Super Subs and Rivals Ready for Revised CTMP Field

Image courtesy of IMSA
By Jeff Olson, IMSA Wire Service

Tom Blomqvist expects something from himself this weekend. He calls it “standard expectations for a professional racing driver,” but they carry more weight than usual.

He’s in a different car, in a different class, with a different team. One that’s leading the championship standings, by the way.

But Blomqvist is a key figure ahead of Sunday’s Chevrolet Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, as one of several fill-in drivers in Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) for IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship regulars.

Blomqvist will fill in for Paul Di Resta with United Autosports USA as Di Resta is one of a handful of IMSA drivers competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship race in Brazil this weekend.

Blomqvist Entrusted for United Encore

Blomqvist will join Daniel Goldburg in the No. 22 United Autosports USA ORECA LMP2 07. The No. 22 car enters the weekend leading the LMP2 standings by 94 points over Felipe Fraga and Gar Robinson in the No. 74 Riley ORECA.

The one-off duty is both an honor and a unique challenge, Blomqvist explained.

“They’ve entrusted me with this role to do the job,” said Blomqvist, who also drove for United in the 2023 FIA WEC season. “I’m fully aware of that. I expect myself to do well and to perform.

“I’m comfortable with the team, and I’ve worked with them before. I enjoy working with them. I know the car very well, and I’ve had great success at the track before, as well, which is obviously very helpful.”

It’s helpful to be on a roll, as well. Blomqvist and Colin Braun teamed to win the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen on June 22 at Watkins Glen International overall and in Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) in the No. 60 Acura Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian Acura ARX-06.

Blomqvist also has a winning relationship with CTMP, the track formerly known as Mosport. In 2023, he and Braun teamed to win in the Meyer Shank Acura on the 10-turn, 2.459-mile circuit. A year earlier, Blomqvist set the outright track record in a previous generation Daytona Prototype international (DPi) car, the Acura ARX-05.

“The track is a lot of fun – a ton of fun,” Blomqvist said. “It’s always one you want to drive, especially in LMP2 cars. It’s the perfect track for the class. I’ve obviously been in the right place at the right time when I’ve been there. I’d like to do the same with Daniel and the guys this year.”

Blomqvist can also speak to those GTP regulars playing in the LMP2 field this weekend.

“The P2 is a little bit of a different driving style – more of a natural driving style because of the lack of electronic aids,” Blomqvist said, comparing the LMP2 car to the GTP.

“They’re a bit lighter, and the engines are obviously completely different. Even the little things like seating position are a little different. But ultimately, it’s a race car, and in my case, I’m used to jumping between the two cars.”

MSR Teammates and Now Fun Rivals … Again

For the second time in two months in two series, one of Blomqvist’s Acura MSR teammates will be a rival in another LMP2 car.

Renger van der Zande, who races the sister No. 93 Acura MSR entry with Nick Yelloly, is another fill-in driver this weekend at CTMP.

Van der Zande will fill in for Sebastien Bourdais in the No. 8 Tower Motorsports ORECA LMP2 07 this weekend with co-driver John Farano. Van der Zande and Bourdais won overall at CTMP in 2022 in a Chip Ganassi Racing-prepared Cadillac DPi-V.R.

Coincidentally, the Dutchman raced for United Autosports in the 24 Hours of Le Mans last month while Blomqvist, Yelloly and Colin Braun were in three other LMP2 cars. On Sunday, van der Zande will race against United and against his Meyer Shank teammate, Blomqvist.

“It’s going to be fun,” van der Zande laughed ahead of Le Mans before the first of his two LMP2 cameos. “I mean, if I suddenly get a free slipstream somewhere, I’m sure it’s (Blomqvist).

“You know we get along very well. … We have a good understanding, have the bigger goal, big picture in mind. It’s gonna be fun to be racing against each other.”

The occasional fill-in role allows drivers to experience the inner workings of other teams. Van der Zande encountered it at Le Mans, where he teamed with Pietro Fittipaldi and David Heinemeier Hansson to finish seventh in LMP2 in the No. 22 United Autosports entry.

“There’s a great organization behind it,” van der Zande said of United. “I was very happily surprised about the atmosphere. It’s a real group of real racers. … I felt home straight away, so it was a great opportunity to get to know another team.”

Now he’ll go up against his teammates from the recent past, against his teammate from the present, in a car they don’t always drive.

Recapping The CTMP Changes

It’s not uncommon for sports car drivers to freelance during the season, especially when scheduling conflicts arise. Beyond Blomqvist and van der Zande, five other LMP2 cars have revised lineups this race.

As Di Resta, Malthe Jakobsen and Mikkel Jensen race Peugeot 9X8 Hypercars at Sao Paulo, Alex Quinn (No. 04 CrowdStrike Racing by APR) and Hunter McElrea (No. 11 TDS Racing) fill in for Jakobsen and Jensen, respectively.

Quinn, who raced alongside George Kurtz and Nicky Catsburg at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, has made five IMSA starts and races alongside Kurtz. McElrea, who won the Michelin Endurance Cup as third driver with Jensen and Steven Thomas last year, is set for his IMSA sprint race debut.

Two new Canadians make their series debuts on home soil. Phil Fayer takes over for Nick Boulle, last year’s CTMP winner and LMP2 champion, in the No. 2 United Autosports USA ORECA alongside Ben Hanley. Travis Hill steps into the No. 18 Era Motorsport ORECA alongside Ryan Dalziel, the major race-winning sports car veteran who is now also Era’s sporting director.

JDC-Miller MotorSports also makes its season debut in the class, with Gerry Kraut and Scott Andrews back in their No. 79 ORECA for the first time since Road America last season, where they finished second.

Fittipaldi races in one of the five unchanged full-season lineups competing this weekend in IMSA, with Chris Cumming in the No. 73 Pratt Miller Motorsports ORECA. Both “DHH” and Tobi Lutke’s commitments allow for Hill’s debut at Era.

The four other cars that are unchanged from Watkins Glen, save for dropping from three drivers to two, are the No. 43 Inter Europol Competition (Tom Dillmann and Jeremy Clarke), No. 52 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports (Mathias Beche and Rodrigo Sales), No. 74 Riley (Fraga and Robinson) and No. 99 AO Racing (Dane Cameron and PJ Hyett) ORECAs.

The evolved CTMP entry list creates a fascinating scenario as to whether the full-timers or the fill-ins will prevail both overall and in LMP2.

Live coverage of the Chevrolet Grand Prix can be seen Sunday at 2 p.m. ET on USA Network, YouTube and IMSA.tv.

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