CDN. TOURING CAR: Alex Healy Racing shakes off the rust to earn a top five

Alex Healy was battling weather conditions and showing little signs of any rust in opening weekend at CTCC Victoria Day Speed fest at Mosport May 21-22.

"It was one of those weekends where it ended well, but after some significant challenges for our new team," explained Inside Track magazine's 2009's Up and Coming Driver of the Year.

Alex Healy is back in the CTCC series after Healy joined Lombardi Honda in 2010, following his successful debut in 2009 with Alex Healy Racing. "On Friday, our main transmission blew a gear and on Saturday, in Qualifying, I managed to lose my left axle," he said. "It's frustrating, but it brings our crew together and we learned we can and will be a top team."

The crew may have set something of a track record in replacing the transmission in well under two hours.

Qualifying a somewhat disappointing 6th, Healy started Race 1 on Saturday in the sunshine on new slicks. By the 5th lap a "Mosport cloud" dumped several millimetres of rain onto the track. He managed quickly to establish a solid second place in the field and was within reach of the leader when a fogging windshield forced him onto the sidelines and into the gravel.

Starting 20th on Sunday, Healy moved through the field 15 places but simply ran out of time to close the distance to reach the podium and had to settle with 5th place.

"All in all, considering our car has been sidelined for well over 20 months, and with a new crew except for my chief, Tyler Givogue, we have to be happy with the result. We will build on this, get better and be ready for iCar in a couple of weeks," said Healy.

Healy was selected by the series for a special feature and was filmed over the weekend, on and off track, by Phanta Media. That footage will soon be available to CTCC and Alex Healy Racing fans in the very near future.

Visit www.Touringcar.ca for all the results.

Follow @AlexHealyRacing on Twitter or contact Alex@AlexHealyRacing.com  Visit www.GasTOPS.com, official sponsor of Alex Healy Racing Visit ebranders.com, sponsor of Alex Healy Racing Visit AeCampeau.com to learn more about Alex Healy Racing's power management team Photo courtesy of www.TouringCarNews.com.

From CCTCC

Nick Wittmer, Alex Healy and Benjamin Distaulo To Wear Lombardi Colours in Canadian Touring Car

Montreal, January 6, 2010.- Today the Lombardi Honda Racing Team, victorious in the 2009 Canadian Touring Car Championship, announced its new line-up of drivers to sport their colours throughout the 2010 season at the helm of their Super Touring Honda Civic Si’s. Champion driver Nick Wittmer will be joined by Ontarian Alex Healy and Quebecker Benjamin Distaulo.

Last year’s Canadian Touring Car Champions, after multiple titles in Honda’s one-make series, The Lombardi Honda Racing Team is not leaving anything to chance with their selection of an experienced and talented driver line-up, as explained by Tony Lombardi, team owner: “I am very happy with our choice of drivers for 2010. They all have the potential to win races and the title” he declares, “We wanted three drivers that would battle during every lap to ensure our colours would triumph and that’s exactly what we have with – in order of car number - Nick, Alex, and Benjamin” he adds.

In his number 1 Civic Si, Montrealer Nick Wittmer intends to do everything possible to maintain his crown : “I’m really looking forward to the start of the season and defending my title this year. I have full confidence that we will once again have very competitive equipment; our Civics are built with stock parts and truly respect the philosophy behind Touring Car racing. Winning races and taking home the championship is my goal” explains Nick.

Another driver with immense talent is Ottawa’s young Alex Healy, who joins the team for the 2010 season. Multi-time karting champion, Alex claimed three podiums in five starts during his Touring Car debut in 2008. Last year he earned ten “Top Ten” finishes in sixteen attempts and was named Rookie of the Year. Alex Healy, 20, is without a doubt one of the most promising Canadian drivers. He does not hide his enthusiasm upon joining the Lombardi Honda Racing Team : “ I am ecstatic to be a part of the Lombardi team, it’s a dream come true. The entire team is fantastic, they gave me a lot of parts and advice last year, even if I was a competitor” explains Alex. He adds : “I am really excited to team up with Ben (Distaulo) and Nick (Wittmer), who are both excellent drivers. My main goal is to win the championship, while learning and helping Lombardi achieve the best results possible”. Alex Healy will compete with the number 5 on his Civic Si.

Former open-wheel (F1600, Atlantic) driver Benjamin Distaulo also joins the Lombardi Honda Racing team after several successful seasons in the Toyota Cup and one learning season with his own Honda Civic in the Canadian Touring Class Championship. For the driver from Ville Lorraine, joining the Lombardi team is also a dream come true : “I am very proud to have been selected by Tony Lombardi to drive one of his cars. I feel honoured to be part of this legendary team” indicates Distaulo, “I’m sure that I will always have the best car. This is the biggest opportunity in my career – I am part of a top race team with a car that can win” adds the Quebec driver, whose Civic Si will don the number 6.

The 2010 Canadian Touring Car Championship season will start in May at Mosport in Ontario. The series will also return to several high profile Canadian motorsports events including the Toronto Honda Indy GP, The Grand-Prix de Trois-Rivières, and perhaps Montreal’s Grand Prix of Canada in June.

Lombardi Honda will contest all of the 2010 events. Information concerning dealers is available on the website http://www.lombardihonda.com/. For more information on the racing team, please visit http://www.lombardihondaracing.com/.

CASTROL CANADIAN TOURING CAR, ROUND 7 RACE 1

Aug 15 2009, Trois Rivieres, Quebec - One of Quebec’s local favourites, Lombardi Honda driver Nick Wittmer, did his team proud as he took his first pole position this weekend during the 40th Gran Prix de Trois Rivieres. With a fastest lap time of 1:14:319 just .029 seconds ahead of GT Racing’s Etienne Borgeat and his potent BMW. Wittmer was “extremely happy & satisfied” with his first pole in front of his native Quebec fans, he said in the post qualifying interview.

Wittmer & Borgeat led the field of 36 cars to the green flag in The Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship presented by Toyo Tires for the Saturday morning 30-minute qualifying heat race. Super Touring Class points leader, NorthWest Value Partners sponsored Greg Pootmans was starting slightly off the pace from his 6th place starting position and would have a tough battle to make his way to the front if he was going to keep a strong lead in the championship. Borgeat would take the lead on lap one and never relinquish it for the entire 21 lap race.

Starting from the second row, Pootmans & Borgeat’s team mate Paul Dalla Lana and Gary Kwok piloting his Acura CSX would battle back and forth for most of the race trying everything they could to make their way to one of the coveted podium spots until Kwok had a left rear wheel failure put him back to 29th position tow laps down. Dalla Lana would go on to finish 3rd, but was disqualified during post race tech inspection due to a technical infraction.

Alex Healy, one of the series young and up and coming stars had a great run in his Acura RSX, starting 11th. Lap after lap he would take another position and kept the pressure on as he made his way to the front.

After the disqualification of Dalla Lana, Healy would be awarded his second podium of the season. Lombardi Honda drivers Jean-Francois Dumoulin & Wittmer suffered brake fade issues that would hamper their efforts to hold Healy off in his charge to the frontIn the extremely competitive Touring Class, all of the top five point’s leaders had mechanical difficulties that would put them well off the pace and the podium. Thornhill native Anthony Rapone in his Honda Civic Si had hoped for a strong finish but was sidelined when a computer failure made him park his Honda Civic Si after 8 laps. Hot on his heels MINI Cooper driver, Alain Lauziere, currently second in class points standings, watched as his race went away after a brief contact with another car caused him to pit to change a damaged right front wheel. Third in the points race driver Nigel Heron took his Acura Type R from 36th starting position to 24th at the completion of the 21 laps.

