Round 5 of the 2023 SportsCar Championship - this weekend’s VR7UAL Sports Car Challenge at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park - promises to be a true highlight of the season.
Thanks to the financial support of race title sponsor VR7UAL, the 2 hours-and-40 minute race will be broadcast live by Apex Racing TV, from start to finish, including the renowned live commentary that the broadcasting network is known for.
For the first time since Round 7 at Road America last year, Apex Racing TV will join the paddock and broadcast a VSCA SportsCar Championship race live on YouTube.
“We’re extremely excited to welcome back our friends from Apex Racin TV. Last year’s three broadcasts at Mid-Ohio, CTMP and Road America were amazing and brought a lot of attention to our series from the outside.”, said series director and VSCA president Benjamin Fischer.
“For our teams and competitors, this surely is a great thing, and for their partners and sponsors. But we want to especially give a shout out to Trevor Hilson and his team at VR7UAL, who have been the ones who truly made this possible. Without them, this broadcast would not be possible.”
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| Ontario-based Canadian company VR7UAL is official race title sponsor of this weekend's VR7UAL Sports Car Challenge at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park - © 2023 VSCAracing.com / VR7UAL |
VR7UAL is an edtech startup revolutionizing the training industry. Looking to advance the world using technology, the company believes there is no limit to what the brain can learn if given the right tools and the right environment.
VR7UAL modernizes training by using technology and simulation to leverage training that can be used in muscle regeneration, rehabilitation of motor skills and allows people the ability to re-learn debilitating movements without fear of further injury.
VR7UAL was built from the idea of bringing a simulation and technology market to Eastern Ontario, so the lone VSCA SportsCar Championship race in Canada each season made for a perfect fit for VR7UAL to be race title sponsor of.
Besides being race title sponsor for this weekend’s race, VR7UAL also sponsors the VSCA VR7UAL Pole Award, awarded to each team in the three classes that has earned the most pole positions over the course of the 2023 season.
Who will establish themselves as new favorites in LMDh class?
With Stow Motorsports and their No. 24 BMW missing the last race at Laguna Seca and announcing they may not return to the series until Watkins Glen or possibly Road Atlanta in October, the LMDh championship seems more wide open than ever.
Finishing second at WeatherTech Raceway, the No. 3 BMW of Mayer Simspeed Performance retook the championship lead for the first time since Daytona.
Driver Niclas Pedersen won at CTMP last year, albeit in an LMP2 Prototype driving for Fischer Motorsport. Can the “flying Dane” make it back-to-back at the 2.549 mile (4.102 km) track located in Bowmanville, Ontario and go to the winner’s circle once again?
Or will it be the No. 51 BMW of World of SimRacing Team, finally winning their team’s first ever VSCA SportsCar Championship race? They showed good pace once again at Laguna Seca but saw their race destroyed after a huge crash involving their team-mate car No. 151 BMW GT3 no less.
One may not neglect to mention the No. 79 BMW of Champion Motorspors with drivers Cameron Barker and Canadian Thomas Fisher, who enjoys his home track race at “Mosport”, as Canadians still call the beloved classic track to this day.
Will Trading Paints be “Trading Points” at CTMP or dominate again?
In LMP2 class competition, the No. 19 Dallara put on a dominant performance at Laguna Seca, winning the race by a full lap over the competition.
Selena Ward and Jordan Erickson gave the other LMP2 cars no chance at Laguna Seca and earned the team’s second win in the last three races.
So one begs to ask the question: Is Trading Paints Racing ready to run away with the series championship or can the competition step up their game?
Albrecht Motorsports and their No. 96 Dallara P217 lost the championship lead after Laguna Seca, but are still somewhat in striking distance with a gap of only 53 points to the championship leaders. After scoring three top-five in the season’s first four races, the team has proved to be consistent. But can they win? The team out of Frankfurt, Germany is still waiting for its first trip to victory lane after competing in 11 VSCA races to date.
The No. 14 Dallara of Fischer Motorsport won last year’s VSCA SportsCar Championship round at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. But with the team undergoing a major shakeup in its drivers lineup this year, it will be up to the team to prove itself again. Drivers Travis Linscome-Hatfield and Thomas Martin certainly will try to do one better than a second-place finish at Laguna Seca two weeks ago.
GTD class hoping for (another ?) misstep of No. 67 Kinetic Racing Porsche
If a fourth-place finish is even remotely considered an usual misstep, it probably means your team is pretty darn good. After winning the first three championship rounds to kick off the 2023 season, the No. 67 Kinetic Racing Porsche “only” finished P4 at Laguna Seca.
Granted, the team had to compete without one of its cornerstone drivers Aedan Campbell, who is expected back on the grid at CTMP. But still, the team continues to lead the championship points by a somewhat-comfortable 139 points, so the GTD class competition will be hoping for another crack at the gap in this event.
Laguna Seca race winners Torque Freak Racing and their No. 6 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 has all the momentum going into the fifth race of the season.
Last year, British-American drivers duo Neil Middleton and Jonathan Dance finished second behind - who else - the No. 67 Kinetic Racing Porsche. If the team out of London can repeat this result this weekend, it will probably not be too disappointed.
Sitting in third place in the GTD championship standings, the No. 78 BMW team of Champion Motorsports is enjoying its best season in VSCA competition to date, especially so after finishing second at Laguna Seca just two weeks ago.
The team out of Denton, Texas has fond memories of last year’s race at CTMP, taking fourth place in what was their best result of the season.
Apex Racing TV live broadcast from start to finish
Apex Racing TV with its renowned commentators team will be launching its live broadcast of the VR7UAL Sports Car Challenge on Saturday at 1530 GMT / 11:30am EDT. The race is scheduled to take the green flag at 1600 GMT / 12pm EDT. To watch the race live and completely free and to join the live community chat and discuss the action with other fans and friends, go to the Apex Racing TV YouTube channel or VSCA YouTube channel.
Related Links
Apex Racing TV Broadcast on YouTube