23Racer

I just wanted to pass this along.

Canadian Touring Car Championship To Showcase Some of Canada’s Best Drivers
AT THE 2007 GRAND PRIX OF TORONTO
Toronto, Ontario – Tuesday, December 12, 2006: Furthering its commitment to provide event-goers with even more on-track excitement, the Grand Prix Association of Toronto today announced it will feature the Canadian Touring Car Championship at this year’s Grand Prix of Toronto, July 6, 7 and 8, 2007.
“The Grand Prix of Toronto is a well-recognized part of the city’s sports and cultural scene,” says Charlie Johnstone, president and CEO, Grand Prix Association of Toronto. “The week-long festival of speed is truly a celebration of Canadian pride. With its all-Canadian driver line up, the Canadian Touring Car Championship is a natural fit. The Champ Car World Series and the Champ Car Atlantic Series feature some incredible Canadian racing talent with Paul Tracy, Alex Tagliani, Andrew Ranger and James Hinchcliffe. We are excited to further showcase Canadian talent by adding the Canadian Touring Car Championship to our on-track line-up.”
The Canadian Touring Car Championship launched in 2003, and the 2007 season promises to be the best yet. In addition to the Grand Prix of Toronto, the Championship will travel to four different tracks including Mosport International Raceway, Shannonville Motorsport Park and Calabogie Motorsports Park. The Championship provides Canadian race fans with exciting head-to-head competition in three unique classes between some of Canada’s best drivers in today’s hottest sports cars. Touring Class is the entry level category where race cars have engines up to 2.0 litres and up to 200 horsepower. The Super Touring Class includes race cars with engines up to 2.8 litres and up to 300 horsepower. The GT Class is the fastest category where race cars will reach speeds of up to 230 km/h. The excitement lies in the fact that all three categories race at the same time for supremacy in their field.
There are three factory-backed teams including Honda, Mini and Saab, and fans will recognize some of their favorite models from other manufacturers such as Acura, GM, Lexus, Ford, Porsche, Dodge, BMW, Mazda, VW and Nissan. The Championship is sanctioned by Canadian Automobile Sport Clubs Ontario Region Inc. (CASC-OR).
"The Grand Prix of Toronto provides a world-class stage for us to showcase our series,” says John Bondar, president, Canadian Touring Car Championship. “Now in it's fifth year, the Canadian Touring Car Championship provides the opportunity for the fans of the Grand Prix of Toronto to experience our style of racing and meet our home-grown drivers, while giving a tremendous boost to auto racing in this country. As the Championship continues to grow, our participation in the Grand Prix of Toronto demonstrates our commitment to providing excellent value to our promoters, competitors and partners alike."
REVolution. Evolution – Only Faster!
The Grand Prix of Toronto is a week-long festival of speed that will feature excitement both on and off-track. The ever popular Thunder Alley will return hosting the Champ Car Paddock, autograph sessions, live entertainment and interactive games and exhibits. Also returning is the GPT Auto Expo – the ideal place to take a break from the heat in the air-conditioned Direct Energy Centre featuring the support series garages, interactive games, exhibits and show cars.
Racing for Kids
Leading up to race-weekend the Grand Prix Charitable Foundation will again host a week of events to support local children’s charities. In 2006, the Foundation raised more than $200,000 with events like the Grand Prix Bike for Tykes to the hottest ticket in town with the Drivers’ Party. Since its inception in 1986, the Foundation has raised more than $5.5 million for local charities.
About the Grand Prix Association of Toronto
The Grand Prix Association of Toronto is the owner and promoter of the Grand Prix of Toronto. For the past 21 years, Torontonians have celebrated a long-weekend of world-class racing on their streets. The event will return to Toronto’s Exhibition Place on July 6, 7 and 8, 2007 with a spectacular festival of international racers and exciting off-track entertainment. Tickets are on sale now at www.grandprixtoronto.com or by calling 416.588.RACE (7223).
Join the REVoluton. Evolution – Only Faster!
For more information or photos, please contact:
Andrea Hynes
Manager, Communications
Grand Prix Association of Toronto
T: 416.588.7223 x. 240


Big changes to the Championship. the classes are now a bit different as well. There are Touring (2.0L and under max 205 tire), Super Touring (2.8L and under as well as stock forced induction under 2.5L and max 235x18 tire) and all the rest fall into GT. More aero than last year as well. Headlights are to become mandatory due to Sundowners. Gasp!!!!!

Looks great for the rest of 2007 as there are only 8 races and the expectation of larger grids with faster cars.