Driving for Durabond Racing this weekend, Rapone’s team mate Kenneth Lau took the team’s potent Honda Civic SI lead the race from start to checker. First time podium finishers Bully Clutch sponsored Honda driver Patrick Seguin finished second and Quebec’s own Sylvain Laporte rounded out the podium in third.

Saturdays Race results:

Super Touring Class
1st Place Etienne Borgeat BMW
2nd Place Mathieu Audette Acura
3rd Place Alex Healy Acura
4th Place Nick Wittmer Honda
5th Place Jean-Francois Dumoulin Honda

Touring Class Results
1st Kenneth Lau Honda
2nd Patrick Seguin Honda
3rd Sylvain Laporte Honda
4th Tom Kwok Honda
5th Jacques Belanger Honda

CCTCC Race 2 Highlights

CASTROL CANADIAN TOURING CAR, ROUND 7 RACE 2 Aug 16 2009, Trois-Rivieres, QuebecThe Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship presented by Toyo Tires treated the local fans to some of the hottest racing battles during today’s 30-minute feature race at the 40th Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres. Montreal, Quebec native driver, GT Racing’s Etienne Borgeat, led from the start of this action-packed event and never looked back. Borgeat led the field of 34 cars to the green flag alongside Acura RSX driver Mathieu Audette for the 7:55am start.

Starting from outside the second row beside Lombardi Honda driver Nick Wittmer, Ottawa, Ontario Acura RSX driver, Alex Healy, jumped to third, where an intense battle would ensue for the entire race. Wittmer put the pressure on early and stuck close to Healy. Healy moved to second on lap 11 when Audette’s Acura was sidelined in turn 3. One lap later, in heavy traffic, Wittmer was able to take the position away.

His second-place position would be short lived as Healy would return the favour on lap 13 when he made a daring pass on the outside of turn one. Once the lead Super Touring cars began to lap the slower Touring Class cars, Healy was able to close the gap on Borgeat, but never could make up the ground he needed for the first place podium spot.

Saturday’s Touring Class heat race winner Kenneth Lau piloted his Durabond Racing Honda Civic SI to a strong start and led most of the race. By lap 4 Lau had increased his lead by over 7 seconds over the second-place Honda of Sylvain Laporte. As the race wore on, Laporte would drop back to 5th. Trois Rivieres’ own Rejean Vincent, starting from the 32nd position on the grid in his Acura Type R, put the pressure on early and advanced through the slower traffic quickly. By the fourth lap he had moved into 4th place behind Tom Kwok.

On lap 15 a race incident between two slower cars caught Lau on the exit of a turn. This allowed Vincent, who had made his way by Kwok 5 laps earlier, to make up the lost time and pass Lau for the lead. Octane Promotions Mini Cooper driver, Simon Dion-Viens, who was driving the car for the first time, had the drive of his life as he moved to 3rd position in class after starting 28th on the grid. His team was ecstatic with the results since this is the debut for the #46 car this season.The NOS Energy drinks Fastest Lap Awards went to Super Touring Car #15 driven by Paul Dalla Lana with a time of 1:13:792 and Touring Car #89 Rejean Vincent with a time of 1:16:189.

The drivers now have three weeks to prepare for round 8 of the series when they’ll be out on the tarmac race course at Mirabel, Quebec’s famed Circuit ICAR.

Sunday’s Race results:

Super Touring Class
1st Place Etienne Borgeat BMW
2nd Place Alex Healy Acura
3rd Place Nick Wittmer Honda
4th Place David Bensadoun BMW
5th Place Jean-Francois Dumoulin Honda

Touring Class Results
1st Place Rejean Vincent Acura
2nd Place Kenneth Lau Honda
3rd Place Simon Dion-Viens Mini
4th Place Tom Kwok Honda
5th Place Sylvain Laporte Honda

Nick Wittmer, Alex Healy and Benjamin Distaulo on route to Mosport

Montreal, May 17, 2010.- Lombardi Racing Team, last year’s Canadian Touring Car winners, is throwing their hat back into the ring as of this weekend when the 2010 season begins at Mosport Park in Ontario. Defending champion, Montréaler Nick Wittmer, Ontarian Alex Healy and Québecker Benjamin Distaulo will take commande of three Super Touring Honda Civic Si’s with one common goal : to continue their string of success.

The 2010 Canadian Touring Car Championship is comprised of fourteen races taking place over seven race weekends. For the Lombardi Honda Racing Team, the primary goal will be to repeat their winning 2009 season but also to win as many races as possible and to see their three drivers amongst the top throughout the entire season.

The off-season testing was very conclusive, explains 2009 champion Nick Wittmer, who is eager to start the new season : My goal is to maintain my title, I want the #1 on my car again next year!

We worked hard to develop the car during the off-season and I’m convinced that we’ll be even faster this year. Multiple karting champion Alex Healy also joined the Lombardi Honda Racing Team with a Touring Car title to his name, that of 2009 Rookie of the Year.

I am really very excited by the thought of getting the season started. I’m certain that it will be a great year for the team. We’re a strong and ambitious team and everyone is working really hard towards a common goal. We’re ready to take to the Mosport track on Friday confides the young twenty year-old driver from Ontario who earned ten ‘Top 10’ finishes in sixteen attempts last year. Nick Wittmer and Alex Healy will drive the #1 and #5 Honda Civic Si’s respectively. At the wheel of the #6 will be Benjamin Distaulo, who is also anxious to start competition this weekend : The winter has been way too long! This is the first time I’ve been so eager for things to get under way, especially with such a competitive and well-prepared car by Lombardi Honda explains the Ville-Lorraine resident and former open wheel driver (F1600, Atlantic), who joins the Lombardi Honda Racing Team this year after several successful Toyota Cup seasons and one transition year with his own Civic in the Canadian Championship’s Touring class.

Team owner Tony Lombardi is confident that the off-season work will be rewarding for the yellow and black Lombardi Honda Racing Honda Civic Si’s. We have worked really hard since December. I maintain that our three drivers will all have the same chances and as a result, the three Civic Si’s have all been prepared equally. It takes a lot of teamwork to enter and be committed to such a competitive series as the Canadian Touring Car Championship, in which we’re expecting almost fifty entrants. Our drivers will work together on race weekends, as will our mechanics he indicates. Our objective is to keep the title. We know that it won’t be easy but we’re confident and I believe we will see our drivers in the "Top 5" concludes Tony Lombardi.

Lombardi Honda Racing will compete at all events in the 2010 Canadian Touring Car Championship, including two visits to Mosport to kick off the season before the Grand Prix in Mirabel, Toronto, and Trois-Rivières. The season will end with a third competition at Mosport at the end of August and a mid-September return visit to Mirabel. The team receives support from the following partners : Lombardi Honda, Trim Line Montréal, Discount, Pole-Position Magazine, Distaulo Racing (Puma), Perry Auto Parts, Red Line Oil and Pneu Nicoletti. All information concerning the dealership is available at www.lombardihonda.com. For more information on the racing team, visit the site www.lombardiracing.com or look for Lombardi Honda Racing on Facebook and team video on Youtube.

CTCC’s first 2011 Webisode features Alex Healy

The Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship is pleased to announce that the first Webisode of the season is now online on our YouTube Channel and on our official Website.

