighter that will be available in Canada in early 2011. "It's a lot of fun to drive," he said. "We've been talking to Chrysler for a couple years and trying to find ways for them to get involved."

globedrive@globeandmail.com

[cloud7]

It is interesting that they call it the Canadian Touring Car Championship when they only race in Ontario and Quebec, with very little participation from anyone living outside those provinces.  I guess it's just a name. 

[oldpony]

We are on our own in Western Canada. The maps sold in Ontario say "here be draggons" west of Thunder Bay.

If we want some kind of semi-pro series here we will have to invent it and find sponsorship for it, ourselves. 

[rsracer]

Unfortunately,time,distance and cost make a series for western Canada a tough prospect. The tracks in eastern Canada series are all within a 800km circle and many within hours of each other. Vancouver to Winnipeg 2200 Km , vancouver to calgary  1100km, edmonton to winnipeg 1300km, you get the picture. I can tow to tracks in the San francisco region 1250km in less time and a much easier tow.
This however should not discourage us. We run a Westcoast Sports Car Championship series locally. you can check it out on our Web site www.sccbc.net . It may be expandable to a western series with some sponsorship. Appearantly everyone in Alberta is swimming in money. Lets Start the dialogue.

Roland Stec
VP SCCBC

[giantkiller]

Hi Roland,

Took a look and it seems you base on a bracket type classification - on times rather than prep?

Can you elaborate on this? Why do you feel this is a better way than building a  rule set of modifications and displacements?

Anthony

[rsracer]

The series was an evolution of a long standing enduro series which was solely classified by displacement.
  IP IT and production cars were in the same class as GT cars . The time brackets allow cars or similar speeds to race against each other regardless of modifications. Breakout penalties are assessed for cars that go under the lap times. Unfortunately with the advent of GPS based timing devices the series has become somewhat corrupted by "sandbaggers" who enter their cars in lower classes.These timing devices allow drivers to stay just above the breakout lap time and give the competitor a big advantage on their in and out lap of the required pit stop. We will be having a rules meeting shortly and will be looking at eliminating these devices or imposing an automatic bump up of class for time breakouts.
     The series also has a P1 class with no time bracket, run as fast as you can. Open to any legal closed wheel race car, This is for you sports racers, Come out and play. or fast cars or those who do not like to race against the clock. We do have prize money from a series entry fund and some minor sponsors, A major sponsor would certainly help invigorate the series.
   Races are 50 min with mandatory pit stop with optional driver change.
    This concept may work well with the regions having different prep rules, I still remember your MP cars.
  Thank you for your interest

Roland
     

[oldpony]

Roland, the Western Endurance Championship is certainly on my list of budget-permitting, out-of-Alberta races at least once, in 2011.

[rsracer]

Excellent. what kind of car will you be bringing?