Series points leader Perry Bortolotti claims pole by large margin over second place qualifier.
MIRABEL, June 4, 2011 – Circuit ICAR was thought to be the great equalizer for the field of Porsche 911 GT3s running here this weekend. Calabogie double-winner Perry Bortolotti was thought to have a “home field advantage” there and the trip to ICAR would put everyone on a more level playing field. If qualifying is any indication, whatever advantage Bortolotti had came right along with him to Mirabel.
In stark contrast to the foggy and wet conditions three weeks ago in Calabogie, the GT3 Cup Challenge Canada had virtually perfect conditions under which to qualify. With temperature hovering around 18 degrees and under a virtually cloudless sky, the field rolled off just before noon EDT.
It quickly became clear that Perry Bortolotti would once again, be the man to beat this weekend.
“We had been here earlier this month for an open practice session and it was the first time I had seen the track. But anything we learned then went out the window with the track’s new configuration,” Bortolotti said.
Turning his fastest time of 1:35.904 on his fourth lap, Bortolotti was 2.720 seconds clear of the second fastest qualifier, Martin Harvey, from Berthierville, QC. Harvey was the only qualifier to improve his time after the first four laps as the track began to heat up.
“The track was actually very good today,” said Bortolotti. “It’s concrete, so the only real grip you get is from the build-up of rubber on the surface of these old runways. But the Michelins were perfect all weekend, regardless of the track conditions.”
The top five qualifiers for today’s and tomorrow’s races were:
1. Perry Bortolotti /Kanata, ON 1:35.904
2. Martin Harvey /Berthierville, QC 1:38.624
3. Shaun McKaigue /Gilford, ON 1:39.550
4. James Hoddinott /Ottawa, ON 1:40.136
5. Bruce Gregory /Kanata, ON 1:40.601
The fourth place qualifier, James Hoddinott, will not be making either of the two races, however. On lap three, while accelerating on to the back straight, a failure of a non-Porsche part caused the throttle to stick wide open. His car slammed into the concrete barrier, leaving it “hors d’ combat” and out for the remainder of the weekend.
“I went by Jim and he hit hard,” said Bortolotti. “The car was heavily damaged on the passenger side with suspension and frame damage. It was a heck of a wallop.” Bortolotti reflected for a moment and added: “That’s why I drive these cars. I still want to race, but I also want to be safe, for myself and for my family. That’s why I race a Porsche.”
The 911-based GT3 cars will race twice this weekend, once this afternoon at 2:50 EDT and again tomorrow afternoon at 2:15 EDT.
The Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge has become a fixture on the racing scene around the world. Run on every continent except Antarctica and Africa, it is estimated that the GT3 Cup Challenge will hold 120 events and 255 championship rounds in 2011. The concept of a Porsche based one-make cup series dates back to 1986, with the Rothmans-Porsche Challenge Series for normally-aspirated Porsche 944s in Canada and the Porsche Turbo Cup Championship for 944 Turbos in Germany.
The series is divided into three classes; Platinum Cup, featuring the more powerful 2011 and 2010 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars, Gold Cup, which includes 2005½ - 2009 Porsches, and Silver Cup for 2002 – 2005½ 996 Porsches. All three classes run on Michelin tires.
Three events comprise the inaugural season of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada: May 14-15 at Calabogie Motorsports Park (Calabogie, Ontario), this weekend at Circuit ICAR (Mirabel, Quebec) and ending the season on the same racing card as their American counterparts July 23-24 at the Mobil 1 Presents the Grand Prix of Mosport. The season’s overall champion will be presented with a Tudor Heritage Chronograph, provided by Rolex Canada.
Additional information, including competitor regulations, is available at http://www.imsaracing.net.