The Frenchman and his works driver teammate Nick Tandy (Great Britain) currently rank first in the drivers’ classification with the No. 911 Porsche 911 RSR. Laurens Vanthoor (Belgium) posted the fifth quickest qualifying time in the ca. 510 hp sister car (No. 912), which he shares with Earl Bamber (New Zealand).
In warm, sunny conditions, the two Porsche 911 RSR waited for several minutes at the start of the session for the track conditions to improve and to get the benefit of more grip. Midway through the qualifying, Pilet and Vanthoor swapped places at the front of the class, but were ultimately nudged from the top of the timesheets by several rivals. A final attempt proved unsuccessful, as the tyres no longer offered optimal grip after many laps.
In the GTD class, the Canadian Porsche customer team Pfaff Motorsports takes up its home race from the third grid row. Zacharie Robichon (Canada), who shares the No. 9 Porsche 911 GT3 R with his compatriot Scott Hargrove, landed on fifth place. In the identical 500+hp GT3 vehicle from Weissach, Patrick Lindsey turned the seventh fastest lap. The American is joined in the No. 73 car fielded by Park Place Motorsports by Porsche works driver Patrick Long (USA).
Qualifying quotes
Steffen Höllwarth (Programme Manager IMSA SportsCar Championship): “The qualifying result is satisfactory. We were aware that we wouldn’t have the best car over a single lap. Our pace over the distance makes us confident for the race. Our long-runs in practice were strong. With optimal teamwork in the pits, perfect strategies and strong driving performances we want to get ahead in the race. This is what yielded us victory last week at Watkins Glen. We’d like to do it again at Mosport.”
Patrick Pilet (Porsche 911 RSR #911): “We have to wait and see how the situation plays out in the race. I think we’ve opted for the better tyres for the start, while some of our competitors focussed completely on the qualifying. Our car was not ideally setup for the qualifying, but the Porsche 911 RSR is very strong on the long runs. We’ll have good chances in the race.”
Lauren Vanthoor (Porsche 911 RSR #912): “I’m not totally satisfied because more was possible. Unfortunately I was hampered by a yellow flag during my flying lap. That cost us a spot further up the grid. We’ll do better in the race. Our Porsche 911 RSR is strong over the distance. What’s more, we’ll again make the most our expertise in strong teamwork, strategy and driving skill.”
Zacharie Robichon (Porsche 911 GT3 R #9): “Fifth is a good starting position for us. I think I got the most out of our Porsche 911 RSR in the qualifying. The car will do better in the race than in qualifying. With a flawless drive and clever tactics, anything is possible for us at our home race.”
Qualifying result
GTLM class
1. Krohn/Edwards (FIN/USA), BMW M8 GTE, 1:13.086 minutes
2. Blomqvist/De Philippi (GB/USA), BMW 8 GTE, + 0.462 seconds
3. Briscoe/Westbrook (AUS/GB), Ford GT, + 0.718 seconds
4. Pilet/Tandy (F/GB), Porsche 911 RSR, + 0.743 seconds
5. Bamber/Vanthoor (NZ/B), Porsche 911 RSR, + 0.964 seconds
GTD class
1. Auberlen/Foley (USA/USA), BMW M6 GT3, 1:16.172 minutes
2. Keating/Bleekemolen (USA/NL), Mercedes-AMG GT3, + 0.081 seconds
3. Farnbacher/Hindman (D/USA), Acura NSX GT3, + 0.181 seconds
5. Robichon/Hargrove (CDN/CDN), Porsche 911 GT3 R, + 0.787 seconds
7. Long/Lindsey (USA/USA), Porsche 911 GT3 R, + 0.901 seconds
Preview
After four straight wins, the Porsche GT Team travels to round six of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship at Bowmanville as the leader of the manufacturers’ and drivers’ classifications. At the only Canadian event of the year, the North American works team fields two Porsche 911 RSR in the hotly-contested GTLM class. At the race in the Canadian state of Ontario, the nine-elevens from Weissach will again feature a livery reminiscent of the legendary North American customer team, Brumos Racing. In the GTD class, the customer teams Pfaff Motorsports and Park Place Motorsports each field a Porsche 911 GT3 R.
