Canadian Weekly Notebook - Disappointment for Lazare, Green in California
Motorsports In Action (MIA) team and drivers Jesse Lazare and Chris Green contested the penultimate round of the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge at Laguna Seca, California.
#69 Motorsports In Action McLaren GT4: Jesse Lazare, Chris Green
Gavin Baker / Motorsport Images
The No. 69 McLaren 570S GT4 remained in the lead longer than any other competitor or team, before Chris Green was sent spinning with only two laps left, while he was in second place.
The Pfaff McLaren/Garaga McLaren of Lazare ran in second place and then took the lead of the race. After the mandatory pit stop, Chris Green was in a podium position. On the penultimate lap, Green fell victim of a rear end hit from an over ambitious competitor that misjudged his braking, causing a spin.
The Lazare/Green duo eventually finished the event in eighth spot, which turned into seventh place in the official race results when the officials penalized the competitor who sent Green in a spin.
Raphaël Lessard forced to retire in Deep South Cranes 125 in Florida
Raphaël Lessard competed in the final round of the Southern Super Series (SSS) championship in Florida on Saturday evening. Despite posting good top 10 practice runs, Lessard had to pack-it-in after 27 of the 125 laps planned for the Deep South Cranes 125 in Pensacola due to equipment breakdown.
The driver of the No. 99 FRL Express/Toyota-TRD/JBL Audio Toyota Camry set the 19th fastest time during this single qualifying lap. Starting from the back of the grid, Lessard made a hard contact with the wall after his front right bearing broke early in the race, forcing him into a retirement.
Nissan Micra Cup crowns three champions
It was at the Fall Classic at the Circuit Mont-Tremblant where 2017 champions Olivier Bédard, Normand Boyer and Jake Exton were crowned. Bédard clinched his second overall drivers’ title ahead of Xavier Coupal and Kevin King.
In Round 11 held Saturday, Method Topolnik claimed first place in the Senior class ahead of Frédéric Bernier and Normand Boyer. Fadi Mourad finished first in the Rookie category ahead of Englishman Jake Exton and Vincent Doyle.
In Sunday’s Round 12, Topolnik finished sixth overall and first in the Senior class, beating Boyer and Bernier. In the Rookie category, Exton arrived first ahead of Mourad and Doyle.
Final overall drivers’ point standings (top 10):
Rank | Driver | Team | Points |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Olivier Bédard | Albi Total | 402 |
2 | Xavier Coupal | Albi Total | 317 |
3 | Kevin King | Sorel-Tracy Nissan | 316 |
4 | Valérie Limoges | Total Racing Team | 242 |
5 | Jean-Michel Isabelle | Perry Performance/Hull Nissan | 237 |
6 | Normand Boyer (Senior) | Bevédère Nissan | 225 |
7 | Stefan Rzadzinski | Groupe Touchette | 203 |
8 | Stefan Gauthier | Sorel-Tracy Nissan | 199 |
9 | Keishi Ayukai | Unicorn Motors Ltd. | 185 |
10 | Metod Topolnik (Senior) | Azure Racing | 145 |
Devlin DeFrancesco enjoys a good start in Formula 3
Toronto’s Devlin DeFrancesco enjoyed a successful European Formula 3 Championship debut at the Red Bull Ring in Austria. Driving a his VW-powered Dallara-built car for team Carlin, DeFrancesco completed a smooth and error-free 25 laps to come home in 16th.
“We got stuck in traffic in race one,” he said. “The guys ahead were much slower but I wasn’t able to get close enough down the straights.
Unfortunately, for Race 2, the 17-year-old had a clutch issue off the start and lost significant time. He continued to run two laps down, but was delighted with the strong pace he showed.
In the final race of the weekend, he launched himself into 14th from 18th on the grid by the end of Lap 1. He was locked in a hard-fought midfield battle throughout the race before finishing just outside the points in 12th.
“Race 3 was very chaotic!” the young Canadian explained. “There was a lot of fighting going on, particularly at the start. I just made sure to keep my nose clean and despite a small mistake I was pleased with the performance and I’m glad it’s all starting to come together.”
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