THE 2024 CAN-AM CHALLENGE CLUB RACE took place at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (aka “CTMP” / aka Mosport) during the Civic Holiday weekend on August 2-4. The weather was picture perfect, with the hot and humid temperature feeling 38C (100F). It was a great time to race.
On behalf of the Upper Canada Region (“UCR”) Board of Directors and racers, we sincerely thank the generous sponsors:
PRESENTING SPONSOR
Porsche Centre Markham | Porsche Centre Vaughan
TRACKSIDE TIRE SPONSOR
Braidan Motorsport
CLUB RACE AWARD BANQUET SPONSOR
Porsche Cars Canada
SHARED EVENT COST BY HOSTING A SEPARATE BMW CLUB RACE
BMW Car Club of America/Trillium Chapter
BEER SPONSOR
Symbev Inc.
VOLUNTEER T-SHIRTS SPONSOR
G TEK Automotive
HOSTED A TRACK DAY AND RESERVED A RACE GROUP FOR OUR RACERS TO DO TEST & TUNE
JRP Speed Therapy
The 2024 Can-Am Challenge Club Race’s weekend included a warm-up session and three 30-minute practice sessions on Friday, a warm-up session plus a qualifying session and two 30-minute Sprint races on Saturday, and a warm-up session plus a 90-minute Enduro race on Sunday. Congratulations to four rookie candidates – Jeff Breton, Nicolas Giguere, Paul Haynes and Jim D’Ozario, who successfully completed their racer requirements for the PCA Club Racing license on Friday and raced with us on Saturday and Sunday.
PCA club racers with podium finishes and who received their trophies at the awards banquet:
Under the PCA National Championship points system, each racer earns five points for each event attended where the racer starts and finishes at least one scheduled race. The final two scheduled Sprint races and the Enduro race earn points. Points will be awarded in class for Enduros in the same way as in sprint races. If two or more drivers share a car during an Enduro, the total points earned by that car will be split equally among the drivers who drove it in that race. A racer will earn one bonus point for each car in class that the racer finishes ahead of, up to a limit of 10 points. Cars that do not finish the race (DNF) or are disqualified (DQ) count as cars “finished ahead of” in class but receive no points for that race. Under the UCR local points system, the three racers who had highest combined points of the two Sprint races received trophies at our award banquet on Saturday.
The points system under PCA National and UCR:
Winners of Non-Contingency Related Awards by PCA National Sponsors:
The Can-Am Challenge Club Race is a signature event at UCR and it is a 12-month planning project. I would like to give special thanks to event registrar Sylvie Neill for working with me closely during the 12 months prior to the race weekend. Sylvie also helped me monitor the UCR club race email account and alerted me if there was anything urgent that I had to deal with, so I could focus on my demanding full-time job during the week.
Thank you to the Track Support Services for keeping everyone safe. Thank you to Robb Dobbie (Mosport Marshalling Services) and his team of 25 flaggers for the marshaling services. Thank you to Durham Region Paramedic Services, RH+ Medical (Robert Harrison) ambulance and their fire trucks, Dr. Nick Cuberovic, Janet Clarke RN and Sunshine Logistics’ (Robin Doiron).
Thank you to our long-time Can-Am Challenge Partner: BMW Car Club of America (Trillium Chapter). Al Norrie (BMW Trillium Club Race Chair), and Alan Lewis (BMW Trillium Club Race Registrar), Isi Papadopoulos (ex-BMW Trillium President and Race Chair) who cross promoted their event and who executed a safe and exciting BMW club race.
Thank you to the PCA and UCR Volunteers who executed a seamless event. The 2024 Can-Am Challenge Club Race was a huge success, and kudos to the team of 40 PCA and UCR volunteers (see Figure 4), who worked tirelessly during the three-day club race weekend:
- Special shout out to our PCA National team who flew from the States to oversee our race weekend: Bill Miller (Chief Steward, Texas), Steve Coomes (Scrutineer, Texas), Lori Schutz (Scrutineer, California), Joe Patane (scrutineer in training, New York), Joanne Patane, and Roland Nieves (National Timing and Scoring, Nebraska). Both Bill Miller and Steve Coomes are long-time PCA Club Racers who have 170-300 club races under their belts. Lori Schutz is the daughter of Peter Schutz, who was the CEO of Porsche AG from 1981 to 1987. Peter was instrumental in turning around Porsche AG during early1980s and he was best remembered as “The Man Who Saved the 911”. Lori was our UCR’s annual banquet speaker in 2018, and told the story about her late father.
- Our Can-Am Challenge marketing team (Jon Dunski, Matt Distefano and Brion Charters) actively promoted our race by reaching out to the race shops and talked to the racers while they were racing at other PCA club races in the States. Thanks Brion and Matt for helping with the cross-border information.
- Thanks a million to Jackie Metcalfe and Terry Cassan (two experienced race chairs in our previous races) for managing the club race weekend, so Jon Dunski and I (club race co-chairs) could focus on racing. Thanks to Terry Cassan, Pierre Knobbs (JokerFx) and Sarah Lewis (JokerFX) for designing the Can-Am trophy. Both Pierre and Sarah were BMW Trillium Club Racers who also raced during our club race weekend.
- Thanks Matt Distefano for doing the track walk Friday evening to show racers the tips to go faster at each corner.
- Sylvie Neill was such a dedicated club race registrar (this was her third year) and her excellent organization skills and all the prep work made a seamless check-in during the club race weekend.
- Thank you Larry Funnell (Vice-President, and Grid Captain) for leading his team of 12 volunteers in the grid. Bill Neill was the Grid Captain in Training during our club race weekend. Hats off to all our persevering grid volunteers who had to work under the hot and humid weather that felt like 100F! A special shout out to Ben Leung and Ian Drew (both UCR track instructors) for stepping up to run the Advanced Solo Lapping (ASL) under Driver Education rules during the club race weekend.
- A special shout out to our club race photographers, Joanne & Rob Martin, who had to carry the heavy professional cameras under the scorching sun and walked to various corners to take on-track pictures during the three day club race weekend. Thanks Gregory Ho-Yuen for stepping up to help taking pictures too. Thanks Rob West (Director) for taking volunteers pictures in the paddock and racers award pictures at the banquet.
- A big shout out to Kim Dunski, who stepped up to be the 2024 Family Day Chair and organized the 2nd UCR Family Day at Mosport on the last day of our club race weekend for ~200 UCR members and their families. About 100 UCR members’ Porsches participated in the parade laps after Paul Neto (DE instructor and PCA Club Racer) conducted the drivers’ meeting. John Tipper (SIG 914 Chair) also organized a group of 914s to celebrate the 914’s 55th anniversary during the parade lap. David Billo was our Family Day photographer again for the second year. UCR provided free specialty coffee (Fleet Truck – Kirk Tobias) and free soft-served ice cream (Mister Treats – Jimmy Tziortzis) for everyone on Sunday!
The ongoing success of our club race weekend is a true testament to the hard work and dedication of the PCA and UCR volunteers, the sponsors, and the participation by PCA and BMW Trillium racers, and advanced solo lapping participants. The weekend was a true testament to PCA’s slogan, “It’s not just the cars, it’s the people.” Planning for our 2025 Club Race is already well underway. Wishing all racers safe racing for the rest of the season and see you at our 2025 Can-Am Club Race at Mosport! </>
