Blainville (Québec), August 2, 2015.– At the wheel of his Dimensions Doors/Novatech Acura RSX, Mathieu Audette earned himself two podiums in the Canadian Touring Car Championship this past weekend at the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières. Always among the head of the pack in both races, Mathieu finished well both times. His brother Rémy and father François, also contesting the two rounds, did not fare as well but Rémy managed a Top 5 in the second race with his Dimensions Doors/Novatech Honda Civic Si.
Winner of all the Touring Car races he’s contested so far this season, Mathieu Audette arrived confidently to Trois-Rivières, a track that he hasn’t competed on since 2013. ” The Audette Racing Team mechanics worked hard to provide me with a very competitive car for the weekend ” specified Mathieu.
Fastest in the free practice, he had to contend with the sixth fastest time during the lone qualifying session. But as soon as the first race started on Friday night, Mathieu Audette made his way to the head of the pack. ” It was a pretty special race. The darkness, the rain, and multiple incidents. We had to avoid collisions throughout the entire thirty laps of the race ” said the Audette Racing driver. ” In these conditions, finishing second is an excellent result ” he added.
For Sunday’s race, Mathieu Audette started from the fifth row and once again, he had a very quick progression to the front of the pack. ” I had to deal with a lot of traffic. It disappointed me a bit because I was convinced that with a few more laps, I would’ve had time to catch Roger Ledoux. But, it’s still an excellent result and I’m really happy to have brought my Dimensions Doors/Novatech Acrura RSX to a second place finish ” concluded Mathieu.
Qualifying both times ahead of his older brother, Rémy Audette unfortunately did not have as much success in Trois-Rivières. During the first race, just like his father François Audette (Porsche Cayman S), he was victim of a fellow competitor (Gary Kwok) who instigated a collision that took out both father and son. ” He missed his braking point and rammed into me. I subsequently had to enter the pits to have the car checked out by the Audette Racing Team. That cost me about ten places ” explained Rémy Audette.
The bad luck followed him to the second race on Sunday when an oil leak on one of his front tires eliminated any chance to battle for the victory. ” I nevertheless managed to contain the mess and finish in fifth place but I obviously was vying for a better result. When our team goes to races it’s because we want to win ! ” declared the Dimensions Doors/Novatech Honda Civic Si.
As for François Audette, after having abandoned following contact with Kwok in the first race (his Porsche suffered severe damage), he retook to the track on Sunday for the second race with a car repaired by the Audette Racing Team. Starting in last place, he made a great comeback all the way to seventeenth place overall, out of the 34 drivers entered in this event. This was a promising result for François Audette.