Tunjo Takes Top Spot in VP Racing Challenge CTMP Opener

The start of the first of two 45-minute sprint races for the IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park ultimately determined the finish for the overall and LMP3 winner.

Wyatt Brichacek started from pole and led flag-to-flag but was assessed a ten-second time penalty for a false start, changing columns before crossing the start/finish line.

Any full-course caution could dent or fully eliminate any margin Brichacek would build and move him down the finishing order.

The decisive moment for Brichacek came with ten minutes remaining when the No. 87 FastMD with Remstar Duqueine D08 Nissan of Farhan Siddiqi went off course in Turn 3.

The resulting cleanup brought the race under the full-course caution to the checkered flag and eliminated Brichacek’s well-built lead north of 13 seconds to offset the time penalty. The penalty ultimately dropped Brichacek to third.

Brichacek’s disappointment benefited Oscar Tunjo, the Colombian who won his fifth sprint and sixth total race of the LMP3 season, aboard the No. 1 Gebhardt Motorsport Duqueine D09 Toyota.

The bright side for Tunjo was that he overcame his own disappointment at CTMP last year, when he lost a tire and wheel mid-race when on a charge from last to the lead.

Tunjo’s Gebhardt teammate, Danny Soufi in the No. 11 PINAXIS-ZONE 4 Racing Duqueine D09 was second ahead of Brichacek in third at the checkered flag in his No. 95 Toney Driver Development Ligier JS P325 Toyota.

On home turf, Travis Hill along with brother Trevor that make up TWOth Autosport, won the LMP3 Bronze Cup in his No. 2 Shopify Racing Ligier JS P325 in fourth overall.

Westin Workman drives the No. 8 RAFA Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2.

If he wins Sunday, he’ll match his car number for consecutive victories to open the GSX season.

Another trouble-free drive from pole netted Workman his seventh win in as many races. He’s a past winner at CTMP, in the Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin two years ago, so now adds a VP Racing Challenge win to his track resume.

Michelin Pilot Challenge regular Caio Chaves, in his VP Racing Challenge debut, finished second in the No. 98 PanAm Motorsport Toyota with Ismaeel Ellahi, in his No. 25 CSM Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 Evo, third.

Ellahi’s CSM team had run a Porsche 718 GT4 RS Clubsport earlier this season but switched to the Aston Martin for CTMP.

Dan Ammann was the top Bronze Cup finisher in his No. 91 VRC Motorsports Group Porsche for his first Bronze win this season.

The second VP Racing Challenge race is Sunday at 11:10 a.m. EST, streaming on Peacock and the IMSA Official YouTube channel.

RESULTS: Race 1