TORONTO, ON – This weekend (February 7-9), in Hall 5 of Toronto’s International Centre, both the Canadian Touring Car Championship presented by Continental Tire and the Canadian Motorsports Expo will celebrate their eighth anniversaries.
So it comes as no surprise that the Canadian Touring Car Championship (CTCC) would return to the CME again this year.
“For us, the Canadian Motorsports Expo is the best way to reach out to our fans,” comments CTCC Founder and President John Bondar. “And it’s the best time to launch the season, before everyone gets too involved with the actual racing.”
In 2013, the Canadian Touring Car Championship and its 50-plus, point-scoring drivers competed in front of nearly 600,000 interested spectators, crisscrossing Southern Ontario and Quebec and testing their talents on the nations’ most challenging race circuits. Ultimately, three class victors were crowned with Scott Nicol, Damon Sharpe and Karl Wittmer accepting their championship accolades following a long season of intense, hard-fought competition.
As a credit to their achievements, both Nicol’s Velocity Motorsports Honda, and the Blanchet Racing Civic of Sharpe will be on display in the CTCC booth, joined by the B-Spec class Mazda 2.
And while race fans can enjoy getting close to this title-winning machinery, they will also have an opportunity to view replays of past races and to speak with both champions as Sharpe and Nicol will be greeting fans and showing off their championship rings. Also on hand will be Bondar and his series support staff, promoting the popular series and answering questions as the CTCC prepares for its eighth season.
“One of our goals this year is to launch some new marketing initiatives, and to make our races and racing more accessible to the fans,” continues Bondar. “One thing we’ve been developing is an enhanced ‘App’ which makes a lot more information available to the fans in order to keep them updated, especially during the races.”
To date, the Canadian Touring Car Championship has announced five, doubleheader race weekends, with appearances confirmed for Canadian Tire Motorsports Park (2), Calabogie Motorsports Park, Circuit ICAR Mirabel, and a season highlight, the Grand Prix of Trois-Rivières. According to Bondar, however, the full calendar will feature seven race dates.
“We say this every year, but I truly believe that 2014 will be our best year yet. There are new cars being built, and new drivers coming on board, including several female drivers.”
He concludes, “Our challenge for this year is to have the championship come down to the final race of the year. We’ve been able to do it for the past seven seasons, and I think that that alone is a testament to the competitiveness of this series. I’ve heard that Damon is returning looking for the three-peat, and I know that Scott is building a new car to try and keep ahead of the pack. I know that those guys would love to claim back-to-back titles, but I know that there are a bunch of other drivers just as determined to de-throne them.”
ABOUT THE CANADIAN TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP: In seven years of competition, the Canadian Touring Car Championship presented by Continental Tire has grown into a world-recognized racing series. Competing on some the Canada’s most challenging tracks, the CTCC is a true test of driving skill, with many former competitors now plying their trade in the upper levels of sports car racing. One appeal of the CTCC is the ‘Three races within a race’ format as the highly modified Super cars, their slightly less modified Touring division brethren and the showroom stock, B-Spec class all share the track at the same time, each vying for class supremacy in, typically, 30 minute sprints.
To discover more about the Canadian Touring Car Championship presented by Continental Tire, please visit their website, www.touringcar.ca.
ABOUT THE CME: The 8th Annual Canadian Motorsports Expo Powered by Inside Track Motorsport News takes place February 7, 8 & 9, 2014 in Hall 5 of Toronto’s International Centre, adjacent to Pearson International Airport. The show features motorsport content geared to racers, fans and automotive enthusiasts. NASCAR Sprint Cup racer Ryan Newman will be at the CME on Saturday, February 8. Richard Petty, the seven-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion and winner of seven Daytona 500s and 200 Sprint Cup races will be at the CME on Sunday, February 9. Former Truck Series champ Mike Skinner will also be at the CME on Sunday. For information about the show, including news, schedules, exhibitor info and more, call (416) 962-7223, or email info@CanadianMotorsportsExpo.com. The CME’s website is located at www.CanadianMotorsportsExpo.com.
