Chevrolet Grand Prix
The Chevrolet Grand Prix is an annual IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race held every July at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada.[1] The race originated in 1975 and is currently a two hour and forty minute race in order to fit the event into a television-friendly package. Previous editions of the Grand Prix were part of the World Sportscar Championship, the American Le Mans Series and the IMSA GT Championship.
IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship | |
---|---|
Venue | Canadian Tire Motorsport Park |
Corporate sponsor | Chevrolet |
First race | 1975 |
First WSCC race | 2014 |
Duration | 2 hours 40 minutes |
Previous names | Mosport 6 Hours, Mosport 1000, Mosport 500, Mosport Festival, Grand Prix of Mosport, Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix |
Most wins (driver) | Lucas Luhr (5) |
Most wins (team) | Audi Sport North America (6) |
Most wins (manufacturer) | Porsche (8) |
History
In 1961 the first international professional sportscar races at Mosport Park took place with the inaugural Players 200 in June won by Stirling Moss and the first Canadian Grand Prix won by Peter Ryan in September as part of the Canadian Sportscar Championship.[2][3][4] In 1966 the Grand Prix became part of the inaugural Can-Am Series season before becoming a Formula One Grand Prix in 1967.[5] The Mosport Can-Am races continued to be part of the Can-Am series through to its demise in 1986 with the track hosting more Can-Am races than any other facility.
In 1975, the International Motor Sports Association sportscars visited the track for the first time when it’s Camel GT Challenge raced during the Labatt's Blue 5000 Weekend sharing the weekend schedule with the SCCA/USAC Formula 5000 Championship.[6][7] The inaugural 100 mile IMSA race was won by Hurley Haywood in a Porsche Carrera.[8]
The race was included as part of the World Sports Car Championship on six occasions, for the first time in 1976 and for the final time as the 1985 Mosport 1000 which also marked the final FIA World Championship event to be held at the facility.
From 1989 through 1992, IMSA returned to headline GT only races in May and June for their GTO and GTU classes. With the launch of the new World Sports Cars category in 1995, prototypes returned to the track for the first time in a decade for the Chrysler Mosport 500.
In August of 1999, the American Le Mans Series made its first appearance at the track as the new headline IMSA sanctioned series for the renamed Grand Prix of Mosport weekend.[9]
The series reintroduced factory backed prototypes designed for the high speeds of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Prototypes from Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Panoz, Porsche and Acura led to the highest speeds ever recorded at the track. The 2008 Grand Prix of Mosport included the fastest ever lap at the circuit taken by Rinaldo Capello during qualifying in an Audi R10 TDI with a time of 1:04.094.[10][11]
Mosport was one of four tracks that would appear on the American Le Mans Series schedule every year for the next fifteen years of the series existence.[12]
In 2014, the Grand Prix continued as part of the new IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship following the merger of the American Le Mans Series and the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series.[13][14]
In 2020 and 2021, the Grand Prix was not held for the first time in a quarter of a century due to the Covid-19 pandemic.[15][16]
Winners
Year | Date | Drivers | Team | Car | Distance/Duration | Race Title | Report | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
IMSA GT Championship | ||||||||
1975 | June 14 | Hurley Haywood | G.W. Dickinson | Porsche Carrera | 100 miles (160 km) | Labatt's Blue 5000 Weekend | Report | |
World Sports Car Championship | ||||||||
1976 | Aug 22 | Jackie Oliver | Shadow | Shadow DN4 Chevrolet | 200 miles (320 km) | Player's 200 Weekend | Report | |
1977 | Aug 20 | Ludwig Heimrath Paul Miller |
Heimrath Racing | Porsche 934/5 | 6 hours | Molson Diamond Can-Am Trans-Am Weekend | Report | |
1978 1979 |
Not held | |||||||
World Sportscar Championship & IMSA GT Championship | ||||||||
1980 | Aug 17 | John Fitzpatrick Brian Redman |
Dick Barbour Racing/Sachs USA | Porsche 935 K3/80 | 6 hours | Molson Canadian 1000 | Report | |
1981 | Aug 16 | Harald Grohs Rolf Stommelen |
