The new Chevrolet Camaro GT4.R has taken its first win in sports car competition, with Robin Liddell and Matt Bell breaking through in the No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports entry in today’s Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge two-hour race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.
Liddell and Bell debuted the car in the third race of the season at Circuit of The Americas, and had been building towards this result over the last three races in the GS class. The CTSC season intensified in volume of races starting last week at Watkins Glen, having not raced since COTA in May. But Watkins Glen kicked off a stretch of five races over the next two months, with CTMP today, Lime Rock later this month and Road America and VIR in August.
The Camaro also runs in Pirelli World Challenge and while it’s been a model of consistency with Lawson Aschenbach banking a bevy of podiums for Blackdog Speed Shop, it hasn’t yet won a race in the sprint series. Stevenson was the Continental Tire series GS champion with the previous generation Chevrolet Camaro Z/28.R in 2015 with Liddell and Andrew Davis winning, and their last race win came in September of that year at COTA.
RS1 moved into second place on the final lap with the No. 28 Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport MR driven by Dillon Machavern and Dillon Murcott, while the Motorsports in Action No. 69 McLaren 570S GT4 of Jesse Lazare and Chris Green fell to third on the final lap despite having a likely fuel edge and pitting later on the final pit stop sequence.
In ST, a late-race push from Eric Foss saw the sports car veteran emerge on top in his No. 56 Murillo Racing Porsche Cayman he shares with Jeff Mosing.
CRG-I Do Borrow’s No. 44 Nissan Altima of Owen Trinkler and Sarah Cattaneo came second, Trinkler nearly having a late go at Foss but unable to get him after running wide at Turn 3.
Prior leaders LAP Motorsports were unable to get another win with the No. 37 MINI JCW driven by Mike LaMarra and James Vance, Vance having done well to lead late before Foss came charging and barging through in the final stages.
Victory at @CTMPOfficial! pic.twitter.com/jYzH6D3dCa
— #IMSA (@IMSA) July 8, 2017