Colin Braun explained how the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park’s corners enable prototypes to manage GT traffic ahead of this weekend’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s Chevrolet Grand Prix.
The American driver has claimed six victories at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP) in IMSA prototype machinery, including last year in the #60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-06 GTP.
At 2.459 miles with 10 corners, CTMP hosts one of the quickest laps on the 2024 schedule posing fast, unique and flowing curves for prototype drivers managing GTD traffic.
In a pre-event media briefing, he explained: “Certainly the corners at Mosport are so long, at Turn One [and] at Turn Two particularly… That’s really where the big difference of speed comes from between the GTs and the prototypes.
“The downforce we make through Turn Two just allows us to go so much faster than the GT cars.
“So in many ways, because the corner is long and because the cars are fast in those areas, we’re able to kind of drive around either on the outside or on the inside of the GT cars in those long corners and get by them.
“Or if we can’t clear them in the corner, we’re able to kind of time it, carry enough momentum through the corner and pass them down the straightaway.
“So in a way, the way that we both make our lap time kind of makes the racing traffic management part a bit more cohesive.
“And that’s one of the kind of fun things about Mosport. I think on the flip side of that, you’ve got to have a bit of help maybe or understanding from the GT driver of what you’re trying to do in the prototype car.
“It’s small things that those guys can do that can help us get by them clean.”
Braun will compete for the overall win in the #04 Crowdstrike Racing by APR Oreca 07 LMP2 with teammate George Kurtz.
It will be Kurtz’ first time racing at CTMP as for many Bronze-rated LMP2 drivers participating, but it will not be his first time competing for the overall win in LMP2 machinery owing to his title-winning campaign in the 2023-24 Asian Le Mans Series.
Braun continued: “… Again, I use Turn Two, for example, if we have a good run and we can kind of fade to the outside and make it look like, ‘Hey, we’re gonna pass around the outside.’
“You get a bit of help from the GT car just to breathe the throttle a little bit more in the middle of the corner [and] leave us a lane on the outside at the exit and on we go.
“So on a perfect road, you know, that works well for both sides and we kind of get through the traffic.
“And of course I think as prototype drivers, we understand the GT guys are in their own battle and it’s intense and they’re scrapping for everything they can do too.
“So, there’s times when ‘Hey, I can’t breathe the throttle and give you that lane on the outside.’
“And it’s sort of that give-and-take, and that understanding and respect between the classes, particularly as the race winds down – sort of ramps up a bit and gets more intense… [that] makes for exciting TV.”
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