Double Podium for Performance Tech Motorsports in IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park

Performance Tech Motorsports completed a successful race weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park as they walked away with a first and third place finish across two races in the IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge series. Canadian driver Jonathan Woolridge took home the win in dominant fashion in Race 1 in the #38 Ligier JS P320, with Alex Kirby securing third place in Race 2 in the #7 machine to conclude the round.

Saturday’s race saw Wooldridge starting from second on the grid, but he wasted no time challenging for the lead as he swept into first place heading into Turn 1. An accident further down the field brought out a lengthy full course caution, with the green flag waving once more with just over 25 minutes remaining. Woolridge expertly handled the restart, speeding away into the distance and building a gap to the competitors following behind. He was the fastest car on track and continued to clock in purple sectors across the board. A second full course caution was brought out with 7 minutes remaining, with the race eventually ending under yellows. Jonathan went on to claim the victory at his home track in front of his friends and family in attendance. 

“The pace in the #38 was excellent,” exclaimed Jonathan Wooldridge. “We had a great qualifying session on Friday that saw us starting from the front row, which then led to us getting our first win together in front of the home crowd on Saturday. The support from the fans and sponsors this weekend was amazing. CTMP is always a great time and I am proud to have gotten the team on the top step this weekend.”

Alex Kirby had a difficult opening race, as he was handed a couple of drive-through penalties which impacted his progress. He then picked up damage in the final stages of the race and was eventually forced to retire the car. 

Race 2 was challenging for both drivers as they had to surmount a number of obstacles along the way. Alex Kirby started in sixth but didn’t stay there for long as he began to make his way through the field. He was sitting in fourth at the halfway mark, and went wheel to wheel with Courtney Crone in the #99 car, going on to finalize the overtake for third. However, it would not be smooth sailing from there, as he was tapped from behind by a GSX class competitor and sent spinning at Turn 5, losing a position in the process. With only 8 minutes remaining on the clock, Kirby put his head down and focused on the task ahead. He went on to reclaim third place just one lap later and didn’t look back until he crossed the finish line. 

“It was a tough start to the weekend, so I’m very pleased that Race 2 went better for us,” said Alex Kirby. “This track is very demanding and we capitalized on every opportunity we could in order to put ourselves into a good position. The contact and spin was unfortunate, but luckily I didn’t lose too much time and we were able to stay calm and work through it to get back to where we wanted to be.” 

After starting from third on the grid, Jonathan had to deal with some setbacks as he was handed a couple of drive through penalties throughout the race. The first penalty came as the result of Wooldridge pulling out of line as the field approached the green flag. A combination of the #73 car jumping the start, and the #3 car holding back to wait for the green flag resulted in Woolridge moving to the right of the track in order to avoid a potential collision, but he was given a penalty as a result. The young Canadian was able to recover to a sixth place finish. 

“The second race was more challenging, but we still had good pace,” explained Woolridge. “Luck wasn’t on our side for this one. After serving two drive-through penalties we still managed to climb our way up to P6.”