Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey 01 luglio 2019
Scuderia Corsa takes a streak of two consecutive podiums in major events into Sunday’s SportsCar Grand Prix at Mosport Park.
Cooper MacNeil and Toni Vilander – regular drivers of the No. 63 WeatherTech Ferrari 488 GT3 – were joined at Watkins Glen International by Jeff Westphal in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen. Two weeks earlier, MacNeil and Vilander teamed with Rob Smith in taking a third-place finish in the GTE Am class in the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The Glen finish elevated MacNeil and Vilander by three positions to sixth in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD standings following five of 10 races. They are also second in the Michelin Pilot Endurance Cup, a unique competition featuring IMSA’s four endurance races, and trail by only three points entering the season-ending Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta.
“I’m really excited to go back to Mosport Park, it is one of the best tracks on our calendar,” MacNeil said. “It has bit of everything, off-camber corners, elevation change, track surface variations - it throws a lot at you in one lap. It really keeps you on your toes as a driver, which I really like. It takes a good lap to get the speed out of the car. The Canadian fans are very enthusiastic about racing. It’s always nice visiting with them in the paddock. We will push hard for a good result.”
Vilander has recent winning history at the circuit once known as Mosport Park.
“I really like the track,” Vilander said. “A month ago I raced there in the Blancpain series and we were able to win race one and finish P2 in the second. I think our WeatherTech Ferrari is well suited to the track. It is not a long lap, but you have to commit to get a good time. With the elevation changes and fast corners you have to have a good handling car. I am looking forward to going back to Canada for our second IMSA race weekend in a row.”
Ferrari aficionados recall the tradition of back-to-back Formula One races at the two circuits. Mosport Park hosted the Canadian Grand Prix eight times from 1967 through 1977, with the race paired with the U.S. Grand Prix, held at Watkins Glen from 1961 through 1980. The two circuits also shared fans of major sports car championships including Can-Am, Trans Am, Formula 5000 and the World Endurance Championship.
GTD practice for the SportsCar Championship begins with a pair of one-hour sessions on Friday at 11:20 a.m. and 4:10 p.m. (all times ET), with final practice Saturday at 8 a.m. Qualifying will be held on Saturday at 11:35 a.m.
The two-hour, 40-minute race is set to take the green flag at 1:05 p.m. on Sunday, with the event televised live on NBC.