Farnbacher Loles Racing hopes to notch a second-consecutive GT podium finish at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Montréal this weekend. Bryce Miller of Summit, N.J., and Dirk Werner of Kissenbrück, Germany, drove their No. 87 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car to a close second-place class finish in last year's Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series race on the 4.361-km (2.708-mile) road course. The finish ensured the team's GT championship and helped Werner clinch the class driver title one race later.
"I am very excited for our opportunity at Montréal to claim the victory we deserved there last year," Miller said. "I like Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve very much and the Canadian fans are awesome. With 220 guests from our sponsor IPC/Positron there cheering us on and a charged-up team having just come off two recent podium finishes, I believe our chances are good for a win."
The pair finished second in the last two series races, at Daytona International Speedway and Barber Motorsports Park, so Werner believes a third podium is achievable, this time on the track that hosts the Formula One World Championship.
"I have very good memories from last year, when Bryce and I had a podium," Werner recalled. "The atmosphere in Montréal is really special. I like the city very much, and to race on an F1 track is a highlight of the season. The track has a long straight and the mix of esses and slow turns fits the Porsche pretty good. I think after our last races, with a track that's good for the Porsches, we have a good chance to get another podium."
Leh Keen of Charleston, S.C., and Eric Lux of Jacksonville, Fla., are also aiming for a top finish in Montréal, perhaps a repeat of their rainy win in Ohio last month? They are sharing driving duty in the No. 86 Porsche.
"I'm really looking forward to this track," Lux said. "I've never raced here in a Porsche, just in a Pontiac. There are long straightaways, so I'm excited to get into a car that's more aerodynamic for a track like this. I think the Porsche will really be a good car to have here and it should be a great battle between the Mazda and us. Hopefully, we can get rid of the two-race bad luck streak and bring home another top-five finish for Farnbacher Loles.
"I really like street courses and this gives you the feel of one, with the fans right on the side of the track, no runoff, walls everywhere you look and long straightaways. It's a really nice environment, the whole town. I'm ecstatic to have a race here! The only downside of any street circuit is it's really cramped and chaotic trying to get in and out, but it's worth it because of the atmosphere we're racing in."
Dave Lacey of Toronto, who drives the No. 88 Porsche with Steve Johnson of Bristol, Va., has already celebrated this week. He and his wife, Julie Denton, welcomed their first child, Eden Elizabeth Lacey, at 1 am Tuesday.
"Everyone is resting peacefully now," Lacey reported.
The lone Canadian driver for Farnbacher Loles Racing, Lacey promised to make the short commute to race in Montréal this weekend.
