Lineup for the best spots in the manufacturer ranking.
While the race in the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park – also called Mosport – is the penultimate event of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the 6 Hours of Monza are the last race of the summer for the World Endurance Championship (WEC). Motorsport fans can expect the best of both worlds from this double event on the weekend of July 7–9: sprint and endurance.
The race season of 2023 is slowly coming to an end and is about to offer the fans a summer highlight: For the WEC, the 6 Hours of Monza mark the fifth of seven endurance races. In the north of Milan, near the city Monza, is the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, also known as the "Temple of Speed".
For the IMSA, the sprint race in the Canadian province Ontario is the fifth of eleven races. For that, we are headed to the North of Toronto in South Canada. With ten curves, the almost four kilometer long track offers quite a few high speed passages.
On Sunday, July 9, both races are due to take place - Monza will make the start.
Show of strength in Monza.
On July 9, fans can cheer for the Porsche Penske Motorsport Team, Hertz Team JOTA and the six Porsche Customer Racing Teams from 02.00 p.m. CEST onwards in Monza. The qualifying will take place a day beforehand.
The teams can expect a track that is already considered to be a high-speed track in other race series. Right off the bat, the start-finish straight goes on long, offering vehicles the chance for passing maneuvers before they have to brake sharply for the first chicane: First a sharp right and immediately to the left. From there, the track leads into a third curve, the Curva Grande – a long-streched curve, which coincidentally is also the longest. In this section, speed can mount to be used for passing after the turn. But there is not much time for that for the drivers: The track quickly leads into the second chicane, generally similar to the first, only combining a left-right turn. The following two sharper Curve di Lesmo right turns end in a straight. This one too ends in a chicane, the Variante Ascari. Quick steering and conscious use of the curbs are needed to return onto the following straight. This finally leads into the last curve, the u-shaped Parabolica.
All-in-all, the racetrack in Monza may seem harmless, but the combination of tight curves and long straights can be very demanding – particularly in an endurance race: The straights might tempt drivers to risk more, while the turns demand immense concentration.
Battle of speed in Canada.
Exactly when the 6 Hours of Monza ends, the Canadian sprint race of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship begins: At 6.00 p.m. CEST, the green flag is bound to be swung in Bowmanville, Ontario. There, the Porsche Penske Motorsport Team will be competing alongside JDC-Miller MotorSports and five additional teams in the GT classes.
In Canada, the vehicles start with a short acceleration period into the first, very wide right turn. Here, the drivers risk overstepping the allowed track boundaries and receive penalties when they head in with too much speed. After another short straight, the track leads into an equally wide left curve, the Clayton Corner. From there, across a slightly bumpy track area into the Quebec Corner and therefore turning this track section into one of the technically most demanding areas. After that, cars head into a slight incline and a long-stretched left curve, which ends in the very tight Moss Corner. After this turn follows the Mario Andretti Straightway – a long straight that allows much room for passing maneuvers. With the speed built up from there, the teams head into the Esses and then the Whites Corner. From there, the high speed can be brought back onto the start-finish straight.
In the past sprint races, Porsche Penske Motorsport hav proven that they have the technical ability to become a challenge for the opponents, and only bad luck can keep them from driving in the upper grid. The race is bound to be a thrilling one.