Even though last year's Webisode series was a huge success, the President of CTCC, John Bondar decided to make some changes to the concept and take it to a different level. "This year, our Webisode series will be much more focused and much more in dept. Our goal is to present what truly reflects the passion of CTCC competitors", says Bondar.

Webisode 1 profiles Alex Healy of Alex Healy Racing. Last Season, Alex and his family made the decision to sign up with one of the most competitive teams in Canada, Lombardi Honda Racing, with the hope of competing for the Championship. It was a tough year for Healy as he was caught up and overwhelmed with the media attention around the team!

"Sitting in the big yellow Civic, under the big black tent with crew everywhere, media everywhere, I let it get to my head a bit. But this year, definitely much more humble and definitely determined to do really well this season", declares Healy.

To find out more about his story, watch the first Webisode by logging on to the CTCC YouTube Channel at www.youtube.com/user/canadiantouringcar or on the Website's home page at www.touringcar.ca

About CTCC

The Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship presented by Continental Tire is Canada's only professional road racing series. Now in its fifth year, CTCC showcases race cars based on their stock street version. CTCC will be featured at Circuit ICAR, Mosport International Raceway, Honda Indy Toronto, Circuit Gilles Villeneuve and Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières.

Lombardi Honda Racing amongst the front-runners at Mosport - Two Podiums and All Three Drivers in the "Top 7"

Mosport Park (Ontario), May 23 2010.- Montrealer Nick Wittmer, Lombardi Honda Racing Team driver and winner of the 2009 Canadian Touring Car Championship, debuted the 2010 season with two podium finishes at the first two rounds held this weekend at Mosport Park, near Oshawa (Ontario). Other than Wittmer’s two second place finishes, the Lombardi Honda Racing team is also enjoying the satisfaction of seeing their new drivers attain excellent results. Quebecker Benjamin Distaulo finished fifth and sixth while Alex Healy, of Ontario, completed Sunday in seventh place after suffering a mechanical problem on Saturday.

The results from this weekend’s double-header at Mosport are very encouraging for the Lombardi Honda Racing team, especially after the small issues that the team was forced to deal with, as explained by the reigning champion Nick Wittmer: we had power steering problems and had to change my car’s engine in between the two races. Faced with these conditions, finishing both races on the heels of winner Marc-Antoine Camirand and his BMW bodes really well for championship points. Nick Wittmer and his Honda Civic Si crossed the finish line behind the winner by only seven tenths of a second on Saturday and 1.4 seconds on Sunday.

Benjamin Distaulo proudly launched his new collaboration with the Lombardi Honda Racing Team by showing that he is among the candidates vying for the victory. Distaulo was particularly pleased with his "Top 5" finish on Saturday: I was feeling the pressure when I arrived at Mosport, a track that I am less familiar with than my challengers. I pushed my Civic Si to the maximum and I achieved fifth place, which was my goal. He adds: it really is a start to the season that I was hoping for. Sunday, Benjamin crossed the finished line in sixth place.

As for the young (20 years old) Ontarian driver Alex Healy, the first round of his career wearing the Lombardi Honda Racing colours was a tough start. While fighting for fifth spot alongside his team mate Benjamin Distaulo as well as Dean Fantin (BMW), he suffered a broken fuel line. This rare occurrence forced Healy to the back of the grid for Sunday’s start. Alex demonstrated the extent of his talent, climbing positions one by one to finish in seventh place. I had a lot of fun, my car was fantastic and I climbed from thirty-second all the way up to seventh in thirty minutes of racing; it shows how competitive we’re going to be for the rest of the season explains Alex Healy, 2009 series Rookie of the Year.

Team owner Tony Lombardi sums up the weekend : as the reigning champions, we always want to win but given the circumstances, seeing our three cars amongst the top seven is very encouraging. Nick was always impressive regardless of the challenges and he never let up the pressure on Camirand. As for Benjamin, he proved that he is amongst the top in the series. Alex was unlucky to not be able to complete Saturday’s race but when we look at what he did on Sunday, there’s no doubt: we knew he had talent and he just proved that he is very talented! I’m proud of what our three drivers achieved and we are eager for the next round he concluded.

Lombardi Honda Racing contests all rounds of the 2010 Canadian Touring Car Championship, which includes two visits to Mosport to kick off the season before heading to the Grand Prix in Mirabel, Toronto, and Trois -Rivières. The season ends with a third trip to Mosport at the end of August and a second visit to Mirabel in mid-September. The team receives support from the following partners: Lombardi Honda, Trim Line Montréal, Discount, Pole-Position Magazine, Distaulo Racing (Puma), Perry Auto Parts, Red Line Oil and Pneu Nicoletti. All information concerning the dealership can be accessed on the web site www.lombardihonda.com. For more information on the racing team, visit the site www.lombardiracing.com or visit the Lombardi Honda Racing page on Facebook and team videos on Youtube.

Nick Wittmer wins in Canadian Touring Car - Lombardi Honda Racing victorious at Mosport…

Mosport Park (Ontario), June 14, 2010.- Defending Canadian Touring Car champion, Montrealer Nick Wittmer, lead the Lombardi Honda Racing Team to a new high this past weekend at the Mosport track in Ontario. At the wheel of his Honda Civic Si, Wittmer finished the two races in first and third place respectively. His teammates, Ontarian Alex Healy and Quebecker Benjamin Distaulo completed the two races in the Top 10, rounding out an excellent showing for the Lombardi Honda Racing Team.

Qualifying in second position at the start of Saturday’s event, Nick Wittmer advanced to first just after midway through the race and never looked back, crossing the finish line with a lead of 23 seconds over his nearest competitor. We took the gamble of starting the race with slick tires regardless of the fact that it had rained shortly beforehand. But we were proven right because the track dried as we were racing » explains Nick.

Alex Healy, 2009 Rookie of the Year, and Benjamin Distaulo, new this season to the Super Touring class, had also selected slick tires for Saturday’s race but were less comfortable in the changing traction conditions. They nevertheless maintained their positions, finishing in 8th (Healy) and 9th (Distaulo).

Sunday, the second race of the weekend, saw Nick earn yet another podium finish (third place overall) while Alex Healy earned a Top 7 finish for the second time this season. As for Benjamin Distaulo, he capped the weekend off with another ninth place finish.

Team owner Tony Lombardi has no doubt that Nick Wittmer’s experience was a determining factor in the weekend’s success : it’s an excellent weekend for the entire team. Nick drove extremely well and his experience benefited the whole team. As for Alex and Benjamin, they are less familiar with the car and it’s therefore understandable that they do not yet push the Honda Civic Si to its maximum potential when the track conditions are as challenging as they were on Saturday. I am satisfied that they were able to drive their cars to finish in the Top 10 mentions Tony Lombardi.

Lombardi Honda Racing will contest all rounds of the 2010 Canadian Touring Car Championship, which includes two visits to Mosport to kick off the season before heading to the Grand Prix in Mirabel, Toronto, and Trois -Rivières. The season ends with a third trip to Mosport at the end of August and a second visit to Mirabel in mid-September. The team receives support from the following partners : Lombardi Honda, Trim Line Montréal, Discount, Pole-Position Magazine, Distaulo Racing (Puma), Perry Auto Parts, Red Line Oil and Pneu Nicoletti. All information concerning the dealership can be accessed on the web site www.lombardihonda.com. For more information on the racing team, visit the site www.lombardiracing.com or visit the Lombardi Honda Racing page on Facebook and team videos on Youtube.

Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship: Calabogie Report

Canadian Touring Car Series Thrill at the Ted Powell Memorial Races

Calabogie, Ontario - 35 of Canada’s best drivers racing today’s hottest touring cars proved to the fans they had what it takes this past Saturday & Sunday during the Ted Powell Memorial Races hosted by the Motorsports Club of Ottawa this past weekend. Canada’s largest racing series, the Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship presented by Toyo Tires, thrilled the fans during Round Six of the series for a fantastic double header set of races.

For Saturday afternoon’s 20-minute heat race, GT Racing’s Etienne Borgeat, Greg Pootmans & Paul Dalla Lana held a clinic for the rest of the Super Touring Class field after second place driver Andrew Wojteczko’s Lexus IS300 engine failed on lap 5. Pootmans, currently the Championship points leader in Super Touring class was ecstatic with another strong performance for the entire Northwest Value Partner’s BMW squad.

The battle in Touring class was intense as Durabond Racing’s Anthony Rapone, who was defending his position atop the Touring Class championship points battle. BMW Mini driver Alain Lauziere and Nigel Heron in his borrowed Honda Civic were using every bit of their race craft to contend with Rapone’s teammate Scot Nicol during the entire battle.

Heron was able to get the lead for a brief 3 laps before Rapone took it back on lap 4. Nicol then took to battling back and forth with Heron and swapped the second place position a few times before the checkered flag came out on lap 9 of the race. MINI Cooper driver Alain Lauziere struggled for most of the session unable to find the much needed grip that he was looking for to keep up with the top 3 in the class.

Sunday’s 40-minute feature began with Saturday’s heat race winner Etienne Borgeat and his GT Racing teammate Greg Pootmans leading the pack to the green flag. As the tightly packed field made their way into turn one and through to turn three Pootmans took the lead and never looked back. Lombardi Honda’s Nick Wittmer made a charge to the front in turn one that would be short lived as he had a tire go down on lap 3 forcing him to make a pit stop to replace it.

Auto Analyser sponsored driver Andrew Wojteczko came back stronger than ever with the team’s second Lexus IS300 usually piloted by his dad Andy. Starting from his 29th grid position, Wojteczko gained 13 spots in the first lap alone. He then climbed the position ladder quickly and chased down rival Richard Boake in his Subaru WRX STi for 10 laps before securing third spot on the podium at race end.

Series rookie Alex Healy was the star of the race. Healy made an incredible set of passes from his 6th place starting position and made his way to third place on lap one. Healy fought  GT Racing’s Borgeat for 6 laps when Borgeat’s transmission failed allowing Healy to take over second place. This was an ecstatic Healy’s first podium of the year.

Nigel Heron led the Touring class briefly for two laps until Durabond Racing’s Anthony Rapone drove his Honda Civic back around him to retake the lead and never look back. Heron & Nicol battled the rest of the 18 laps to round out the podium. Another Honda Civic Si driver Tom Kwok spent the entire race battling with Octane Promotions driver Alain Lauziere to finish fourth.

The championship now is on a three week break as the teams prepare to do it all again in Round 7 at Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres - August 14-16, 2009

For up-to-date championship information and a complete schedule, please visit www.touringcar.ca.

Saturday's Race results:
Super Touring Class
1st Place    Etienne Borgeat    BMW
2nd Place     Greg Pootmans    BMW
3rd Place    Paul Dalla Lana    BMW
4th Place    Nick Wittmer    Honda
5th Place    Arek Wojciehowski    BMW

Touring Class Results
1st Place    Anthony Rapone    Honda
2nd Place    Scott Nicol    Honda
3rd Place    Nigel Heron    Honda
4th Place    Alain Lauziere    MINI Cooper
5th Place    Tom Kwok    Honda

Sunday's Race results:
Super Touring Class
1st Place    Greg Pootmans    BMW
2nd Place     Alex Healy    Acura RSX
3rd Place    Andrew Wojteczko    Lexus
4th Place    Richard Boake    Subaru
5th Place    Paul Dalla Lana    BMW

Touring Class Results
1st Place    Anthony Rapone    Honda
2nd Place    Nigel Heron    Honda
3rd Place    Scott Nicol    Honda
4th Place    Tom Kwok    Honda
5th Place    Alain Lauziere    MINI Cooper

From Perry Iannuzzi // Communications Director // Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship Presented By Toyo Tires
Canada's Best Racers Driving Today's Hottest Touring Cars
www.touringcar.ca

Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship: Wittmer and Lauziere 2009 champs

The Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship presented by Toyo Tires closed out it's season this past weekend at the Le Circuit ICAR just north of Montreal. An action packed pair of 40-minute races that would decide the championship for both Super Touring & Touring car classes. The fans were treated to some of this years most intense battles all through the field as drivers drove with everything they had to finish atop the podium.

In the Super Touring class, Northwest Value Partners, BMW driver Greg Pootmans led the field to the green flag along side his teammate Aldo sponsored Driver David Bensadoun for Saturday's 40-minute heat race. Current championship points leader, Lombardi Honda driver Nick Wittmer & PCO Innovations', Etienne Borgeat (BMW) brought up the second row as they crossed the starting line.

Unfortunately for Wittmer's Lombardi Racing teammate, Jean-Francois Dumoulin suffered an engine failure on the very first lap that would slow the field down for two laps as they cleaned up the track. On lap 3 the race went green again. Pootmans, who would lead the entire race along with Bensadoun, Wittmer and Borgeat were nose to tail the entire 24 laps. Pootmans team mate Paul Dalla Lana was in the mix until lap 10 when his driveshaft failed bringing out the races second and final caution. Borgeat and Bensadoun would round out the remaining spots on the S/T podium.

8 Legs Racing's Eric Hochgeschurz and his teammate Arek Wojciechowski had their hands full with another BMW driver Dean Fantin and rookie Alex Healy in his powerful Acura RSX  as they battled for position all race long. Wojciechowski was able to break free of the pack and pass Wittmer on lap 18 to finish 4th just behind Bensadoun.

The extremely competitive Touring Class had drivers Nigel Heron (Acura), Anthony Rapone (Honda Civic), Alain Lauziere (Mini Cooper), and Tom Kwok (Honda Civic) take the green flag along with 11 other class drivers. The battles started early as everyone jockeyed for key positions. Anthony Rapone took the class lead until lap 11 when Heron got by him with a daring pass. Kwok would hold Lauziere at bay for 14 laps when Lauziere made his way by for 3 laps until Kwok would take the position back on lap 18.

With only two laps to go, Andre Rapone driving the Durabond racing Honda Civic Si sedan was able to climb into the 3rd place spot when an on track incident put Lauziere in the pits with extensive front end damage that sidelined him from the finish.

Benjamin Distaulo made an impressive showing when he came from his 28th starting position to finish 5th in class just  behind Tom Kwok.

