Pirelli World Challenge at Streets of Toronto's Exhibition Place Race 1
SRT (Street and Racing Technology) Motorsports and Kuno Wittmer put the No. 92 Dodge Viper SRT GT3-R on the podium in the SCCA Pirelli World Challenge's first-of-two-events in Toronto with a second place finish on Saturday, July 19. A mere .508 seconds separated Wittmer from the top spot in Round 9 of the series, the first race of the doubleheader weekend, at Exhibition Place street circuit in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Wittmer, from Montreal, Quebec, Canada, started on the outside of the front row in the second qualifying position and turned the second quickest time (1:11.034) of the race, giving chase to the finish on the eventual race leader. Ten of the 30 laps in the 50-minute timed race were held under a full-course caution on the 1.755-mile, 11-turn city street circuit.
The popular Canadian driver battled with the leader, Great Britain's Nick Tandy, but with one-third of the race held under yellow flag conditions, it prevented Wittmer from making a pass, although his lap times in the Viper SRT GT3-R were consistently quicker.
By posting the second quickest lap time in today's race, Wittmer will start in the second position in Sunday's second race of the doubleheader weekend for the Pirelli World Challenge on the streets of Toronto at Exhibition Place.
SRT Motorsports Team & Driver Quotes
Kuno Wittmer, driver, No. 92 Dodge Viper SRT GT3-RHow did your podium finish happen today?
"We wouldn't be on this podium if it wasn't for the awesome prep by the team. SRT Motorsports prepped a really, really nice Dodge Viper SRT GT3-R and the car was consistent the entire time.Even with the full course yellows, the tires had time to cool down and then come back up to temperature. It was quite simple because the machinery is just really nice to drive. Hats off to them. Without the prep work, I couldn't have done it. During the race, it was tough to catch Tandy or at least stick to him. He was easily half a second quicker and on a blistering pace. At least I could gap, a little bit, the Cadillac, but barely. So it was tough to hang on to [P2] today. I think that tomorrow we have a pretty good chance for a race. I think a podium will be good, but a win will be better."
Matt Bejnarowicz, lead engineer, No. 92 Dodge Viper SRT GT3-R
How did you accomplish today's podium finish?
"Kuno did a great job and the Viper was pretty strong. We knew, especially with a street course, to be worried about running off the tires. I think Kuno tried to conserve as much as he could and we got lucky with that late caution. He was able to make a push for it, but just couldn't get by the leader. It was an exciting finish in our first outing here with the new GT3-R. P2 is pretty good today and we're starting in a good position tomorrow. We'll see if we can climb another ladder."
Ralph Gilles, president and CEO of SRT Motorsports
How do you feel about today's podium result?
"I'm happy to see a podium again for the Viper, especially on its first outing with the new body style. It's a really capable car for a gentleman driver and we showed its capabilities today."
Do you enjoy racing in Toronto?
"It's great to be pounding around the streets of Toronto again. It's always a special venue and a very challenging circuit. Also what I like is the back-side of it -- seeing the amount of fans Kuno has here. He's a driver with a good legacy of respect and kindness, where little kids are coming up and getting signatures, and it is really cool to see that. This is almost his hometown and it's good to see all his fans."
Race two of the doubleheader Pirelli World Challenge weekend is tomorrow for 50-minutes. Sunday's Round 10 of the 2014 season is streaming live on www.world-challengeTV.com, beginning at 11:55 a.m. EDT and the race goes green at 12:15 p.m. EDT. The U.S. television broadcast of the weekend will air Sunday, August 10 at 1:30 p.m. EDT on NBC Sports Network.
