For the first time since 1968, the Mont-Tremblant race track (CMT), were receiving a major car racing event. As Montreal got the F1 weekend, Mont-Tremblant now have the new Canadian Champ Car World Series stop. The Champ Cars are classified just below the F1. The first on the list have about 20 to 40 billions dollar budget per year compare to the 2nd class, the Champ Cars, wich they deal with an around 10 billions dollar budget per year per car/team.
About the cars
The Champ Cars are all the same for all the teams. To begin, the chassis are all Elan Motorsports Technologies, the engines are all Cosworth wich are design to push a 700 hp and up with the option of an extra 50 hp boost during a race, but for a 60 seconds at the most. All tires are from Bridgestone rubbers, wich came in 3 models ; the slick, the semi-slick and the rain tires.
About the course
CMT, or “Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant” is one of the most beautiful course in the world. Words of many race car drivers, such as Micheal Schumacer himself. It is design with flats, turns, quick turns, chicanes, drops and ups, in the middle of the nature with trees and river and lac and animals around you. This track is 2.65 miles long (about 4.3 km). This track belongs to the Strolls family wich bough it couple years ago and refresh it all from start to finish. The paddocks were asphalted this year for this event, such as higher fences all around the track too. This track is situated about 1.5 hours north of Montreal City by the highway #15, then continue on the #117, exit at Montee Ryan and then at the circular road crossing, head left to the old Tremblant Village.
How the pre-race whent?
Teams were at the track for first tryouts ever 2 weeks prior to the event. Sebastien Bourdais did the fastest lap then. Two weeks later, on a wednesday, all teams were back again to start “working”. They began the real practices on friday with the doors open to public (with a low cost, 20$ to 40$). Then, saturday came and it was getting even more serious… It was qualifying time for all drivers. The fastest lap were made by Gommendy
The race day!
No more place for us on the staring grid as all medias are banned from this section on thos days. Nomex (fire suits) are mandatory for everybody on this side. After some others races and runs, it was it. It was the race start. But first they presnted every drivers, then brang out some pretty beautiful ladys to hang still close to every car on the grid. After a good photo session and some army F18 flying over our heads right after the fireworks, the “parked” start was given. Bad luck! Three cars didn’t fire up, including Will Power green car. After a couple of laps, the rain started so the cars went back to their team to make the tires changes… Minutes later, the sun was back. Gess what? Tires change. So for the whole race wich they are about 1.5 hr to 70 laps, it was a big salad of sun, rain, clouds, winds, accidents, give ups, etc. The prefered driver of the public was Alex Tagliani. Tag started 6th, then got up to 4th, but finished 7th. Power who didnt start finaly ended up to the 3rd position, what a comeback. The fastest guy on the biggest team, Sebastien Bourdais ran 1st for a long session, but finished 2nd after a slipery part. The winner, non expected was Robert Doornbos of the black and red Minardi team car. During the podium, Bourdais refused to shake the hand of the winner, he was pisted off at him for a supposed dangerous move made by him during the end, wich nobody else seems to have saw.
The racers
The list of the race car drivers and team present during that event were ; Sebastien Bourdais and Graham Rahal of team Newman Haas Lanigan Racing, Oriol Servia and Paul Tracy on Forsythe Championship, Alex Tagliani and Justin Wilson on Rsports, Dan Clarke and Robert Doornbos with Minardi Team USA, Ryan Dalziel and Alex Figge with Pacific Coast Motorsports, Tristan Gommendy and Neel Jani on PKV Racing, Jan Haylen of Conquest Racing, Bruno Junqueira and Katherine Legge on Dale Coyne, Simon Pagenaud and Will Power on Team Australia.
We did appreciate the weekend. It was almost annonced that it will be back for sure next year. We wish the drivers good luck on their next events. You can find other infos on those websites www.champcar.ws, www.champcarmonttremblant.ca, www.lecircuit.com