Brichacek Bounces Back for CTMP Race 2 Win

Wyatt Brichacek bounced back in a big way in the second of two 45-minute sprint races at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in the IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge season.

From pole position, Brichacek, driving the No. 95 Toney Driver Development Ligier JS P325 Toyota, led the field of LMP3 cars from the green.

Unlike in Saturday’s first race of the weekend, he kept his position in column alignment past the starting line and proceeded to build a more than five-second lead until a full-course caution occurred mid-race for an incident by the No. 77 Forte Racing Ligier JS P325 of Brian Thienes exiting Turn 1.

Once the race restarted, Brichacek was able to build a gap again to Oscar Tunjo, in his No. 1 Gebhardt Motorsport Duqueine D09 Toyota. He won by 5.993 seconds.

The win was Brichacek’s third in an IMSA LMP3 sprint race this season and fourth overall.

Brichacek has had a busy season racing both domestically and internationally in various sports car series. While not a direct championship challenger to Tunjo as he hasn’t raced all rounds, he’s certainly made his presence felt when he has been in the IMSA paddock.

Tunjo was second, extending his championship lead. Bijoy Garg, the 2023 VP Racing Challenge LMP3 champion, finished third in the No. 30 Toney Ligier JS P325.

Travis Hill of Ottawa, Ontario won the LMP3 Bronze Cup in his No. 2 Shopify Racing Ligier JS P325 for the second consecutive day, finishing fifth overall.

It capped off a special weekend on home soil where he won both LMP3 Bronze races, closed that class championship gap to 10 points behind Thienes, and raced with his brother Trevor in Saturday’s IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge race in their No. 22 Shopify Racing Porsche 718 GT4 RS Clubsport.

Westin Workman’s pursuit of a perfect season in GSX came undone early with an apparent loss of drive in his No. 8 RAFA Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2, as he slowed on the front straight just three laps into the race.

With both his own seven-race win streak and Toyota’s 20-race streak in class dating to the 2024 GSX season finale at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta both over, it opened the door for a great battle between three of his season-long challengers from three other brands.

Ismaeel Ellahi, a sim racer who’s building his road racing experience, executed a race-long defense in his No. 25 CSM Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 Evo against Courtney Crone in her No. 35 CarBahn Motorsports BMW M4 GT4 EVO.

Despite Crone’s best efforts and consistently being within one to three tenths of a second, the 2023 IMSA 3D Scholarship recipient was unable to make a passing attempt.

Ellahi held on by 0.289 seconds for his first win, with Crone second for her third podium of the season.

Justin Di Benedetto of Vaughan, Ontario finished third in his No. 4 Di Benedetto Racing Porsche for his fifth podium in six races this year.

RESULTS: Race 2