Performance Tech Motorsports Combats Challenges at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park
Performance Tech Motorsports prevailed through the adversities thrown its way at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park in the Mobil 1 Sports Car Grand Prix for Round 5 of the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship LMP2 Class.
The No. 38 Centinel Spine ORECA 07 LMP2 finished second at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park after its race was plagued by mechanical issues. The drivers and crew battled to the end in order to meet the necessary drive time to receive points in the championship standings.
Team Principal Brent O’Neill notes that championships are won on days like this.
“It was a rough day we had a mechanical issue and had a hiccup during a pit stop,” O’Neill said. “But we finished the race which is what matters most. Cameron and Kyle did a great job. Just the way the day played out Cameron did a lot of driving but he kept the car out there. We got our points and we move on to Road America.”
Kyle Masson, Windemere, Florida, highlighted the ORECA 07 LMP2’s true strength this weekend earning the team’s second Motul Pole Award of the season. He led the LMP2 field at the drop of the green flag, making quick work of pulling away from the second-place car. A mere 15-minutes into the race suffered a mechanical issue slowed the pace of the No. 38 but still allowed Masson to press forward. He continued to put pressure on the leader while balancing lap traffic and loss of power.
The engine troubles would only increase as Cameron Cassels, British Columbia, prepared for his stint with the car’s pace slowing further as he was called upon to nurse the issue. Cassels drove arguably his most impressive stint to date pushing the car to its limits while managing the high-speed traffic. He piloted the car around the 10 turn, 2.459-mile course gaining the minimum track time and earning the necessary points to keep a grasp on championship contention. Performance Tech now sits one point outside of the championship lead.
CALENDAR
The No. 38 Centinel Spine LMP2 has just over three weeks till its next IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship event at Road America. The weekend represents Round Six for the LMP2 class featuring the second two hour and 40-minute sprint race of the season. The weekend runs from August 2-4 in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. For a detailed schedule, visit http://imsa.com.
Cameron Cassels, Driver of the No. 38 Centinel Spine LMP2
“I felt confident in the car from the start and that confidence grew every session,” Cassels said. “Running LMP3 gave me a lot of track time and helped me be more comfortable. At the start of the race we lost a cylinder, so the pace was impossible to keep. It actually caused us to slow down enough that racing GT cars was a challenge. I spent my whole stint just trying to run as quick and clean as possible without wrecking anyone else. Overall, I felt good, now it’s back to the shop to get this fixed before the next race.”
Kyle Masson, Driver of the No. 38 Centinel Spine LMP2
“This was honestly a tough race,” Masson said. A piston broke in the motor about 15 minutes in that made us lose a ton of power throughout the course. Traffic management became a real challenge as well as trying to stay efficient throughout the lap to get the most out of the engine. We had trouble with a pit stop that made us lose an additional amount of time so my mission really just became bringing it back clean so Cameron could get in and get his drive time. The crew did a great job all weekend long taking whatever was thrown their way. Cameron did a great job managing the car he had. We just have to look forward to the next one now.”