IMSA Race Canada this Weekend

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In the long and storied history of Corvette Racing, no single racetrack has witnessed more success for the program than venerable Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. The track just to the east of Toronto has been the backdrop for 13 Corvette class victories dating back to 2001.

The 2.459-mile, 10-turn circuit, formerly Mosport International Raceway, is the backdrop for what Corvette Z06 GT3.R team's hope is another winning weekend during the Chevrolet Grand Prix. This year’s race, in which the Corvette GT3 car scored its first win in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, features four Corvette entries across the two GT classes: Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports in GTD PRO along with AWA and DXDT Racing in GTD.

All 13 victories for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing at CTMP have come from the Pratt Miller-run team, including last year’s dominating weekend for Garcia now a three-time winner there – and Sims.
The pair led a 1-2 finish as Sims claimed pole position and set the fastest race lap along the way. Garcia and Sims also come into this weekend with additional momentum from four podium finishes in five races and the GTD PRO championship lead.

Along with a runner-up finish at Watkins Glen for the No. 3 Corvette, Milner and Catsburg recorded their best finish of the season in the No. 4 Z06 GT3.R – fourth place in class and just missing the podium. The duo was the closest challenger to the sister car at CTMP a year ago. Milner is a past class-winner at the track with Corvette Racing, and Catsburg made his first start at the circuit last year.

AWA (GTD)

• No. 13 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Matt Bell, Orey Fidani

AWA’s Fidani and Bell aim to make up for last year’s race at CTMP, where a collision forced the No. 13 Corvette out of last year’s Chevrolet Grand Prix. This time around, the team will contest its home race in the special Canadian-themed livery that proved immensely popular last month at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

In addition to posting a solid result in its home race, AWA hopes to use the CTMP round to bolster its chances in claiming a second consecutive Bob Akin Award for Fidani. The honor goes to the highest points-scoring Bronze driver in GTD and was AWA’s ticket to Le Mans after winning the season-long championship in 2024. AWA also has given the Corvette Z06 GT3.R its only IMSA win this year at the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona.

DXDT Racing (GTD)

• No. 36 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Alec Udell, Robert Wickens

The Chevrolet Grand Prix marks Robert Wickens’ return to DXDT Racing’s No. 36 Corvette that is equipped with the newest generation of Bosch’s electronic braking system. Wickens made his high-profile debut in the Corvette and in the WeatherTech Championship at Long Beach and also competed at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

A two-time winner at CTMP in Michelin Pilot Challenge, Wickens rejoins Alec Udell in the DXDT Corvette following a near-miss at Watkins Glen. Udell qualified on the GTD front row for the second year in a row, and the team challenged for the class win until a mechanical issue sidelined the No. 36 Corvette with 10 minutes to go.

The Chevrolet Grand Prix is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 13.
The race will air live on the USA from 2 to 5 p.m. with full streaming coverage on Peacock inside the U.S. and IMSA.com outside the U.S. IMSA Radio will air all on-track sessions at IMSA.com along XM 206, SiriusXM Online 996.

CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R DRIVER PRE-EVENT QUOTES

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“I think we can challenge for the win at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. I don’t know if we will have enough or not, but we will definitely go for it. We just need to wait and see what we actually have. We’ll do what we always do and go as fast as we can with whatever we have.

Furthermore, we’ll try to find our weak spots and especially where we might be ahead of our competition so we can take advantage of that.
We just need to play things smart again and see what this race brings.”

ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“Honestly, I enjoy every single event in IMSA, but this is really the sweet spot in terms of hitting awesome tracks week after week. Canadian Tire Motorsport Park is up there with the absolute best of the tracks in North America for me personally. I love it there.
It’s where we were able to put it on pole and win last year, and it would be amazing if we could do the same again this time around. We’ll just have to wait and see if that’s realistic or not.

“These are the standout tracks and why I want to come and race in IMSA. It’s a really nice part of the year. CTMP also is important in this phase to maximize each race and keep the championship challenge going. But from that point of view it’s about focusing on every single race.
We’ll focus on the moment and enjoy what we’re doing.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“This is the real meat of our schedule. Watkins Glen obviously set off a nice sequence of just classic North American road courses. Next for us is Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, which is consistently my answer for whenever I’m asked what is my favorite racetrack. It just has all the right characteristics, all the right rhythm and flow and challenge and everything that you want in a racetrack.

It’s a lot of fun, especially these days in these GT3 cars. We’ve been successful there. I think it really suits the Corvette. It’s a place where the fast-flowing, high-speed nature of the track really is this car’s sweet spot. I’m hoping that that continues to stay true.
We’ve seen all last year and still this year that we struggle a little bit in straight-line speed, but hopefully we have just enough to keep anybody behind us if we are toward the front.