Saturday Sept 5th Heat Race

Super Touring Class
1st Place            Greg Pootmans            Toronto, ON            BMW
2nd Place            Etienne Borgeat            Montreal, QC            BMW           
3rd Place            David Bensadoun            Ste-Annes-desLacs, QC            BMW
4th Place            Arek Wojciechowski            Ashton, ON            BMW
5th Place            Nick Wittmer            Montreal, QC            Honda

Touring Class
1st Place            Nigel Heron            Verdun, QC            Acura
2nd Place            Anthony Rapone            Thornhill, ON            Honda
3rd Place            Anthony Rapone            Thornhill, ON            Honda
4th Place            Tom Kwok            Markham, ON            Acura
5th Place            Benjamin Distaulo            Lorraine, QC            Honda

SEPT 5, 2009
Mirabel, Quebec
The overall championship titles would all boil down to Sunday's feature race. It was an all BMW front row as Greg Pootmans & Etienne Borgeat would take the 31-car field to the green flag. Just behind the front row, David Bensadoun, Nick Wittmer & Arek Wojciechowski would battle nose to tail for 21 laps until  Borgeat would pass Pootmans to take the lead & the win in the final two laps. On lap 13 Gary Kwok's Honda suffered a catastrophic engine failure & fire that brought out a full course yellow for 6 laps. With 4:34 left in the 40-minute timed race, one of the marshals responding to the fire was injured bringing out a red flag so that emergency crews could attend to him.

For the entire 23 lap race Lombardi Honda's Wittmer drove hard while playing it safe was able to hold on to a top 4 finish, just behind Bensadoun, clinching the championship in Super Touring. Substituting driving duties for Paul Dalla Lana, Marc-Antoine Camirand started the race in 28th position, made an impressive drive as brought the North West Value Partners BMW to 4th place in just 21 laps only to be sidelined just two laps short sending him back to a 13th place finish.

The Touring Class field led by pole sitter Nigel Heron & Anthony Rapone closely followed by Tom Kwok and 2008 Touring Class Champion, Andre Rapone made their way to turn one in the final 40-minute race of the 2009 season in a style every fan is accustomed to, side by side, bumper to bumper. Heron pulled out all the stops in his potent Acura Integra and held the position for the entire race. On lap one Andre's Honda would suffer a fuel pump failure that would force him to retire.

Class points leader Alain Lauziere started his Mini Cooper from the 26th position and used every trick in his book to move through the field and by lap 7 had made his way back into contention right behind the second place Honda Civic of Anthony Rapone. On lap 22 Rapone's car suffered a similar fuel pump failure forcing him to drop back into the field. Kwok who had been battling hard to stay with the top 3 cars was able to take the position and finish just behind the Touring Class Champion Lauziere.

Sunday Sept 6th Feature Race
Super Touring Class
1st Place            Etienne Borgeat            Montreal, QC            BMW
2nd Place            Greg Pootmans            Toronto, ON            BMW           
3rd Place            David Bensadoun            Ste-Annes-desLacs, QC            BMW
4th Place            Nick Wittmer            Montreal, QC            Honda
5th Place            Arek Wojciechowski            Ashton, ON            BMW

Touring Class
1st Place            Nigel Heron            Verdun, QC            Acura
2nd Place            Alain Lauziere            Vaudreuil, QC            MINI
3rd Place            Tom Kwok            Markham, ON            Acura
4th Place            Benjamin Distaulo            Lorraine, QC            Honda           
5th Place            Jocelyn Fecteau            Mont St-Gregoire            Toyota

Super Touring Class Points
            DRIVER            PROV            CAR#            MAKE            POINTS           
1            Nick Wittmer            QC            6            Honda Civic            1516
2            Greg Pootmans            ON            16            BMW328                        1472
3            Etienne Borgeat            QC            2            BMW328                        1367
4            Arek Wojciechowski            ON            10/9            BMW/Mercury328/Cougar            1295
5            David Bensadoun            QC            14            BMW328            1209
6            Eric Hochgeschurz            ON            11            BMW328            1190
7            Alex Healy            ON            5            AcuraRSX            1144
8            Paul Dalla Lana            ON            15            BMW328            1035
9            Dean Fantin            ON            13            BMW330i            984
10            Andrew Wojteczko            ON            64            LexusIS300            930
11            Richard Boake            ON            96            SubaruSti            899
12            Gary Kwok            ON            66            AcuraCSX            791
13            Mathieu Audette            QC            12            AcuraRSX            750
14            Dave Ciekiewicz            ON            36/56            Acura/BMWTSX/328            675
15            P.J. Groenke            ON            92            Saab93            656
16            Jean-Francois Dumoulin            QC            22            Honda Civic Si            609
17            Nigel Krikorian            ON            1            SubaruSti            526
18            Glenn Chaplin            QC            74            HyundaiTiburon            470
19            Kuno Wittmer            QC            44            Honda Civic Si             452
20            Paul Dargis            QC            53            BMW328            409
21            Lee Chaplin            QC            75            HyundaiTiburon            406
22            Rob McAuley            ON            56            BMW328            315
23            Bob Attrell            ON            88            HyundaiGenesis Coupe            302
24            Nicholas Krikorian            ON            25            SubaruSti            263
25            Andy Wojteczko            ON            65            LexusIS300            231
26            Jacques Gravel            QC            43            HyundaiTiburon            219
27            Manuel Bastien            QC            60            Honda Civic Si-R            212
28            Pascal Carre            QC            24            BMW328            210
29            JC Cote            QC            43            HyundaiTiburon            209
30            Ken Baird            ON            9            MercuryCougar            178
31            Michael DelleDonne            ON            31            BMW330i            172
32            Marc-Antoine Camirand            QC            96            BMWM-Coupe            127
33            Gilbert Tomaro            QC            40            HyundaiTiburon            75
34            Rocco Marciello            ON            30            BMW330i            64
35            Charles Hammer            ON            99            PontiacSolstice            54
36            John Lockhart            ON            93            SaabAero            10
37            Jonathan Rashleigh            ON            87            HyundaiGenesis Coupe            6

Touring Class Points
            DRIVER            PROV            CAR#            MAKE            POINTS           
1            Alain Lauziere            QC            47            MiniCooper1            589
2            Anthony Rapone            ON            72            Honda Civic Si            1583
3            Nigel Heron            QC            90            Acura Type R            1540
4            Patrick Seguin            ON            80            Honda Civic Si-R            1221
5            Tom Kwok            ON            55            Honda Civic Si            1184
6            Jocelyn Fecteau            QC            77            Toyota Corolla XRS            1132
7            Ryan Blanchet            ON            84            Nissan Sentra            1005
8            Roger Bowes            ON            20            Acura Type R            961
9            Sylvain Laporte            QC            50            Honda Civic Si            719
10            Frank Blanchet            ON            48            Acura Type R            687
11            Aldo Lombardi            ON            4            Honda Civic Si-R            664
12            Pieter van Doorn            ON            79            Honda Civic            636
13            Eric Laporte            QC            51            Honda Civic Si            498
14            Benjamin Distaulo            QC            57            Honda Civic Si            467
15            Brad Young            ON            85            Honda Civic            433
16            Scott Nicol            ON            73            Acura/Honda Type R/Civic            423
17            Jacques Belanger            QC            57            Honda Civic Si            365
18            Jean-Guillaume Shooner            QC            3            AcuraRSX            347
19            Andre Rapone            ON            73            Honda Civic Si            344
20            Andrew Bearss            ON            58            Honda Civic            325
21            Tom Bork            NY            26            MazdaProtégé            325
22            Steve Greiner            ON            00            AcuraType R            302
23            Kenneth Lau            ON            73            Honda Civic Si            244
24            Rejean Vincent            QC            89            AcuraType R            217
25            Claude Houde            QC            41            MazdaProtégé            196
26            Daniel Blanchette            QC            89            AcuraType R            153
27            Simon Dion-Viens            QC            44            MazdaProtégé            113
28            Jacques Deshaies            QC            43            MazdaProtégé            0

The Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship Presented By Toyo Tires is Canada's Premiere Touring Car Series and features Canada's Best Drivers Racing Today's Hottest Touring Cars.  The Championship is showcased at eight event weekends in Quebec and Ontario will marquee events at Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres and Honda Indy Toronto.

