IMSA Canada: Race Preview

We are now on the back end of the 2026 IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship. Every result matters and every move going forward will be highly calculated. As we are in mid-July, it is time for the series’ traditional stop to Canadian Tire Motorsports Park (CTMP), affectionately known by its original name Mosport. Today, we preview the only round outside the United States for IMSA with the Chevrolet Grand Prix.

LMP2: Show Stoppers

For the third year running, the LMP2 class will serve as the head category at CTMP. All the LMP2 teams and drivers have this race circled on their calendars. This is the one race in their seven-round season they will be the talk of the town. To be able to win overall against your peers is a very big deal. With this being a full Pro-Am class, as IMSA requires a Bronze-graded driver in each car, the bragging rights are even sweeter. But winning in LMP2 is equally satisfying for the Pros as well.

One can’t help but think France’s Tom Dillman is looking forward to CTMP. The InterEuropol driver has seen both the highs and lows of this place the last two years. He co-drove to victory in 2024 on the way to winning the season championship. Last year, he was in position to repeat when mechanical issues sent him straight off at Turn 3. His Oreca subsequently ended up in the tire barriers and the car wasn’t the only thing banged up. Dillmann was injured with a fractured vertebra. He missed the following round at Road America, effectively ending his championship defense.

Despite this, Dillmann returns to CTMP this weekend as confident as ever. “There’s no confidence loss,” he said. “When it’s a car failure, I don’t think it bothers you…I quickly recovered and I look forward to going back.” Furthermore, he emphasizes there’s no looking back on 2025. “I go to any race and I want to win it. We have a really high chance to capitalize in the two sprint races this year and be able to fight for the title. It will be very important to have a good result.”

Run It Back?

Dane Cameron and PJ Hyett look to keep AO Racing at the front. Cameron closed out the Glen 6 Hours to give the team its first win of the season. Now “Spike” returns to Canada hoping to repeat its performance from a year ago. Granted, AO Racing were the benefactors when Dillmann crashed out and the race did not restart. But with the momentum the team has right now, they will very much be looking forward to proving they can win on pace this time.

Special Guests

Some driver lineups will look different this weekend. This is the cause of two factors: GTP sitting out this round and World Endurance Championship in Brazil. As of posting this article, Intersport has not confirmed who will partner Jon Field as it appears Oliver Jarvis is not available. One confirmation is Ricky Taylor joining Misha Goikhberg in the No. 52 Bryan Herta Autosport with PR1/Mathiasen entry. Elsewhere, Ben Hanley will replace Paul Di Resta in the No. 22 United Autosports Oreca alongside Daniel Goldburg.

Watch Out for Turn 2

As these teams get their cars prepped for this 2.45-mile/3.95 km circuit, set up is everything in this spec class. With no BoP in LMP2, driver skills and mechanical prowess will be pivotol in which team will succeed on Sunday. One factor discussed, especially with the prototypes, is the track surface. “Turn 2 is a corner that could be flat (out), but it’s not due to the bumps,” Tom Dillmann remarks. “We’re really limited on ride height. It’s quite a high commitment one because you need to go for it and react to the snaps you get on the bumps. Yeah, it’s a big challenge, but it only starts on the downhill side.”

GTD PRO: Costly Errors

I promise I am not trying to make the main headline about Corvette Racing and Nicky Catsburg. But after the Watkins Glen ending, can you blame me? Going into Detroit, the No. 4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports crew was the most consistent team in the class. They were building up to that first win and it was only a matter of time. But two highly questionable decisions in the heat of battle from the Dutch Corvette factory driver now has him and teammate Tommy Milner on the backfoot.

Firstly, his scuffle with Aaron Telitz in the closing laps in Detroit netted him a drive-thru and a seventh-place finish. Secondly, his last-lap scrum with Christopher Mies at Watkins Glen saw him wreck the German. This led to a post-race drive-thru equivalent which pushed them back to eighth in class. As fierce a competitor Nicky Catsburg is, these last two races have not been his finest moments.