Andial Meister Racing | Porsche 935 K3 | 6 hours | Molson 1000 | Report | |
IMSA GT Championship | ||||||||
1982 | Aug 15 | John Paul Jr. John Paul Sr. |
JLP Racing | Porsche 935 JLP-3 | 6 hours | Labatt's 50 GT | Report | |
1983 | Aug 14 | Bob Tullius Bill Adam |
Group 44 | Jaguar XJR-5 | 6 hours | Labatt's GT | Report | |
World Sportscar Championship | ||||||||
1984 | Aug 5 | Jacky Ickx Jochen Mass |
Rothmans Porsche | Porsche 956 | 1,000 km (620 mi) | Budweiser GT | Report | |
1985 | Aug 11 | Hans-Joachim Stuck Derek Bell |
Rothmans Porsche | Porsche 962C | 1,000 km (620 mi) | Budweiser GT | Report | |
1986 1987 1988 |
Not held | |||||||
IMSA GT Championship | ||||||||
1989 | June 25 | Pete Halsmer | Roush Racing | Mercury Cougar XR-7 | 500 km (310 mi) (GTO/GTU/AC only) | The Audi Quattro IMSA Weekend | Report | |
1990 | June 24 | Steve Millen | Cunningham Racing | Nissan 300ZX | 300 km (190 mi) (GTO/GTU/AAC only) | The Nissan Grand Prix | Report | |
1991 | May 20 | Pete Halsmer | Mazda Motorsports | Mazda RX-7 | 300 km (190 mi) (GTO/GTU/AAC only) | The Nissan Grand Prix | Report | |
1992 | May 18 | Jeremy Dale | Cunningham Racing | Nissan 300ZX | 2 hours (GTS/GTO/GTU only) | The Nissan Grand Prix | Report | |
1993 1994 |
Not held | |||||||
1995 | Aug 13 | Andy Wallace James Weaver |
Dyson Racing | Riley & Scott Mk III-Ford | 3 Hours | Chrysler Mosport 500 | Report | |
1996 | Aug 25 | Butch Leitzinger John Paul Jr. |
Dyson Racing | Riley & Scott Mk III-Ford | 3 Hours | Chrysler Mosport 500 | Report | |
1997 | Aug 31 | Ron Fellows Rob Morgan |
Central Arkansas Racing | Ferrari 333 SP | 2 Hours | Mosport Festival | Report | |
1998 | Aug 9 | Butch Leitzinger James Weaver |
Dyson Racing | Riley & Scott Mk III-Ford | 2 hours, 45 minutes | Mosport Festival | Report | |
American Le Mans Series | ||||||||
1999 | June 27 | Jan Magnussen Johnny O'Connell |
Panoz Motor Sports | Panoz LMP-1 Roadster-S | 2 hours, 45 minutes | The Grand Prix at Mosport | Report | |
2000 | Aug 6 | Rinaldo Capello Allan McNish |
Audi Sport North America | Audi R8 | 2 hours, 45 minutes | The globemegawheels.com Grand Prix at Mosport | Report | |
2001 | Aug 19 | Frank Biela Emanuele Pirro |
Audi Sport North America | Audi R8 | 2 hours, 45 minutes | Gran Turismo 3 Grand Prix at Mosport | Report | |
2002 | Aug 18 | Rinaldo Capello Tom Kristensen |
Audi Sport North America | Audi R8 | 2 hours, 45 minutes | Grand Prix at Mosport sponsored by mail2web.com | Report | |
2003 | Aug 17 | Frank Biela Marco Werner |
Infineon Team Joest | Audi R8 | 2 hours, 45 minutes | The Toronto Grand Prix of Mosport | Report | |
2004 | Aug 8 | Butch Leitzinger James Weaver |
Dyson Racing | MG-Lola EX257 | 2 hours, 45 minutes | The Toronto Grand Prix of Mosport | Report | |
2005 | Sept 4 | Butch Leitzinger James Weaver |
Dyson Racing | MG-Lola EX257 | 2 hours, 45 minutes | Labour Day Weekend Grand Prix of Mosport | Report | |
2006 | Sept 3 | Rinaldo Capello Allan McNish |
Audi Sport North America | Audi R10 TDI | 2 hours, 45 minutes | Mobil 1 presents the Labour Day Weekend Grand Prix of Mosport | Report | |
2007 | Aug 26 | Romain Dumas Timo Bernhard |
Penske Racing | Porsche RS Spyder Evo | 2 hours, 45 minutes | Mobil 1 presents the Grand Prix of Mosport | Report | |
2008 | Aug 24 | Lucas Luhr Marco Werner |
Audi Sport North America | Audi R10 TDI | 2 hours, 45 minutes | Mobil 1 presents the Grand Prix of Mosport | Report | |
2009 | Aug 30 | David Brabham Scott Sharp |
Patrón Highcroft Racing | Acura ARX-02a | 2 hours, 45 minutes | Mobil 1 presents the Grand Prix of Mosport | Report | |
2010 | Aug 29 | Romain Dumas Klaus Graf |
Muscle Milk Team Cytosport | Porsche RS Spyder Evo | 2 hours, 45 minutes | Mobil 1 presents the Grand Prix of Mosport | Report | |
2011 | July 24 | Klaus Graf Lucas Luhr |
Muscle Milk Aston Martin Racing | Lola-Aston Martin B08/62 | 2 hours, 45 minutes | Mobil 1 presents the Grand Prix of Mosport | Report | |
2012 | July 22 | Klaus Graf Lucas Luhr |
Muscle Milk Pickett Racing | HPD ARX-03a | 2 hours, 45 minutes | Mobil 1 presents the Grand Prix of Mosport | Report | |
2013 | July 21 | Klaus Graf |
Muscle Milk Pickett Racing | HPD ARX-03c | 2 hours, 45 minutes | Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix | Report | |
IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship | ||||||||
2014 | July 13 | Olivier Pla Gustavo Yacamán |