For further information check out www.touringcar.ca for the latest championship news. For more information on Toyo Tires, please visit www.toyotires.ca. Toyo manufactures and distributes a complete line of replacement tires for high performance cars, luxury vehicles, light trucks and SUVs as well as tires for commercial trucks, buses and off-road and construction applications.

From Perry Iannuzzi // Communications Director - Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship Presented By Toyo Tires

Fantastic Race Weekend for CTCC at Honda Indy Toronto

Toronto, July 10th 2011 – Racing in the streets of Toronto is always a special event, but this year, it was one of the bests overall for the Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship presented by Continental Tire (CTCC). Great weather and even greater action was on the weekend agenda.

Most importantly, fans were there to cheer for their favourite driver and get closer for a picture or an autograph!

Round 8 of this wonderful weekend was a close and competitive race. The much cleaner track helped CTCC competitors to put on a great show however the race started with an incident on the first lap. Dean Fantin from the Amico Racing Team did not complete a lap due to a broken driveshaft and pulled off into the runoff at corner three. P.J. Groenke retired early after an on-track incident. Arek Wojciechowski from 8Legs Racing, Michael DellaDonne from the RMP Competizione Team and Dave Ciekiewicz from Donnington Motorsports also did not complete the race.

Super Class

Despite the incidents that occurred during the first half of this 30 minute race, the pace was kept at hand and the fastest lap was achieved by the Super Class leader, Richard Boake in his Subaru STI. His best lap time was

1:19.870 and it allowed him to stay far in front of the field during the whole race. Boake won for the second time on the weekend and he was followed by the Quebec driver Mathieu Audette in his Acura RSX, and Alex Healy for the third position, also driving an Acura RSX. This was a dream weekend for Audette as he also had a double podium during the Honda Indy Toronto weekend, which was his first appearance with CTCC this year. "If I had one more lap I could have gotten Boake", he said.

On his part, Healy was very happy to have gotten on the podium and make the points. He humorously declared "I am a little disappointed, I was not the fastest Acura on the track today", referring to Audette.

Fourth and fifth positions were earned by Sasha Anis from the G1 Racing Team and Nick Wittmer from the Lombardi Honda.

Touring Class

In the Touring Class battle, it was Groundhog Day as the three top drivers from the Saturday race were back on the podium. This time, Tom Kwok managed to pass both MINIs with his Honda Civic and earned the first place. Both Quebec drivers Alain Lauzière and his teammate Michel Sallenbach got second and third place, respectively.

"I just wanted to keep going and going and get faster to pass Alain", said Kwok.

"We knew it would be a fast race today, but Tom passed us fair and square", declared Lauzière. "What helps us to stay in front is that the MINIs are very stable and the original parts make those cars reliable. I am happy of this weekend's performance"

Fourth and fifth positions were earned by Anthony Rapone from the Durabond Racing Team and his teammate, Andre Rapone.

Worthy of mention

Again today, the BMW 328i Super Class driver from the 8Legs Racing, Eric Hochgeschurz gained 15 positions after starting in 31st place and finishing in 16th. Fastco Motorsports Super Class driver Lee Chaplin was 1.5 seconds faster per lap today compared to Round 7 and declared : "I am convinced that I gained speed because of my braking stability, everybody is jealous of my StopTech Brakes", said Chaplin. "I am so happy about this position and I owe this to my crew who are doing a great job."

To get the complete result of Round Seven and Eight, visit www.touringcar.ca. You can also follow CTCC on Facebook and Twitter.

The Championship's 9th and 10th Rounds will take place on July 22 to 24 at Grand Prix of Mosport at Mosport International Raceway.

About CTCC

The Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship presented by Continental Tire is Canada's only professional road racing series. Now in its fifth year, CTCC showcases race cars based on their stock street version. In 2011, CTCC will be featured at Circuit ICAR, Mosport International Raceway, Honda Indy Toronto, Circuit Gilles Villeneuve and Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières.

Experience the rush of touring car racing!

Double podium for Nick Wittmer and first victory in Trois-Rivères for Jacques Bélanger

Trois-Rivières, August 6th 2011 – Again today, the Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship presented by Continental Tire (CTCC) provided a fabulous show to the fans at the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières.

Super Class

In Super Class, a great battle with Mathieu Audette during more than half the race allowed Nick Wittmer to take first position on the podium today.

Unfortunately, Audette blew his engine in spectacular fashion while going down the front straight on the 15th lap. Wittmer was driving the Fastco Motorsports Hyundai Tiburon and with only three races in this car, he managed to get the Tiburon in first place. In second position on the podium was Richard Boake in his Subaru Sti, followed by Dean Fantin in third. Boake and Fantin had a strong and solid battle during the whole race.

Fourth and Fifth position went to Bob Attrell and Etienne Borgeat.

As for Marc-Antoine Camirand, the local favorite and winner of the nine last races on this particular track, he only managed a sixth position. He had blown his engine blew the day before and he had to replace it over night to make the race.

Also in Super Class, NHL hockey player and driver Marc-André Bergeron did not finish the race. After only six laps, Bergeron got into a traffic jam while being passed by Alex Healy in his Acura RSX. Both drivers touched which ended their race.

Touring Class

In Touring Class, a first victory at GP3R was celebrated by Jacques Bélanger in a Lombardi Honda Honda Civic, after trying for 20 years. In second position was Jocelyn Hébert in his Honda Civic which meant a double podium weekend for him. This was Jocelyn`s 16th podium at the GP3R circuit which is a record at the track. In third position was Alain Lauzière in his MINI Cooper S which was also his second podium of the weekend.

Fourth and fifth position went to Tom Kwok and P.J. Groenke.

Worthy of mention!

During the night race on Friday, VW GTI driver P.J. Groenke flipped and completely ruined his car. This didn't stop him from racing since he found another car to race and finished in fifth position in a Honda Civic from M&S Racing.

Veteran Claude Houde has never missed any of the 42 editions of the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières. This weekend, Houde drove a MINI Cooper with Octane Motorsport.

To get the complete result of Round Eleven and Twelve, visit www.touringcar.ca. You can also follow CTCC on Facebook and Twitter.

The Championship's 15th Round will take place on August 18 and 19 at the Montreal Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve during the Napa Auto Parts 200 presented by Dodge.

About CTCC

The Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship presented by Continental Tire is Canada's only professional road racing series. Now in its fifth year, CTCC showcases race cars based on their stock street version. In 2011, CTCC will be featured at Circuit ICAR, Mosport International Raceway, Honda Indy Toronto, Circuit Gilles Villeneuve and Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières.

Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship presented by Toyo Tires Kicks off this Weekend at Mosport’s Victoria Day SpeedFest

May 21, 2010 – TORONTO –With the long off-season drawing to a close, Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship presented by Toyo Tires competitors are preparing to fire engines and go racing at Mosport’s Victoria Day SpeedFest (May 21-23), the season-opening event on the seven-round 2010 calendar.

This weekend promises to feature an exciting and intense weekend of touring car action, with 43 entries set to make the trip to the venerable 4 kilometre road course north of Bowmanville, Ontario.

On-track activity gets underway with test sessions on today, followed by practice, qualifying and races on Saturday and Sunday.