Furthermore, his antics are costly – to the tune of 132 points. What was a 51-point lead going into Detroit has now turned into an 81-point deficit back to class leaders Paul Miller Racing. To add insult to injury, they are now behind the sister No. 3 crew in the standings. With half the season left to race, 81 points is nothing to overcome at this stage. A clean race, though, would go a long way to ensuring things stay close.

Finding The Right Balance

To first have a clean race, the setup for a track like CTMP will be key. “You try to set the car up for a high speed,” says Pfaff’s Andrea Caldarelli. “Then it’s really important at the low-speed corner there to get a good exit for and over the bump as well, for the backstraight. The combination of high speed and low speed…Turns 5, 6, 7 the left hander and then the double right…those are probably the challenges.”

Caldarelli also discussed finding the most effective approach. “Adding less downforce, you also have to really put the mechanical balance in a sweet spot for when you go over the crest of Turn 5 and then you have to go to brake. If you focus too much on having a car that is really stable for high speed, then you could end up just dragging the front and washing out for the hairpin. It’s really a sweet spot between really, like aero balance and mechanical balance for us.” It will definitely make for exciting racing for the fans at CTMP this weekend.

Home Turf

As mentioned, Calderelli drives for Pfaff Motorsports – based in Toronto. Pfaff has been a fan favorite since the team’s arrival in IMSA in 2019. Pfaff is consistently one of the top teams in merchandise sales in the paddock and have gained a following on both sides of the border. With this being a home race for the team, the Italian Lamborghini factory driver doesn’t find pressure in racing at CTMP. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.

“It’s really motivation to try to do well,” Andrea commented. “We have more events. There are more guests, but it’s more like pleasure than distraction, really. Last year was my first time in racing in Canada and I saw how much following PFAFF has at their home track.” Well, maybe there is pressure for one thing. “We go on a racetrack, to a race weekend every time with the pressure that we need to win and perform. It’s either in Canada, U.S. or whatever. It doesn’t change the pressure of like try to get the first win of the of the car.” And if not a win, hopefully a second podium after their breakthrough Detroit performance.

New Friends

There is one addition to GTD PRO for CTMP. Car Blanche by YRB Racing joins the class this weekend. Frenchmen Valentin Hasse-Clot is joined by Australian Scott Andrews in the team’s No. 68 entry. This will see Aston Martin in GTD PRO for the first time since Heart of Racing’s one-off GTD PRO entry in the 2025 Rolex 24 at Daytona. The team made their debut at Watkins Glen in GTD after acquiring Van der Steur Racing, finishing third.

At this time, it is unclear if this move to GTD PRO will be permanent or just a one-off for CTMP. But hey, more manufacturers in Pro can’t be a bad thing, right?

GTD: Opportunity Beckons?

In their second season in IMSA, DXDT Racing is making strides. However, they suffered a major setback earlier this season. The team had to rebuild their cars after a transporter fire while en route to Laguna Seca in May. In an amazing show of fortitude, the team was back for the Sahlen’s Six Hours at the Glen. Now, the team looks for a big result in Canada.

That would mean the world to Robert Wickens. CTMP is a home track for Wickens, who does the sprint rounds for DXDT. “This track was my youth and my childhood. I grew up on the kart track, would ride my bike over to watch the American Le Mans Series and watch Ron Fellows and the yellow Corvette do its thing over the years.”

Last season, DXDT finished fourth in at CTMP. To date, that’s the program’s best result. But that is not to say the team is improving. They were leading and showing race-winning pace at Daytona before mechanical issues sidelined them. They rebounded with a pair of top-1os at Sebring and Long Beach.

Combining their form from early in the season along with their great performance last year has Robert hopeful for a breakthrough performance. “The team’s been much stronger every race we’ve come back to. With a year of experience at all these tracks, my first practice feels like a continuation from how I finished the race the year before. I’m looking forward to it. I think definitely we have more momentum now than we did last year.”

Sneaking Up on You

In GTD, I don’t think the term “sneaking up” should be used because anyone can show up at any time. However, that term would be appropriate here. Some teams need a big performance to kick off the second half of the season. Take your pick. There is Wayne Taylor Racing that only has one top-10 outside their Laguna Seca win. But if their spin-and-win here last year is any indication, this team has a knack for the creative.