OAK Racing | Morgan LMP2-Nissan | 2 hours, 45 minutes | Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix | Report | |
2015 | July 12 | Jordan Taylor Ricky Taylor |
Wayne Taylor Racing | Dallara Corvette DP | 2 hours, 40 minutes | Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix | Report | |
2016 | July 10 | Dane Cameron Eric Curran |
Whelen Engineering Racing | Coyote Corvette DP | 2 hours, 40 minutes | Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix | Report | |
2017 | July 9 | Dane Cameron Eric Curran |
Whelen Engineering Racing | Cadillac DPi-V.R Cadillac LT1 6.2 L V8 | 2 hours, 40 minutes | Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix | Report | |
2018 | July 8 | Colin Braun Jon Bennett |
CORE Autosport | Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 | 2 hours, 40 minutes | Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix | Report | |
2019 | July 7 | Oliver Jarvis Tristan Nunez |
Mazda Team Joest | Mazda RT24-P Mazda MZ-2.0T 2.0 L Turbo I4 | 2 hours, 40 minutes | Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix | Report | |
2020 2021 |
Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | |||||||
2022 | July 3 | Renger van der Zande Sébastien Bourdais |
Cadillac Racing | Cadillac DPi-V.R Cadillac LT1 5.5 L V8 | 2 hours, 40 minutes | Chevrolet Grand Prix | Report | |
2023 | July 9 | Tom Blomqvist Colin Braun |
Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian | Acura ARX-06 Acura AR24e 2.4 L Turbo V6 | 2 hours, 40 minutes | Chevrolet Grand Prix | Report | |
2024 | July 14 | TBD | TBD | TBD | 2 hours, 40 minutes | TBA | Report | |
See also
References
- "Canadian Tire Motorsport Park | Racetrack, Weddings & Events".
- Makse, Brian. "Tracing the colorful, surprising history of Canadian Tire Motorsport Park". IMSA.com. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
- "Grand Prix - Canada's bid for big-time auto racing". Maclean’s Magazine. March 24, 1962. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
- Henry, Alan (June 6, 2014). "McLaren at Mosport: fast and furious". McLaren.com. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
- Fagnan, René (August 27, 2016). "Jack Brabham won the first Canadian GP on this day in 1967". Motorsport.com. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
- "Labatt's Blue races set for weekend" (PDF). Whitby Free Press. June 4, 1975. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
- Brockington, Robert J. (2001). Aykroyd, Steve; Jones, Neal (eds.). Mosport 1961-2001: Four Decades of Racing. Mosport International Raceway. pp. 52 & 53.
- Donnelly, Jim (June 2011). "Invading the North - IMSA's GTs charge into Mosport. Wild, eh?". Hemmings Sports and Exotics. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
- "1999 Mosport Park ALMS". Motorsport Magazine. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
- McDonald, Norris (August 23, 2008). "Italy's Dindo Capello breaks record at Mosport". The Toronto Star. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
- Lenssen, Jordan (July 18, 2013). "American Le Mans Series at Mosport". PRN Motorsport Magazine. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
- Lenssen, Jordan (July 18, 2013). "American Le Mans Series at Mosport". PRN Motorsport Magazine. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
- Malloy, Gerry (September 22, 2013). "2014 United SportsCar Championship coming to Canada". Autofile.ca. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
- Pruett, Marshall (September 22, 2013). "The 2014 United SportsCar Championship schedule is about compromises". Road and Track. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
- "CTMP Announces Cancellation Of IMSA Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix". RaceCanada.ca. May 15, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
- Malsher-Lopez, David (Apr 7, 2021). "Watkins Glen gains extra IMSA race, Canadian round canceled". Motorsport.com. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
- "Mosport International Raceway". Ultimate Racing History. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
- "Mosport - List of Races". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
- "Official Race Results" (PDF). International Motor Sports Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-12-09. Retrieved 2018-09-24.
- "State of the Sport Sets Table for Momentous 2022 IMSA Season". imsa.com. International Motor Sports Association, LLC. 6 August 2021. Retrieved 16 August 2021.