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CTMP Weekend Notebook

John Dagys’ Pirelli World Challenge weekend notebook from Canadian Tire Motorsport Park…

Photo: Brian Cleary/PWC

***Pirelli World Challenge officials have given dispensation to the No. 31 TR3 Racing Ferrari 488 GT3 of Daniel Mancinelli, as well as Toni Vilander’s No. 61 R. Ferri Motorsport Ferrari and the No. 9 K-PAX Racing Bentley Continental GT3 of Alvaro Parente to start this afternoon’s GT Sprint Race 1 due to all three cars being outside of the 107 percent of Daniel Morad’s pole-winning time. 

***The three cars, which had set the fifth, sixth and seventh quickest times overall. Click Here for the starting grid for GT Race 1.

***While only featuring ten entries this weekend, the GT/GTA grid is expected to grow for the next Sprint round at Road America, with the addition of the No. 45 Flying Lizard Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R of Andy Wilzoch, who is set for a three-race GTA campaign that will include outings at Portland and Watkins Glen.

***Road America, meanwhile, is set to run combined GT/GTS races, with upwards of 40 cars total expected.

***The No. 3 K-PAX Bentley of Rodrigo Baptista is running with additional ballast equivalent to 1.5 percent of the car’s minimum weight for the first time this weekend due to the Brazilian’s recent success as a GTA driver.

***Despite winning overall at Virginia International Raceway alongside Bentley factory driver Maxime Soulet, Baptista has remained in GTA this weekend, but under the new provision. He is the first GTA driver to be given additional ballast, although several GTS drivers have been subject to additional weight, particularly in SprintX competition.

***Flying Lizard has been fined $4700 and its No. 23 Case-It-sponsored Audi R8 LMS GT4 of Adam Merzon will start from the rear of the GTS field this afternoon after Ryan Eversley drove the car in Practice on Friday.

***Eversley, who is Merzon’s driver coach and co-driver for the SprintX races, was not officially entered in the car this weekend and therefore was not permitted to take part in an official session.

***Unlike typical standalone PWC weekends, a Promoter Test Day was not offered to competitors on Thursday.

***K-PAX should be back to full strength by next month’s Sprint round at Road America, with one of its repaired Bentleys expected to be on-site in the paddock, according to team manager Thomas Blam.

***The final touches are being put on Parente’s wrecked car from St. Pete, which will soon serve as a new spare chassis. Parente’s damaged Bentley from VIR, meanwhile, is still on the team’s truck and is due to be sent back to the team’s shop in Sonoma, Calif. for repairs following next weekend’s race at Lime Rock Park.

***It’s understood that Parente’s current chassis, which was flown in from Malaysia for this weekend, is on loan from Bentley.

***In a late change to the GTS entry list, Vinnie Allegretta has replaced JR Pesek at the wheel of the No. 10 PF Racing Ford Mustang GT4 in the GTS field, which sees a 24-car entry across GTS and GTSA competitors.

***Pilar Lastra, a multi-faceted model, host, actress, radio personality and author, is serving as the pit lane reporter for the CBS Sports Network broadcasts this weekend and at Lime Rock Park. Lastra is filling in for regular pit lane reporter, Sportscar365’s own Ryan Myrehn, who is on duty at Indianapolis this month for IndyCar Radio.

***The No. 3 K-PAX Bentley made an appearance at the British Embassy in Washington DC earlier this week, in a display alongside Bentley’s  production Continental Supersports Convertible and Bentayga models for the embassy’s annual open house.

***Watch the first GT Sprint race of the weekend on World-Challenge.com, beginning at 1:45 p.m. ET, followed by GTS Sprint Race 1 at 4 p.m. Live coverage will also be available on SiriusXM Channel 383 and Channel 983 on the App.

***CBS Sports Network coverage of the GT races will air on June 3 at 1 p.m. ET, with the date for the GTS broadcast to-be-determined.

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John

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