Returning for his third season is 2009 Super Touring Class Champion and past Mosport winner Nick Wittmer, who will campaign one of the three Quebec-based Lombardi Honda Civic Sis alongside 2009 Rookie of the Year, Alex Healy and teammate Benjamin Distaulo. The Lombardi trio will be in tough in a deep field that includes the Hyundai Genesis cars of G1 Racing driven by Bob Attrell, John Lockhart and the 2007 Class Champion Sasha Anis, and the Pontiac Solstice machines of GT Racing’s Etienne Borgeat and Jacques Gravel.

In the Touring Car class, drivers to look out for include Alain Lauzière, who is returning to try and defend his 2009 Championship as part of the two-car MINI Octane Motorsports Team. He’ll be facing even stiffer competition as last year’s runner-up in class, Durabond Racing’s Andre Rapone, has teamed up with Compass360 team principal and accomplished driver, Karl Thompson to form a three-driver assault with Andrew Danyliw.

The Saturday schedule begins with a 25 minute practice session from 9:10 a.m. – 9:35 a.m. Qualifications will run from 10:55 a.m. – 11:20 a.m., setting the grid for the 30-minute heat race which will get underway at 2:20 pm.

On Sunday, a 30-minute practice session beginning at 10:30 a.m. will give competitors a final chance to set their cars up for the second race of the weekend, scheduled to run from 2:15 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.

Follow all the action from Mosport, including session reports, live timing and scoring and the latest championship news at www.touringcar.ca.The Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship Presented By Toyo Tires is Canada's Premiere Touring Car Series and features Canada's Best Drivers Racing Today's Hottest Touring Cars. The Championship is showcased at eight event weekends in Quebec and Ontario with marquee events at Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres and Honda Indy Toronto.For more information on Toyo Tires, please visit www.toyotires.ca. Toyo manufactures and distributes a complete line of replacement tires for high performance cars, luxury vehicles, light trucks and SUVs as well as tires for commercial trucks, buses and off-road and construction applications.

CASTROL TOURING CHAMPIONSHIP COMES DOWN TO THE WIRE

SEPT 3, 2009, Mirabel, Quebec - The final round of the Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship presented by Toyo Tires will be held this weekend at the Le Circuit ICAR just north of Montreal on the Mirabel Airport facilitys technical 3km tarmac road course. Currently 35+ drivers are slated to be on hand this weekend racing in two extremely competitive car classes. The excitement has been building all season long, and now the overall championship points battles will be decided this weekend.

Canada's Best Racers Racing Today's Hottest Touring Cars such as Acura, BMW, Saab, Nissan, Honda, Hyundai, Chevrolet, Mazda, Toyota and Subaru will be going door to door in what fans can expect to be some of the season hottest action. Fierce rivalries between the top 5 drivers in both classes are coming to a head, as the top spot on the podium is up for grabs.

Lombardi Honda driver, Nick Wittmer will be pulling out all the stops to defend his lead atop the Super Touring Class and attempt to hold off GT Racings Greg Pootmans & Etienne Borgeat at bay in their extremely competitive BMWs. Alain Lauziere in his extremely quick and agile Octane Motorsports MINI Cooper will also be looking in his rear view mirror as the Thornhill driver, Anthony Rapone & Verdun native Nigel Heron in his Acura Integra will attempt to unseat Lauziere from the top spot in the Touring Class.

The action will be intense as the top 8 drivers in both classes have a chance to finish within the top 5 of the championship. The points race has never been so tight at such a late time in the season. BMW drivers, Eric Hochgeschurz, David Bensadoun and rookie star Alex Healy in his Acura RSX will be vying for the top 5 spots in Super Touring class. Also be sure to watch for Jocelyn Fecteau (Toyota), Ryan Blanchet (Nissan) & Roger Bowes (Acura) fight their way into the top 5 in Touring Class.

The CCTCC will be the feature race series this weekend with a full 20-minute practice session, a 20-minute qualifying session and a thrilling 40-minute race on Saturday as well as a 20 minute warm up and capping off the weekend with a 40 minute feature race on Sunday.
Tickets for this exciting event are available at http://www.circuiticar.com.

The Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship Presented By Toyo Tires is Canada's Premiere Touring Car Series and features Canada's Best Drivers Racing Today's Hottest Touring Cars. The Championship is showcased at eight event weekends in Quebec and Ontario will marquee events at Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres and Honda Indy Toronto.

For further information check out www.touringcar.ca for the latest championship news.
For more information on Toyo Tires, please visit www.toyotires.ca. Toyo manufactures and distributes a complete line of replacement tires for high performance cars, luxury vehicles, light trucks and SUVs as well as tires for commercial trucks, buses andoff-road and construction applications.

Castrol Touring Car Series - Wittmer & Rapone Crowned 2010 Champions

October 5, 2010 - Toronto, Ontario Canada - With the seven event championship now in the record books, the Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship presented by Toyo Tires celebrated a fantastic fourth year of competition. It all came down to the last event at the famed Circuit ICAR at Mirabel, just north of Montreal. 35 of Canada’s best race drivers were on hand racing in two extremely competitive car classes for the final time in 2010. As in past years, both Super and Touring Class championship titles were decided on the last weekend of the year.

For a second year in a row, Lombardi Honda driver Nick Wittmer took the top spot in Super Class in his Honda Civic with a total of 1522 points, just 111 points of his second place rival Dave Ciekiewicz in his Donington Motorsports Subaru WRX STi and 300 points ahead of Audette Racing’s Mathieu Audette in his Acura RSX. For 2010 there was a total of 33 drivers vying for the the top spot in Super Class.

A record number of two and three car teams were on hand this year as everyone stepped up their game. G1 Racing fielded two Hyundai Genesis Coupes with drivers Bob Attrell and Sasha Anis. Team Aldo/Northwest campaigned three BMWs driven by Greg Pootmans, David Bensadoun and Paul Dalla Lana. There were an average of 37 cars competing each Championship weekend.

GT Racing’s Etienne Borgeat and Jacques Gravel debuted their new Pontiac Solstice coupes but struggled early in the year to get them dialed in. Lombardi Racing brought out their three extremely potent Honda Civics with the driving duties being shared among regular driver Nick Wittmer, Benjamin Distaulo, Andre Rapone, Nigel Heron and last years rookie of the year Alex Healy.

In Touring Class, Anthony Rapone had a significant points lead going into the final event but the fight for second and third place was among at five drivers going into event seven at Mirabel. Michel Sallenbach driving a MINI Cooper for Octane Motorsports, Karl Thomson, Rapone’s Durabond/Compass360 Racing team mate, M&S Racing’s Tom Kwok, Pfaff Tuning’s P.J. Groenke and Jacques Belanger battled all year long taking turns on the podium and keeping them all within the top spot in the championship. A total of 30 different Touring Class drivers competed this season and put on some of the best racing in Canada.

For 2010 the Manufacturers Championship went back and forth between Honda, BMW, MINI, Subaru and Acura. In the end, BMW took home the Super Class Championship and Honda was able to hold off MINI for top honours in Touring Class. No less than twelve different manufacturers were represented this season.

New for 2010 was the introduction of the Championship Webisodes. Produced by Phanta Media, Mark Drager and his team put together seven event Webisodes and corresponding video race reports that put fans in the car and in the paddock with the teams. The Webisodes were a huge hit with the fans and the media. Look for these to continue for 2011 as it seems the audience just can’t get enough. http://www.youtube.com/user/CanadianTouringCar.

