Performance Tech Finds Highs and Lows Across Border

DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. (July 12, 2016) – Performance Tech Motorsports and its Mazda Prototype Lites Presented by Cooper Tires lineup of Kyle Masson and Nathan Blok walked away from their weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park with tales of both highs and lows.

Masson took home his second podium finish of the season in Race One. His second, third place finish as well. Masson swapped paint for this podium. Masson and Max Hanratty battled early on in the race for third place. Masson passed Hanratty for third going into Turn 5, but Hanratty wasn’t giving up without a fight. The two went side-by-side on the back straight before Masson prevailed victorious.

“I have to thank the team first for giving me a great car this weekend,” Masson said. “I was able to battle it out for third in Race One. It was aggressive, hard racing but it was really fun. In Race Two I was experiencing troubles with my brakes. The pedal was progressively getting longer lap after lap and unfortunately it ended my race. The brake bias shifted completely to the front causing lockup in the Turn 5 brake zone sending me straight off into the tire barrier. I learned a lot from this experience and I know I will be able to take this new knowledge and apply it in the future if the circumstance reappears.

"I have spent the last month on the road traveling from Skip Barber races to Mazda Prototype Lites races. I participated in nine different races during this short time frame, and I feel that it allowed me to practice being adaptive. The two cars are very different from each other and I think I can take it as a positive that I was capable of being competitive in both series back to back. I'm more hungry for victory now than ever as I've been on the podium twice out of the last 5 races. Two races of the 5 ended in DNF's due to a engine issue at Watkins Glen and the most recent brake issue at CTMSP. Who knows what could have happened in those races but I overall felt very confident about the speed of the car and my performance in those races. 

“I plan on continuing my journey over the next year using each event as a learning experience and getting better as the season goes on. Overall, there have been so many positives to take away from the past two weekends and I plan on using those to boost the moral of the team as a unit."

Blok was dealt the first low of the weekend when he suffered a flat tire in Race One. Blok had qualified and was running in sixth place when the tire failure occurred. He was just under six minutes from reaching the checkered flag and finishing his first Mazda Prototype Lites race when it occurred.

In Race Two Masson continued his podium battle but was left empty handed after having brake issues going into Turn 5. His No. 18 Lites 1 hit the wall, Masson was unharmed. Prior to exit Masson turned the third fastest lap of the race.

Blok, from Pembroke, Ontario, finished fourth in Race Two. In just his second Mazda Prototype Lites appearance Blok cracked the top five. Blok was behind teammate Masson on the lap chart, he turned the fourth fastest lap of the race.

“I really enjoyed this car and this weekend,” Blok said. “I would have liked to have finished Race One, we were running pretty strong and I was gaining experience. But that’s racing sometimes. Happy with a fourth place finish in the second race. I just want to thank everyone who has supported me and the team for giving me a solid car.”

Team Principal Brent O’Neill was again impressed with the overall performance of his team. O’Neill has taken multiple chances on rookie drivers this season, and so far they’ve all paid off.

“Both guys handled this track really well,” O’Neill said. “Nathan did a great job keeping his pace. He was in the top five both races. He was quick, I think he really had podium potential, but this track is so hard to pass on he just didn’t have the room to make the moves. Masson got P3 in the first race, he did a nice job. He had the brake issue in the second race and hit the wall. But we’ll get the car back together, we have plenty of time before the next race. Again I can’t express how awesome of a job he does for someone who really hasn’t raced before. He’ll be a force to be reckoned with.”

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