But yeah, just love racing there. The fans there are great, as always, real diehard sports car racing fans.
It’s just a big challenge – one that I think every lap, you kind of hold your breath in a couple places, and that’s what makes it fun.”

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“I got to discover CTMP for the first time last year, and the track is just incredible. It’s another of the classic North American tracks that I really enjoy. I would say that it lived up to my expectations last year with the fast corners, elevation changes and a really nice flow.
Certainly, we were fast there last year in the Corvette, which is encouraging.

The team obviously knows the track really well and has a lot of wins and experience. So all that makes me pretty confident going into the weekend. We had what I would say was a decent result at Watkins Glen so let’s see if we can make the improvements we need to be higher up the order.”

MATT BELL, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“Canadian Tire Motorsport Park is one of my favorite tracks from anywhere in the world, and we’ve been eagerly waiting to race there again! I’m really looking forward to the team’s home race and to bringing back the fan-favorite livery from Le Mans.
We felt we had a very strong car at CTMP last year, so I’m confident we’ll be competitive.
Hopefully we’ll be able to bring the Canadian-flagged Corvette Z06 GT3.R over the line with a strong result in front of a great crowd.”

OREY FIDANI, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“This race means so much to the whole team. CTMP is an extremely special place for me, it’s where this whole journey began, and it’s very sentimental to be able to compete at my home track in front of friends and family. After seeing the massive amount of support we received in Le Mans, we knew we had to bring back the red livery for the Canadian crowd.
I’m really looking forward to getting back in the car, and we’ll be doing everything we can to put on a good show and get a great result here.”

ALEC UDELL, NO. 36 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“I’m excited to return to a sprint format together with Robert in the DXDT Corvette Z06 GT3.R. It’s a race on home turf for him, and it’s been a good place for the Corvettes in the past. It feels like we’ve got a lot of positive momentum coming into the race, so I can’t wait to get on track and give all Robert’s supporters up there, and our DXDT team, an effort to root for!”

ROBERT WICKENS, NO. 36 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“I couldn’t be more excited about being a part of the headline race, driving a Corvette Z06 GT3.R at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. It’s a big race for myself, as well as my team, DXDT Racing. We feel like a podium is just around the corner, and there is no place I would rather achieve that than at home at CTMP.
The Corvette has always been a fan favorite. Ron Fellows put Corvette Racing on the map in Canada with all of his success with Pratt Miller. Ron has had a huge influence on CTMP and on my career. He’s someone I’ve always looked up to from a very young age, and he’s helped me, and other Canadian drivers, progress from karts to cars.
Now to return and drive a Corvette just like Ron has done for so many years holds a special place for me.”

 

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AWA didn’t win the LMGT3 class in the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans, but its Canadian maple leaf-liveried Corvette Z06 GT3.R won the hearts of the international racing community from the heart of France.

Now the only Canadian team to participate in this year’s 24-hour classic at the Circuit de la Sarthe is back on home soil to compete in the Chevrolet Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, the sixth of 10 races on the slate for Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) class competitors in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

The GTD, GTD PRO, and Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) classes take the spotlight at CTMP, while the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class enjoys a mid-summer break before returning to top the bill August 1-3 at the IMSA SportsCar Weekend at Road America.

Etobicoke, Ontario (town near Mississauga, Ontario near Toronto) native Orey Fidani secured Andrew Wojteczko Autosport’s invitation to Le Mans by winning IMSA’s Bob Akin Award, presented to the top Bronze-rated full-time driver in the GTD class. Fidani and his AWA co-drivers Lars Kern and Matt Bell claimed the ’24 Akin prize on consistency, then opened the 2025 IMSA campaign with a Rolex 24 At Daytona class victory.

Fidani and Brendan Iribe (No. 70 Inception Racing Ferrari 296 GT3) are tied with 1590 points to lead this year’s Akin Award standings. It appears set to be a two-horse race between Fidani and Iribe for the 2025 Bob Akin Award the rest of the season. Fidani and Bell rank eighth in the overall GTD standings.

Fans at CTMP located about 50 miles northeast of Toronto’s City Centre in Bowmanville and colloquially known by its original name of Mosport are in for a treat, because AWA’s No. 13 Corvette will be wrapped in a Canadian-themed livery almost identical to the one its Europe-based twin sported on the way to its top-10 class finish at Le Mans.
“Canadian Tire Motorsport Park is my home track, and just being there is a great feeling,” Fidani said. “I honestly couldn’t tell you how many laps I’ve done there; I feel like I could probably drive it with my eyes closed. It’s a challenging layout, and no matter how many times I drive it, it never gets old.

“This race means so much to the whole team,” he added. “CTMP is an extremely special place for me. It’s where this whole journey began, and it’s very sentimental to be able to compete at my home track in front of friends and family.

