One year after suffering injury that sidelined Ted Giovanis from the remainder of the 2017 season, TeamTGM is looking to return to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP) stronger than ever for Round 5 of the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge.
The free flowing and high speed 2.459-mile circuit located in rural Toronto, Canada will play host to the two-hour Canadian Tire Motorsport Park 120. As the team resets its focus – going from a four-hour endurance format to a two-hour sprint – the double-AMG/Mercedes team entry will be looking for redemption as it continues its hunt in the championship.
One year ago, team owner and driver Giovanis, suffered an injury to his achilles after a practice incident which took him out of competition for the remainder of the 2017 season. After a swift recovery, Giovanis and teammate Guy Cosmo only have their sights on a strong return to the highly competitive CTMP race weekend.
“My accident is very much behind me when I get in the car at CTMP,” said Giovanis. “When you fall off the horse you get right back up. This weekend should be good for us.”
Drivers of the No. 46 Jayne Koskinas Ted Giovanis Mercedes-AMG GT4, Hugh Plumb and Owen Trinkler, will be running off the momentum from their outstanding run at Watkins Glen which saw the pair come within reach of the overall victory during the final laps of the race.
“It’s always a bit different going back to a sprint race,” said Plumb, who sits fourth in the GS championship after the Glen. “We really need to keep plugging away at points. This team is thriving on hitting our marks and doing whatever we can in our power to stay at the front of the field. We are in the top three/four of the championship and the strength of our team is what has gotten us there in the first place and we will be looking to continue that this weekend.”
Trinkler scored a win in 2016 at CTMP and also earned a podium finish last season and is hoping to bring home the first overall victory for the team this weekend.
“I feel like we are going to have a really good result at Canadian Tire,” said Trinkler. It’s a place where I have had a podium in the last two years. It’s a place that I really love, it’s fast and I think the car is going to perform well.”
The No. 4 Mercedes-AMG GT4, had an off-track incident during qualifying at Watkins Glen and forced the team to opt for a completely new chassis ahead of the CTMP weekend. The team diligently worked to convert the new World Challenge specification Mercedes-AMG GT4 to IMSA regulated specs before heading north of the border for the latter of the back-to-back IMSA events.
“We have been focused on getting the new car set up for CTMP,” explained Giovanis. “The car should be completed early in the week before we head to CTMP. I am really looking forward to getting to race there this year having missed out last year.”
Giovanis’ teammate, Cosmo is also looking ahead to his return to the Toronto-based circuit having spent several years out of competition. Cosmo’s last race competing at CTMP was in a powerful LMP2 machine, but he is now eager to see the capabilities of the Mercedes-AMG GT4.
“I’m looking forward to continuing what we are doing,” said Cosmo. “We really are making headway with this program. Watkins Glen proved that there are a lot of strengths and some weaknesses against the competition. Canadian Tire is a track that should suit this car well and it is a track that I personally love to drive as well.”
Source. Sunday Group
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