MAGNUSSEN: CTMP Debrief

Four in a row. You really can’t complain about that result. We now have a handy 19-point lead in the championship but this title chase is far from over.

Antonio and I had trouble at the opening two races of the year but the way the points work, provided you are not knocked out early, it is quite easy to stay in touch.

We have to keep pushing hard. We’ve got four in a row – why not aim for five.

Five would equal the old ALMS record in GT that Pat Long and Joerg Bergmeister did in 1999 and we’ll be working towards that in Indianapolis.

Indy is going to be a whole new ball game for everyone in the GTLM class. Of course none of these cars have raced here before and we only have two practice sessions.

The schedule is also very compact. Two practice sessions and qualifying on Thursday and then we’re not back on track until a warm-up at 2:00pm in the afternoon on Friday.

The TUDOR United SportsCar Championship will also be using a new track layout this year – the same that the IndyCar guys used for their road race.

There will be a little of “new” for everyone.

For sure, things are working really well for us. The team is doing a fantastic job, both back at the shop and at the track on the weekends. It’s by no means easy what we’ve achieved with the four wins.

Canadian Tire Motorsport Park was nothing different. It was difficult out there, and you have to be so precise, and really work the traffic.

That is where the big gains can be made. You can gain a tenth or two by putting a great lap together but you can gain seconds driving well in traffic, and I think that is where we make our advantage.

I have to admit, I was counting on more safety cars in Canada, at least more than zero. Everyone actually behaved a lot better than I thought they would.

There are always close calls and people spinning off, but nothing big which was fantastic. We had a great race to show all the spectators.

I had a great race with Kuno in my stint. Being at his home track, he obviously knows the place like the palm of his hand but I was pushing very hard.

He was a bit unlucky to be pushed wide by one of the BMWs heading up to Moss Corner. That was all we needed.

Once I got through into the lead I handed off to Antonio and he did another brilliant race to finish the job.

Qualifying strongly is becoming really important because the competition is so tough. It is far easier to try to control the race from the front rather than having to fight your way through.

Indy is going to be another challenge – particularly in terms of traffic. 50 cars around that layout is going to be busy and the GTD cars will be strong there because some of those guys are really quick in a straight line.

The GTLM cars have more downforce and we can make a difference in fast corners but the Indy layout has two long straights without really fast corners leading into it.

Traffic management has played a big role in our Corvette wins this year with the C7.R – we’re really going to have to continue that at Indianapolis to keep this run going.

We’ve got a lead, Corvette Racing is on top in the team points and Chevrolet has the manufacturer’s lead – we just have to keep pushing.

Looking forward to chasing the “drive for five.”