RX7 rumours include entries from Nummelin Motorsport (myself), the Ottawa FD RX7 Turbo, Al may pop in for a race or two with his car, Dave Deidrick is rumoured to be building a NA FD, even the Can Saf 3 rotor is sniffing around. John Powell is planning to bring his 1st gen out as well. If all goes according to plan we could be looking at 4 - 5 RX7's on the grid for some races.

Roll on rotary power.

Eric

nik

I can confirm the silver FD will be there (barring technical problems). Interesting about headlights(I didn't hear of this yet). Should make for some great racing indeed!

Balzz

I hope to be a mobile chicane at a race towards the end of the season if the moon and the stars align.

RacerJason

iTrader: (5)

Great news! I imagine I'll be a non-participant for another year.

23Racer

LOL, "Shane the mobil chicane", it rhymes!!!!!

Seriously Shane, it would be great to see you out in one of the later races. I truly doubt that you would be very slow. Your high 39's to low 1:40's would be right in the pack at most races.

Let me know if we can assist in any way. Need to pay you back somehow for your manly re-fueling efforts, LOL again..

Eric

01Racing

I wish the series the best of luck! I will not compete in the series again this year, preferring to stay in Ontario Challenge Cup. If the series gets as big as they think it will, cost will again skyrocket to the stars. For what its worth, I cant see changing my car to fit rules that limit everything from make of tires (having to purchase Toyo Tires) to spoiler heights/widths, carry ballast in a car that wasent designed to, (I dont like the idea of plates stacked on a pole inside the car!) etc, just to run at the Molson Indy. If things go like they have in the past years (like last year when vintage ran at the Indy) my non-legal car was asked to run because of lack of entires at the last minute.
Like I said before I wish the series the best of luck, I know people have put a lot of time and effort into organizing it and try to make it very professional. For me, the 3-4 times a year we run, I prefer the "run what ya brung" and all the variety Ontario Challenge Cup brings. I even renewed my competition license and car number to day for the "07 season! So for those that are running, I will be watching as usual, then running with the 40-60 cars that show for our Challenge Cup race!

23Racer

This is how close the racing is in the TGTC now CTCC Championship. We ran this close to these cars for almost 3 hours. It was a buzz.

The Turn 3 pass was really cool. I was passing the cars on the outside and at the same time was being passed by the S2000 and the Lexus. Really great racing action that is going to get better in 2007.

This is what happens every lap.

Eric

classicauto

iTrader: (3)

wicked Eric!! I love to see pics with the 7 at the front hehe

Good luck this year!

20B-3Rotor

It should be a fun and interesting year.

Jason Whats the hold up on the car, you should have been done last year.

IAN

iTrader: (3)

Mazdee's is building the car as we speak

I saw the Silver FD (Niks crew for lack of names) on Star Racer on speedvision How many people saw that?

23Racer

Just for your information, here is the new website for the Touring Car Championship. It has the new rules package and everything there for your review.

What I like are the new event professionalism requirements, matching team uniforms, championship paddock, hospitality, autograph sessions, etc.... Really cool.

Rules for me are not really much different, just really need to work on the power, lightness and handling. Just have to get my old heap to be consistently faster, LOL. Looks like to even get into the top 5 you will have to be able to do a 1:34 at Mosport and a 1:31+ to win!!!!!! CRAP!!!!!!

Eric

23Racer

Must have forgot the link or it was removed, http://www.touringcar.ca/. Here it is.

Eric

Balzz

D'oh...just read the '07 regs - RX-7s have to be in ST...I was hoping to start in T2/T.

23Racer

Shane, if you can get consistent 39's and 40's out of your car then you should be ahead of almost all of the Touring Cars. All you have to do is run those laps and wait for the faster cars to blow up. It is amazing how many times you can pull off a good finishing position just by finishing "SMACKS HEAD"! The 2 longer "Sundowners" should be perfect for you to finish well.

Again, let me know how we can help.

Eric

Balzz

Thanks for the offer. Will definitely keep it in mind.

DeAd-EyE

iTrader: (1)

Balzz,

I think a stockport or streetported motor can start in Touring (formerly T2). Might wanna contact the head honcho on that one as in 2006 the N/A FC was a Touring Car.

The 2007 Regs only seem to mention turbos, and bridgeports/p-ports.

cheers

01Racing

Or you could just build what you want and run in the Ontario Challenge Cup, and probably have a car left at the end of the year! (lol)

DeAd-EyE

iTrader: (1)

^ i've been a little confused as to how that challenge cup thingy works (i guess we have two completly separate "GT" series in ontario).

