The Auto Channel
The Largest Independent Automotive Research Resource
The Largest Independent Automotive Research Resource
Official Website of the New Car Buyer

IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge - Calvert-Jones Wins At Mosport


PHOTO (select to view enlarged photo)

LOS ANGELES, Jul. 24, 2012: Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada may have gone from being daunting in the eyes of David Calvert-Jones at the start of the race weekend, to being a new favorite track.

One thing is certain, the track formerly known as 'Mosport International Raceway' will always be special to the man known as 'CJ,' as it was the site of the Aussie racer's first victory and first pole position in the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge by Yokohama Grand Prix of Mosport last weekend.

CJ parlayed his fastest Gold Cup class race lap aboard the No. 12 Porsche in Saturday's first half of the doubleheader weekend into the class pole position for Sunday's race. He then parlayed the pole position into his first class victory on Sunday afternoon.

"It feels awesome to get a win," said CJ, who claimed his first victory since winning a Pirelli Cup race at Las Vegas last year. "Starting on pole was a good feeling in itself, so I started off the race pretty happy. I got a good start and I settled into a bit of a rhythm, but I had Angel Benitez Junior hard on my tail and we had a couple of Platinum guys who were around me sort of giving me some grief. I also started getting a low water warning light on and then low water pressure, which started taking a little bit of my concentration away. Benitez got around me and took off into the distance. I was running second and sort of managing the car for the majority of the race with the warning lights going off.

"I just wanted to get home. Every corner, I had warning lights come on. I had this big red light coming on and the MoTeC [data display] was flashing at me. I was on the radio back to the crew, just working through the temperatures and the pressures and making sure that the car was going to get through. Really, to be frank, I was playing for second. I was just thinking, 'Let's get the points and stay here and manage the gap to third.' Unfortunately for Angel, he spun it in Turn 5 on the second-to-last lap and I came through. He must have pushed it too hard into Turn 5 and he was up in the fence, and I came through for a win, which was fantastic."