CTMP Thursday Notebook

***Following some confusion in the first Pirelli World Challenge SprintX rounds of the season at Virginia International Raceway last month, changes have been made in the sporting regulations regarding the minimum time required for pit stops and driver changes starting this weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

***The minimum time from the Pit In to Pit Out timing loops will be known as the “Driver Change Time”. The minimum Driver Change Time for the Pro/Pro class remains at 60 seconds, while the minimum Drive Change Time for Pro/Am and Am/Am classes will be 90 seconds, as was the case at VIR as well.

***Any car noted by timing and scoring to have recorded a Driver Change Time below its required minimum time may be penalized. The decision of the chief timekeeper is final, with cars not allowed to slow or stop in pit lane. 

***There have been two Balance of Performance adjustments for this weekend in GT, with the Mercedes-AMG GT3 has been given a 20kg increase in minimum weight and the Acura NSX GT3 getting a slight increase in turbo boost across all power levels.

***The changes have been made since the last round at VIR, which is also a Category B track in the SRO’s track-specific BoP system. The Blancpain GT Series has yet to visit a Category B track on its schedule. Paul Ricard, as well as Spa, are Category B, which should offer a more direct comparison later this summer.

***Wholesale BoP changes, meanwhile, have been made in the GTS class, with the Maserati GT4 getting a 25kg weight increase, 100 rpm increase and ride height adjustments, as well as weight changes for the McLaren 570S GT4 (+20kg) and Panoz Avezzano GT (-20kg). Additionally, the Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport MR now has a 7600 RPM limit and the KTM X-Bow GT4 also has revised gearing.

***Following a hard hit in the last PWC stop at VIR, the Calvert Dynamics Porsche 911 GT3 R of Preston Calvert and Alec Udell has been re-tubbed ahead of this weekend’s race. The car was sent to Phoenix Performance in Pennsylvania, while the engine and transmission were checked over by Porsche Motorsport North America in California for a damage check and rebuild.

***This weekend, Flying Lizard Motorsports is pulling double duty, competing at Sonoma Raceway with the Pirelli GT3 Cup Trophy USA and at CTMP. With two cars in the PWC GTS class and four cars in Pirelli GT3 Cup Trophy USA, the team will be responsible for six cars this weekend across the two series.

***K-PAX and Family House in San Francisco have announced a joint effort in raising awareness of pediatric illness for the remainder of the season. Family House serves as a home away from home and a pediatric guesthouse for families of children with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses by providing physical comfort and emotional support, free from financial concerns. It serves 80 families per night and runs at almost 100 percent occupancy.

John Dagys contributed to this report.