The 2011 Championship schedule and event planning is well underway. New cars are being added to the roster and the rules are being updated and refined. Discussions are ongoing with current and new sponsors with many wanting to increase their involvement for the future.

The championship would like to acknowledge its partners for their support for another exciting season; Castrol (Wakefield Canada Inc.), Toyo Tires Canada, Holiday Canopies, NOS Energy Drink, Hawk Performance Brakes, Pit Uniforms.com, MK Technologies, Toronto Tirecraft, Pure Design Marketing, Garagescapes, Racing Radios International, Forge Motorsport, dba(Disc Brakes Australia), Anze Suspension and Traqmate Data Acquisition.

CCTCC: Attrell and Hebert win in Montreal

Toronto, August 20th 2011 – It was an exciting day for Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship presented by Continental Tire (CTCC) competitors as they were competing in Round 13 at the NAPA Auto Parts 200 presented by Dodge. On the starting grid of the famed Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Pole position was held by St. Leonard d'Aston driver Marc-Antoine Camirand in his BMW Z3 with a best lap time of 1:51.796.

Camirand was followed by Brampton drivers Sasha Anis in his Hyundai Genesis Coupe and his teammate Bob Attrell in third in a Hyundai Genesis Coupe. The fourth and fifth grid positions were held by Montreal drivers Etienne Borgeat in a Pontiac Solstice and Nick Wittmer in his Honda Civic Si. Also in the field, Marc-André Bergeron from Trois-Rivières was driving his Mazda RX8 starting at the 28th position and Simon Dion-Viens from St. Joseph de Kamouraska was driving a BMW 328 from 8Legs Racing, starting at the 11th.

As the race started, Dion-Viens had to pull off on the first lap and had to retire from the race due to mechanical problems. A few laps later, the leader in Super Class points, King City driver Richard Boake pulled off in the last corner with a blown engine. Sure enough, this misfortune has cost him his first place in the Championship, for the time being with only two Rounds left this season. St. Anne des Lacs driver, Mathieu Audette also blew his engine unexpectedly early in the race.

Camirand was leading the field for quite a while, followed very closely by Anis. Both drivers were battling for the win, but close to the end, Camirand experienced mechanical problems which melted some wires and caused him to stop. Anis also experienced mechanical problems. At the same time, Ottawa driver Alex Healy blew the motor in his Acura RSX.

Super Class

That left Nick Wittmer in the lead in his Honda Civic Si followed by Bob Attrell. After a few laps Wittmer`s engine blew handing the lead and win to Attrell. Scott Nicol from Barrie, Ontario managed to climb from the tenth position to end in second place in a Honda Civic Si. Nicol was returning to CTCC racing for the first time after several years of absence. Borgeat got the third position, now placing him in first place of the Championship.

"Montreal is my hometown and whenever I have the chance, I come on this track to ride my bike, it paid back", pleasantly said Borgeat. "All season long, I kept the pace, finishing the races and cumulating points, now I pushed Boake from the first place and I did that here at home and I am very happy about that!"

Post race analysis showed that the race was run past its 30 minute time limit and that Nick Wittmer had finished in first. Unfortunately he was later disqualified for a technical procedure infraction. Best lap time was made by Marc-Antoine Camirand with 1:52.99.

Touring Class

While the Super Class cars were having a tough race and multiple mechanical surprises, the Touring Class vehicles were handling the circuit Gilles-Villeneuve pretty nicely. Fortunately, no incidents were encountered by any of the cars. As a matter of fact most of the drivers were lapping within two seconds of each other.

At the checkered flag, Trois-Rivières driver Jocelyn Hébert took the victory in front of teammates Tom Kwok and Gary Kwok who respectively finished in second and third positions in their Honda Civic Si. Those three drivers battled a very nice and clean race.

"After Jocelyn passed me, I tried to come back and passed him again and I could not reach him" declared Tom Kwok. "Even though I tried during all race, I just couldn't get to him because he was too fast."

Unfortunately two drivers did not participate in the race because of engine problems: MINI driver Alain Lauzière from Vaudreuil-Dorion and Trois-Rivières driver Jacques Deshaies in his Mazda 3 Sport.  Best lap time was made by Jocelyn Hébert with 1:58.245.

To get the complete result of Round Thirteen, visit www.touringcar.ca. You can also follow CTCC on Facebook and Twitter.

The Championship's final Rounds 14th and 15th will take place on September 9 to 11 at Circuit ICAR during the Continental Sundown Enduro.

About CTCC: The Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship presented by Continental Tire is Canada's only professional road racing series. Now in its fifth year, CTCC showcases race cars based on their stock street version. In 2011, CTCC will be featured at Circuit ICAR, Mosport International Raceway, Honda Indy Toronto, Circuit Gilles Villeneuve and Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières.

Experience the rush of touring car racing!

From Dominique Longval / Director of Marketing // Photo: Paolo Pedicelli

CASTROL TOURING CARS AT GP3R - Canada’s biggest auto racing series returns to Trois Rivières

August 10, 2009 - Toronto, Ontario - With only two rounds left on the 2009 calendar for the Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship presented by Toyo Tires, Canada’s best drivers racing today’s hottest touring cars will compete during the 40th Édition of the Grand Prix Trois Rivières.The schedule will bring the two classes to the track for a 20-minute practice Friday morning followed by an intense 20-minute qualifying session later that afternoon. Two 30-minute races follow Saturday & Sunday morning in what is anticipated to be one of the biggest spectator crowds in years at this prestigious event.

The Super Touring Class championship points leading BMW driver Greg Pootmans and Touring Class leader Durabond Racing’s Anthony Rapone will do what ever they can to defend their current positions atop the standings in what appears to be some of the fiercest competition you’ll see all weekend long.

Going into this weekend the championship is far from decided in either class. In 2008 the championship was decided in the very last race of the series. The drivers vying for the top spot include Lombardi Honda’s Nick Wittmer. Northwest Value Partner’s Paul Dalla Lana. All will be pulling out all the stops this weekend.

The hotly contested Touring Class battle continues with Alain Lauziere currently 2nd place in the points standings will be back in his Octane Promotions MINI Cooper S. He’ll have to use every trick up his sleeve to fend off Nigel Heron and his potent Acura Integra at bay while attempting to get a top the podium in the Touring Class.

Less than 300 points separate the top five drivers in the Super & Touring classes, as the level of competition is extremely high. Watch for impressive drives to the front from Super Touring drivers Arek Wojciechowski (BMW), Etienne Borgeat (BMW), Eric Hochgeschurz (BMW), David Bensadoun (BMW), and Calabogie podium finisher, Alex Healy (Acura).

Touring Class offer thrilling excitement way deep into the pack also. Watch for Patrick Seguin (Honda), Jocelyn Fecteau (Toyota), Tom Kwok (Honda) and the rest of the field battle it out for 20 minutes on Saturday & 40 Minutes on Sunday.

For further information, check out www.touringcar.ca for the latest championship news.- -The Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship Presented By Toyo Tires is Canada's Premiere Touring Car Series and features Canada's Best Drivers Racing Today's Hottest Touring Cars. The Championship is showcased at eight event weekends in Quebec and Ontario with marquee events at Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres and Honda Indy Toronto.

For more information on Toyo Tires, please visit www.toyotires.ca. Toyo manufactures and distributes a complete line of replacement tires for high performance cars, luxury vehicles, light trucks and SUVs as well as tires for commercial trucks, buses and off-road and construction applications.