Fidani has remained fiercely loyal to his co-drivers and team as they worked up the sports car ladder together as a group since 2022, and Wojteczko is extremely grateful Fidani insisted on taking on the Le Mans effort as AWA rather than just trying to find a ride on his own.
Fidani also praised Bell, who had competed twice before at Le Mans in the LMP2 class and has consistently lent a veteran presence to the AWA effort.

“I’m not sure if I’m comfortable of the title of veteran just yet,” laughed Bell, a 35-year-old Englishman. It was definitely different to be essentially the only driver there that’s done Le Mans before.
“You have to have your routine ready, and in the race, you can’t sit and watch the TV screens the whole time, because when you jump in you feel tired. Le Mans is not a track to drive around tired. It’s a pretty high commitment circuit.

“I was just trying to make sure everybody was as prepped off the track as they were on it, and it seems to have gone alright.”
The AWA team notched a 10th-place class finish at Le Mans, which was a positive achievement that left everyone wanting more.
“We’re obviously a very competitive team,” Bell said.
“We want to win; we won the Akin Award last year, and we won Daytona this year. We fell a little short on pace at Le Mans. We learned some lessons; we’re pretty sure immediately that we know why, and what went wrong. But you never know that until you’ve done it wrong, and then you’re in the race.
So, we weren’t quite as competitive as we hoped to be, and it really is a pace race these days for all classes.

“Having Jeff Braun (respected racing engineer and father of IMSA driver Colin Braun) along with us was important, as he’s done it a couple of times,” Bell added. “He’s been both keeping our team moving forward in the IMSA paddock and going to Le Mans. I think bringing Jeff in was a huge jump for the team, and he’s done a great job bringing all the people together.”

Bell and his teammates didn’t bring home a trophy from Le Mans, but they brought home a suitcase full of memories. There’s no doubt they’ll get a huge round of applause every time AWA’s rolling homage to Canada turns a lap of CTMP.

“After seeing the massive amount of support we received in Le Mans, we knew we had to bring back the red livery for the Canadian crowd,” Fidani said. “I’m really looking forward to getting back in the car, and we’ll be doing everything we can to put on a good show and get a great result here.”
Bell added, “The whole Fidani family and the team were proud to be, I believe, the only Canadian team to be flying the flag.
It just added an extra little element to everything for everyone.

“It was cool to see such a positive reception to guys proud of where the team was coming from and the national pride. Definitely a big hit and a big fan favorite, as the IMSA car has been as well this year (in the black and gold livery it ran from Daytona through the June 22 Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen at Watkins Glen International). We seem to have resonated on the livery front with the fans so far this year, so they are doing a great job.

“The parade day (at Le Mans) was such a cool day,” Bell continued. “It’s easy to forget how crazy that all is, and to do it again and see Orey and Lars experience it. Such fun to see so much engagement from so many fans of the race. You always want to make sure the people coming to watch the event are having as much enjoyment as you are. We had some great times on that parade and that will stay with me for a while.”

Practice for the Chevrolet Grand Prix starts Friday, July 11, with the 2-hour, 40-minute race slated for 2 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 13. Domestic coverage is on USA and Peacock, while international viewers have the option of IMSA.TV or the official IMSA YouTube Channel.

 

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First practice in the GT classes. Andrea Caldarelli took just seven laps to post his best effort in local favorite Pfaff Motorsports’ No. 9 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2, a 1:15.580 (117.126 mph).
That gave him and co-driver Marco Mapelli a cushion of nearly half a second in the Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) class over Nicky Catsburg and Tommy Milner in the No. 4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette Z06 GT3.R at 1:16.040 (116.417 mph).

“The car felt in a much better window than last year to drive,” reported Catsburg. “We did good work on the setup, and it feels like everything is in the right window.”

Ben Barnicoat clocked 1:16.328 (115.986 mph) in the No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Racing Lexus RC F GT3 he shares with Aaron Telitz to place third in GTD PRO.
Vasser Sullivan’s No. 12 entry competing in GTD was slightly quicker than its identical GTD PRO stablemate by 0.005 second to lead the GTD class.
Jack Hawksworth, who teams with Parker Thompson, turned that 1:16.328 (115.978 mph) lap on his seventh tour of CTMP to narrowly edge the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 in which Philip Ellis got down to 1:16.412 (115.850 mph).

Other Canadian entries of note include the No. 13 AWA Corvette Z06 GT3.R, adorned in a Canadian flag livery, which Matt Bell drove to sixth place in GTD. Co-driver Orey Fidani, from nearby Etobicoke, Ontario, is tied atop the standings for the IMSA Bob Akin Award, presented at the end of the year to the top Bronze-rated driver in GTD.