In the Apendix Q on the CASC-or site it just splits the classes according to times. Does that mean i can run whatever i want (assuming it conforms to saftey specs) and then they'll assign me a class based on the laptimes i run during qualifying?

Cause in that case I can just run a full cage on my street car without having 2 gut the living hell out of it, supercharge the sucker, tweek the suspension and then have some fun

01Racing

Ontario Challenge Cup has no limits to your modifications. You decide what time bracket you want to run in, not them. The fastest GT cars in Ontario run in Ontario Challenge Cup. The fastest lap run was a 120.7 set by my pal Blaise Chida last year. His back-straight speed topped 170MPH going into turn 8! Our grids are usually the largest by a fair margin. The nice thing is that the rules dont change each year, you can prepare what you want. If your car has closed wheels and passes tech, you race. We have a few PCA (porsche club) cars run that have full interiors and some have license plates! To me its the best racing in Ontario and the most fun to watch/drive in.

DeAd-EyE

iTrader: (1)

hmm... that actually sounds like a very attractive option, especially since i havn't been able 2 find a suitable seven

Having said that 01Racing, you wouldn't happen to be Al Balanski would you?

01Racing

Yes I would happen to be Alan Balinsky!

DeAd-EyE

iTrader: (1)

Sweet, you're famous in mazda circles. My friend Nav @ dufferin constantly refferences you when we talk about rotaries (all in positive refference of course )

23Racer

Just to clarify things and these are my educated opinions. The rules makers for the CTCC have adjusted the rules for classifying cars from last year to allow real WC cars a place to race at their modification level and allowing for the smaller cars to have a place to race as well. The actual rules package has remained surprisingly stable! The main difference is to further clear up the car performance differences and allowing you to race against cars with the same performance potential (i.e. no sandbagging allowed). As all rotaries have their displacement determined by multiplying their real displacement by 2, the car is considered by almost all sanctioning bodies to be a 2.4L (12A) or a 2.6L (13B).

The new car classification tries to keep Touring (which was called T2 last year) as a class for cars that if well driven and prepared to the limits of the rules, as around a 1:39 - 1:40 second car. This basically means 2.0L and under, 205's and very limited aero.

Super Touring (which was T1 last year) as a class for under 2.8L cars that if they are well driven and prepared to the limits of the rules will do a 1:30 - 1:31 at Mosport. This class will allow full on WC Touring class cars to compete and to be competitive you need to go as fast as a WC Touring class car. There are bigger wheels and tires allowed, more aero and some forced induction cars in. This is a class for all (up to BP) rotaries to run in as this is where they ran in WC.

GT is for all other cars over the 2.8L displacement and running factory chassis or smaller cars running tube chassis (at the discretion of the organizers). This class has way more aero, huge tires, really really light weights and unlimited engine mods. If you are going to run a Turbo rotary or a peri port rotary, this is where you end up. You better be ready to do a mid 1:27. at Mosport to win.

If you watched races from the last few years you would see that every car runs as hard as they can at every race. The on-track racing is suberb and similar to any present pro race series. The racing is close, hard but clean. Yes there is a lot of equipment failures as you push as hard as you can every lap and some cars can't take it. I can truly say that I have not driven as hard as I do in the CTCC in any other race I have done since I ran Pro in the Firehawk series over 10 years ago.

I really try to not get into the comparisons between the CTCC (nee Touring GT) versus the Ontario Challenge Cup, but the difference is basically if you want to come out racing, run what you brung and have the races determined by how close you can lap to an arbitrarily set lap time run the OCC. It is fun, there are a ton of cars, some well driven some stroking along running far slower than they are capable of and at the end of the weekend you have a good chance of winning a class (there are 5). It is a great place to race for the newcomer and for the competitor that is out to have a great time.

The CTCC is driving flat out against similar developed cars and the winner is the best car driven by the better driver. No BS. Is it fun, sorta, but I get a real sense of accomplishment when I finish in the top 5. I have had to push myself as hard as I can to get there.

I used to run Ontario Challenge Cup, in fact I won 5 races back in 2001 in GTC, but it was always brake light racing and it seemed sorta artifical to me. I enjoyed it a lot but wanted to go back to car class racing and pushed hard to get the Touring GT off the ground.

For a newcomer I definately recommend going into the OCC. It lets you grow with your car and learn to race wheel to wheel. It also allows you to do whatever you want to your car to go faster. You just have to pick the class you want to race in.

My $.02.

Eric