Toronto (ON), March 1st, 2015 – The Canadian Touring Car Championship presented by Continental Tire (CTCC) has confirmed its 2015 calendar. Again this year, CTCC will showcase the talents of the country’s premiere sports car drivers on seven doubleheader race weekends, with the Super Touring, Touring and re-introduced Grand Touring class competitors appearing as an integral part of Canada’s highest profile racing events.
The opening two 40-minute rounds of the 2015 campaign will take place on the four-kilometre circuit of Canadian Tire Motorsports Park on the Victoria Day SpeedFest weekend. CTCC will then enjoy a return engagement on the Labour Day holiday weekend when they will join the NASCAR Camping World Truck and Canadian Tire Series on the race docket.
Two weeks after the season debut, the Super Touring and Touring classes will head 90 minutes east of the CTMP circuit to the stand-alone Spring Challenge at Shannonville Motorsport Park.
With the various teams and drivers now fully up to speed, the weekend of June 12-14 will see all three classes of CTCC return to the streets of Toronto for the Honda Indy following a three year sabbatical.
“We’re absolutely ecstatic to be heading back to Toronto,” proclaimed CTCC President John Bondar. “We’ve always enjoyed a great response from the Toronto fans, and the drivers always seem to rise to the occasion and put on a great show for them.”
Added two-time Touring Class champion Damon Sharpe, “Toronto is a marquee event for any racing series. And personally, I’ve got some unfinished business there, that track owes me!”
For the month of July, CTCC will focus their attention on a pair of Quebec venues, opening the month with a twin-bill on the airport circuit of Circuit ICAR in Mirabel, and then trekking to their regular, and highly anticipated, date with the narrow, concrete-lined street course in Trois-Rivières.
“The Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières is my personal highlight,” declared Grand Touring Class driver Pascal Carré. “It is my home track, in my home town, I always feel very comfortable racing there. This will be an exciting weekend for me.”
CTCC teams will then have a month to prepare for the penultimate race weekend, run back at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, before closing out the season, and proclaiming their class champions, three weeks later at Mirabel’s Circuit ICAR.
“If I’m in a position to clinch a championship or to pick up positions in the standings, there’s not a better track for me than ICAR”, noted three-time series champion Nick Wittmer. “I do all my testing there, the car is set up for that track. And the circuit is very tourque-y, which suits my car perfectly.”
With the 2015 schedule secured and the countdown to the first race on, Bondar reflected on the forthcoming ninth season. “The variety of tracks we visit offer a true test for the drivers and the teams, each one is different, with its own, distinct personality. For the fans, I know that they won’t find any other series that can provide the excitement that we can. And from a business point-of-view, I believe that the high profile events that we’re a part of provide the best ‘Return on Investment’ for the teams, their sponsors and the series in general.”
“Last year we raced in front of over 600,000 spectators, this year we should see an even bigger audience. It’s a huge plus for the CTCC to be able to showcase our talent in front of these big and knowledgeable race crowds. With this year’s schedule, I think we’ve managed to cover all of our bases”, concluded Bondar.
CTCC 2015 SCHEDULE
May 15-17: Canadian Tire Motorsports Park (Bowmanville, ON) (GT-ST-T)
May 30-31: Shannonville Motorsport Park (Shannonville, ON) (ST-T)
Jun 12-14: Toronto Honda Indy (Toronto, ON) (GT-ST-T)
July 4-5: Circuit ICAR (Mirabel, QC) (GT-ST-T)
July 31-August 2: Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières (Trois-Rivières, QC) (GT-ST-T)
August 28-30: Canadian Tire Motorsports Park (Bowmanville, ON) (GT-ST-T)
September 19-20: Circuit ICAR (Mirabel, QC) (ST-T)