Our latest race came on the heels of a busy two weeks. It was the second of back-to-back races for our Mazda Motorsports prototype team, and with the fast pace that the cars had at Watkins Glen last week, we were eager to get to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, located just outside of Toronto. The track favors the P2 style of handling, much like Watkins Glen.
The first day of practice was a bit unorthodox because it rained during most of our two one-hour practice sessions. We knew Saturday and Sunday would be dry, so it didn’t make sense to practice in the rain, resulting in very limited track time on Friday.
For that reason, Saturday morning was a vital practice session because it was our chance to verify setup changes prior to qualifying that afternoon. We were encouraged by the handling balance and the pace of our Mazdas. We managed to qualify first for the No. 55 and third for the No. 70. Qualifying was an intense 15-minute session. The balance on our No. 70 Castrol Mazda got better and better with each lap, all the way to the last lap, when we went from fifth to fourth to third. We just missed securing the whole front row for Mazda!
Ashton Harrison was at CTMP for the Mazda Global MX-5 Cup Series. She finished both races to continue a successful season in her pro racing debut.
The team was very optimistic for the race on Sunday, which was a beautiful day and just perfect for racing. The race started with a surprise twist: I lined up behind Tristan Nunez, the pole-sitter in the No. 55 Mazda, but the outside row took off prior to the green flag! That put Tristan and I second and fourth after the first couple of corners. We fought hard to regain lost ground, and flying through constant GT traffic kept all of us on our toes. Tristan was able to take advantage of the traffic and pass for the lead while I battled with second and third place for the majority of my opening stint.
As the race unfolded, the second drivers got in the cars during our pit stops. The No. 55 soon thereafter experienced a wheel hub issue that sidelined the car from the rest of the race. Obviously, we were all heartbroken for them, especially since that car had led in the opening stages and showed a lot of promise for a top finish. Our No. 70 Mazda continued to push on, running inside the top five for the remainder of the race. We brought home a clean finish and 5th place, another solid result for Mazda.