Green Tops Title Rivals In Practice At Toronto

pkelly

Chris Green, Spencer Pigot and Scott Hargrove continued to be interchangeable parts of speed in the Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Michelin, as Green led his two championship rivals during practice Friday, July 18 on the Streets of Toronto.

Green, from Montreal, turned the quickest overall lap during the two 30-minute practices, 1 minute, 13.147 seconds, during the afternoon session in the No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car.

“The Pfaff Castrol car was fantastic,” Green said. “I couldn’t have asked for a better car today. There’s room to grow, but it’s putting us where we need to be for tomorrow, and the confidence is sky-high. The Michelins were fantastic. A really, really good tire.”

Pigot, from Orlando, Florida, was second at 1:13.486 in the No. 21 Alegra Motorsports Porsche, followed by Hargrove at 1:13.703 in the No. 69 OpenRoad Racing entry. Pigot was the quickest in the morning practice at 1:14.124, followed by Green and Hargrove.

Hargrove leads the single-make Porsche series, 78-74, over Green after four of 10 rounds this season. Pigot is third with 54 points.

“The focus is to do the best we can,” Green said. “Scott is going to be quick. I know he’s going to be fast. We’re here to present a good battle, a good fight. I’m looking at it race by race.”

The trio has dominated the premium Platinum Cup (2014 model cars) this season. Hargrove and Green have occupied the top two spots on the podium in all four rounds this season, with Hargrove winning three races and Green one. Pigot has finished third in three of four rounds.

They are expected to battle for the pole during qualifying at 7:30 a.m. (ET) Saturday, July 19 and in two 45-minute races this weekend as the Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Michelin is a featured part of the Honda Indy Toronto Verizon IndyCar Series weekend.

Round 5 is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Saturday, with Round 6 at 1:20 p.m. Sunday on the 11-turn, 1.75-mile temporary street circuit around Exhibition Place. This is the first time the series has competed in Canada’s largest city.

Marco Cirone, from Toronto, was the leading Platinum Masters (age 45 and older) driver in practice Friday at 1:14.017 in the No. 88 Mark Motors Racing Porsche. Cirone leads the Platinum Masters standings as he aims for his second consecutive season championship in the class.

Jerimy Daniel, from Candiac, Quebec, led Gold Cup (2010-13 model cars) drivers at 1:15.240 in the No. 75 TRC Porsche. Tim Sanderson, from Pickering, Ontario, was the top Gold Masters driver at 1:15.510 in the No. 07 Alegra Motorsports/Northwest Atlantic Motorsports car.

Chuck Harris, from Tampa, Florida, paced the Silver Cup (2005 ½-2009 model cars) at 1:21.158 in the No. 50 Alegra Motorsports 911 GT3 Cup car.

“It was a question of managing traffic. The pit crew was on the radio with me and said you have clear track, try to put something together. I wouldn’t say it was a perfect lap, by any means. A lot to improve on. But the Pfaff Castrol car was fantastic. I couldn’t have asked for a better car today. There’s room to grow, but it’s putting us where we need to be for tomorrow, and the confidence is sky-high. The Michelins were fantastic. A really, really good tire.” (Have you raced on this track?): “I ran here 12 years ago in Barber Dodge Pro Series. I remember nothing. It’s a long, long time ago. Basically learning a new track today.” (How important is it to try and gain ground on Scott Hargrove this weekend?): “I don’t think this weekend is more important than any other one we have coming up. The focus is to do the best we can. Scott is going to be quick. I know he’s going to be fast. We’re here to present a good battle, a good fight. I’m looking at it race by race.”

(About how previous experience in Pro Mazda at this track helped today): “It helped me know the corners, the layout of the track, but it didn’t help me learn the track with this car. It’s twice the weight, and Star Mazda is more grippy, with more downforce. So it’s really, really different. You’ve got to learn to drive again. When you get on the track, you just remember doing it in Star Mazda. It’s really hard to get used to it. That’s why this morning I was not pushing. We had a little problem with the steering. Now we fixed it, and this afternoon it was really good with new tires.” (About bouncing back after tough weekend at Calabogie): “My goal is just to finish the race. Whether I finish first or second or third, I’ll be happy. It’s important for me to be back on top because I want to make my name, my place in this kind of car. It’s important for me to finish the race.”