The race
The Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, more commonly known as Mosport, was opened in 1961 near the metropolis of Toronto. A total of eight Formula One Grand Prix were held here on the 3.957-kilometre circuit between 1967 and 1977. The flowing layout with many crests, dips and just ten corners allows a high average speed. Porsche has a long tradition at this racetrack in the Sportscar Grand Prix, previously known as the Grand Prix of Mosport. The sports car manufacturer from Weissach notched up seven overall victories and 17 class wins. In the 2015 season, the Porsche GT Team won the GTLM class with factory drivers Nick Tandy (Great Britain) and Patrick Pilet (France).
The Porsche drivers
The winners of the Sebring and Watkins Glen races, Patrick Pilet (France) and Nick Tandy (Great Britain), share the No. 911 Porsche 911 RSR. The pair currently ranks first in the drivers’ classification. Their works driver colleagues in the No. 912 sister car, Earl Bamber (New Zealand) and Laurens Vanthoor (Belgium), are just one point behind the leaders after their victories at Long Beach and Mid-Ohio. In the GTD class, two Porsche 911 GT3 R will compete. The customer team Pfaff Motorsports (No. 9) tackles its home round with the Canadian drivers Zacharie Robichon and Scott Hargrove. Porsche works driver Patrick Long (USA) shares the cockpit of the No. 73 vehicle run by Park Place Motorsports with his compatriot Patrick Lindsey.
The Porsche vehicles
For its third racing season in North America, the Porsche 911 RSR has undergone further optimisation primarily in the setup. Depending on the size of the restrictor, the engine, which is positioned in front of the rear axle, puts out around 375 kW (510 hp). The large rear diffuser combined with a top-mounted rear wing provides aerodynamic efficiency and significant downforce. The 911 GT3 R was newly developed for the 2019 season. Improvements in the areas of aerodynamics and kinematics were systematically implemented from the insights garnered from the many race outings of its predecessor. The six-cylinder engine in the rear of the GT3 customer racer produces over 368 kW (500 hp).
Comments before the race
Pascal Zurlinden (Director GT Factory Motorsport): “We’re riding on the crest of a wave with our successes in the IMSA series after four victories in a row. We’d like to continue this streak at Mosport to consolidate our position in the championship and ideally extend our lead further. Our Porsche 911 RSR should again be one of the hot favourites to win the GTLM class on the fast, tradition-steeped course in Canada.”
Steffen Höllwarth (Programme Manager IMSA SportsCar Championship): “Our busy weeks continue without a break. After the Le Man race we had only a few days to prepare the two Porsche 911 RSR for Watkins Glen. We won there. For this reason, I’m certain that our experienced team will do another perfect job in the tight lead-up to the race at Mosport. We’re heading to Canada as the leaders and we want to be in the same position when we leave.”
Patrick Pilet (Porsche 911 RSR #911): “In the 2015 season, Nick and I won the race in Canada; last year we narrowly missed out on another victory. One thing is certain: Porsche always performs strongly on this very special racetrack. Most of the drivers love the circuit because it feels like a rollercoaster – incredible fast and demanding. Since overtaking is very difficult here, it’s particularly important to qualify well. We want to start from the front of the grid and stay at the front.”
The schedule
The race takes off on Sunday, 7 July, at 1:05pm local time (7:05pm CEST) and can be viewed live outside the USA and Canada on www.imsa.com.
This is the IMSA SportsCar Championship
The IMSA SportsCar Championship is a sports car race series that has been contested in the USA and Canada since 2014. The series originated from the merger of the American Le Mans Series and the Grand-Am Series. Sports prototypes and sports cars start in four different classes: GTLM (GT Le Mans), GTD (GT Daytona), Dpi (Daytona Prototype international) and LMP2 (Le Mans Prototype 2). The Porsche 911 RSR runs in the GTLM class, and the Porsche 911 GT3 R contests the GTD class.