DragonSpeed won GTD PRO last year with Ferrari. This season they switched to Corvette in GTD and it has been a struggle with two eleventh-place finishes their best so far. As they learn the car, the hope is the results will improve as the second progress. Another Corvette in need of a good run is the other home team in 13 Autosport. Their strong start in Florida has not stayed with them and a top-5 this weekend with family and friends would be a great help.

Gradient Racing and Ford have shown speed. You can also say they were one yellow away from winning Sebring. This team has shown pace and flashes of brilliance. Could they have all the pieces work together this weekend?

You Look Familiar…

There are some different drivers in GTD this weekend, but are by no means strangers. With GTP off this weekend, Roman de Angelis is swapping his Valkyrie for the Vantage, partnering Dudu Barichello in the No. 27 for Heart of Racing. The 2022 class champion looks to help Barichello maintain his championship lead. Lorenzo Patrese is back at Conquest for the second sprint race running alongside Albert Costa. Patrese again replaces Manny Franco. Finally, Frederik Schandorff returns to Inception after missing Watkins Glen due to commitments at the clashing 24 Hours of Spa.

GT Balance of Performance

Weight

The lightest car in the class will be made a little heavier this weekend. Aston Martin will carry an additional 20kg weight for CTMP. Porsches will also carry an additional 7kg from Watkins Glen. Conversely, the Lamborghini Huracan will receive a nice 13kg weight break. Corvette (-12kg), BMW (-5kg) and the Lamborghini Temerario (-3kg) will also receive weight breaks. All other cars will have no weight change from Watkins Glen.

Rear Wing

Only one rear wing change was confirmed by IMSA for CTMP. The Lamborghini Temerario will be given a 1.6 degree increase in maximum rear wing angle.

Power

To make up for the added weight, Aston Martin will get power back from Watkins Glen. The Vantage will see power increases in both Stage 1 (+2.2%) and Stage 2 (+2.9%). Most vehicles will see increases in Stage 1 and decreases in Stage 2. McLaren will see a Stage 1 decrease (-0.7%) beset by a Stage 2 increase (+1.8%). Corvette (-1.7% and -1.2%) and Ferrari (-0.5% and -0.2%) will see decreases in both power stages for the weekend.

Energy

Concluding our BoP recap will be the energy numbers. Topping the increases in power is, once again, Aston Martin as the Vantage will see a 35MJ increase from Watkins Glen. Lexus looks to lose the most with a 41MJ decrease in max energy. Other significant jumps include Corvette (-19MJ), Porsche (+19MJ) and Mercedes (-18MJ).

Weekend On-Track Schedule (All times ET CAN)

Friday

• Free Practice 1: 1:55-3:25pm

Saturday

• Free Practice 2: 10:35am-12:05pm
• Qualifying
  • GTD: 4:00pm
  • GTD PRO: 4:20pm
  • LMP2: 4:40pm

Sunday

• Race: 2:05pm (2 Hours 40 Minutes)

Media Schedule

Radio: IMSA Radio

Friday

• Free Practice 1: 1:45pm ET/10:45am PT

Saturday

• Free Practice 2: 10:30am ET/7:30am PT
• Qualifying: 3:55pm ET/12:55pm PT

Sunday

• Race: 1:30pm ET/10:30am PT

IMSA Radio broadcast will be simulcast on SiriusXM Sunday at 2pm ET/11am PT on Channels 206 (Vehicles) and 996 (SXM App).

Television

United States: NBC Sports on Peacock

International: IMSA YouTube and IMSA.tv

Saturday

• Qualifying: 3:55pm ET/12:55pm PT

Sunday

• Race: 2pm ET/11am PT

 

Stay tuned for reports and updates throughout the weekend right here on GT REPORT.

 

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IMSA YouTube Channel: Click HERE

IMSA Radio: Click HERE

 

Headline Photo: 2025 Chevrolet Grand Prix Weekend Photo Courtesy: IMSA/Facebook