Risi Competizione moves this week onto the fast and unforgiving Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Ontario, Canada for what will be the sixth round of the 2014 TUDOR United Sportscar Championship for the GTLM class, and the eighth round for the whole series.
Mosport has in the past proven to be a successful venue for the privately-owned, Houston-based team, and the team is anxious to return to the track formerly known as Mosport for what will be the first 2 hour 45 minute race of the year. With mixed weather conditions predicted for race day, Risi won’t be the only team keeping a close eye on the radar as the track can be treacherous in the wet. With a 40-strong field and the nature of the track, several yellow flag periods are expected.
Giancarlo Fisichella and Pierre Kaffer will be paired in the No.62 Ferrari 458 Italia and it is once again a new track for the Italian. Kaffer has had a second placed GT finish at the 2.46 mile track (in 2009), and knows first-hand how difficult it can be to get round the fast track safely. However, he says: “I only have positive memories of this Canadian track, and in 2009 finished 2nd after a great battle with Corvette. They and the Vipers seem to be strong at the moment but our car is good on straight line speed which you need there; I think it will be tight again in the GTLM class.
“Mosport is one of my favorite tracks as it’s quick and technical, so I think we should have a good chance of a podium. I think Giancarlo will be up to speed very quickly, as we could see from how he adapted to Watkins Glen which is a much harder track to learn – in no time he was right on the pace. He likes quick circuits so that’s a big positive for Mosport!”
Risi’s Technical Director, Rick Mayer, explains further. “The track surface is bumpy in an undulating way, but not harsh and abrupt like a street circuit. The apex patches will change the grip throughout the corner. The ideal line will depend on where the grip is, and how bad last winter was, but rain will further complicate the ideal grip line. It’s a very fast track and unforgiving if you make mistakes as there’s very little run off relative to the speed of the corners. History shows that if you go off, there’s usually substantial damage – as we have found in the past.”
Mayer adds that set up is critical. “You would like to run low down force but you lose so much on the other sections it ends up being a quicker lap with a moderately high down force setup. Saying that, you still need to be conscious of strait line speed; the competition is so fierce in the GTLM class now that you can’t afford to give anything away and have to seek to gain whatever advantage you can.”