Guelph, Ontario’s Robert Wickens, who is competing in the WeatherTech Championship in the GTD sprint race rounds this year, saw teammate Alec Udell run 10th quickest in the No. 36 DXDT Racing Corvette Z06 GT3.R.

Two more entries have revised lineups confirmed on Friday. PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports will run Benjamin Pedersen, the team’s IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup third driver, alongside 2024 CTMP winner and LMP2 champion Nick Boulle in their No. 52 ORECA LMP2 07. Additionally, Kenton Koch joins the No. 021 Triarsi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3 with Onofrio Triarsi in GTD.

WeatherTech Championship competitors look forward to another 90 minutes of practice Saturday morning, prior to qualifying for all three classes starting at 4 p.m. ET.
The two-hour, 40-minute Chevrolet Grand Prix starts at 2:05 ET on Sunday, July 13, with coverage available on USA and Peacock domestically; IMSA.TV and the official IMSA YouTube channel with stream the race for international viewers.

 

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Every IMSA Corvette driver has a standard to uphold this weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

Four generations of Chevrolet Corvette GT racing cars run by the works Corvette Racing team have won at the course formerly known as Mosport a combined 13 times over the years, including a stretch of eight wins in nine years from 2001 to 2009.
A 2016 victory for an Action Express Corvette Daytona Prototype makes it 14 for the brand in total, heading into the Chevrolet Grand Prix on Sunday.

The most recent chapter in that success story was co-authored by Alexander Sims. Sims and Antonio Garcia won GTD PRO last year to give the newest Corvette Z06 GT3.R its first IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship win in a Corvette 1-2 finish and both drivers' second career wins at CTMP.

Sims and Garcia haven't won this year in IMSA, yet, the yellow No. 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Z06 GT3.R sits on top of the GTD PRO standings with three second-place finishes and another third. That's been enough to edge out AO Racing's Laurin Heinrich and Klaus Bachler by 52 points (with a maximum 154-point swing at CTMP).

"Our points lead hasn't been through race wins, but we've been there or thereabouts in most races. It's been really nice," Sims said after the first practice session on Friday afternoon. "It doesn't change anything for us this weekend. We obviously come here trying to get the win, but it's the same as always – maximize the package that we have on the weekend, and that's all we can do.

"We're always trying to tweak things and find some performance within the package. Maybe some of that wasn't working as well today as I had hoped from a balance perspective. We've got all the learnings from the No. 4 car today, as well as last year, so I'm sure we can get our Corvette tuned back in and be better tomorrow."

Going into the weekend, Sims downplayed the notion that their points lead has come as a big surprise.

"We go into every race as everybody else does, basically – trying to win – but there's only ever one winner," he said. "We came third in the championship last year, and we're leading now, so it's not like the lack of a win has been because we've been uncompetitive the whole time.

"Pratt Miller and Corvette are a pretty good force together, so we hope we can get back to our winning ways this weekend. But as we've seen so far this year, I would probably take another second or third place as well."
It's a special weekend for Robert Wickens, too. Twice a winner at CTMP during his Michelin Pilot Challenge tenure, Wickens is back for his third IMSA WeatherTech series sprint in his hand-controlled No. 36 DXDT Racing Corvette.

"Obviously, it's a home race for me, one that I've had circled on the calendar all season," he said earlier this week. "I've had success in TCR in the past, winning there twice and finishing second in the other.
"The first two races that I've done this year in the WeatherTech series haven't been amazing, to say the least. We've shown potential, but just at the wrong time. Hopefully we can put together a good strong weekend, from first practice right through the checkered flag on Sunday."

DXDT's Corvette ran tenth-fastest in class in practice, but it's worth remembering that this is the team which captured the Corvette Z06 GT3.R's very first win in GT World Challenge America, months before its first IMSA win with the works team. Executing a quick driver change and running a clean race will be paramount.

Wickens is hoping to channel the positive energy of racing in IMSA's top series for the first time in front of his home fans.
"I think, since coming back from my injuries and racing in support series with IMSA, I've always been trying to get back to racing on Sundays, on that headline event. To do it at home in front of a hometown crowd, it's gonna be a really great feeling," he said.

In his youth, Wickens looked up to countryman and Corvette Racing great Ron Fellows, which was one of the many reasons why he gravitated towards DXDT and Corvette for his step-up to the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

"What's special is, I grew up with Ron Fellows being being like a mentor of mine," Wickens recalled. "Obviously, his history in the No. 3 Corvette that Alex drives, seeing all the success he had, and the role that Ron has at Canadian Tire Motorsport now and on the whole Canadian motorsport community... I think there's an extra bit of pride for me, driving a Corvette around that track this weekend.

"The Canadian fans are always passionate, always super-loyal, and it's gonna be awesome to see everybody out there."