Tripleheader Race Preview: CTMP, Sardinia and Monza

CGR has a busy weekend ahead, as they prepare to compete in three series across the globe

IMSA: Canadian Tire Motorsport Park 

Sebastien Bourdais, Renger van der Zande and the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R crew will head north of the border to defend their win from last season at the 10-turn, 2.459-mile road course.

CGR won last year’s race in astonishing fashion, with the No. 01 taking the win after starting in P6. The team will be looking to claim their fourth all-time victory at the event (2022; 2018; 2016).

“It’s a fast track with not much room for error,” said Bourdais. “Traffic management is really tricky. You have to read it right and with the track not being really wide and where you catch cars you have to make the right decisions."

The team is one of the nine cars competing in Grand Touring Prototype competition within the 34-car field. CGR boasts 65 wins in IMSA competition, the third-most by any entry in series history.

The No. 01 team will look to score valuable points, as they currently sit fourth in the standings (107-point deficit) with four more races to compete in. 

Catch IMSA’s GTP qualifying session on Saturday, July 8, at 1:35 p.m. ET on IMSA TV. Sunday’s two-hour and 40-minute race will officially kick off at 12:05 p.m. ET with coverage on NBC.  

Extreme E: Sardinia 

CGR’s No. 99 GMC HUMMER EV team will break into the second half of the 2023 this weekend at the Island X Prix.

While this will be RJ Anderson and Amanda Sorensen’s first time racing in Sardinia, Italy, the team has found success before at the European island with their maiden victory in the series last year.

“RJ and I have been busy watching footage from last year’s race, and we want to prepare ourselves as much as possible,” said Sorensen. “I’m feeling more comfortable in the car and am ready to push hard to continue to see progress. We want to get up to the top of the podium and score a win and will be aiming for that this weekend.”

The team, just a couple points away from breaking into the top-three within the standings, just completed a test in Southern California after earning their first podium of the year.

Remember to vote for the GMC HUMMER EV team in GRIDPLAY twice a day through Sunday at 3:00 a.m. ET.  

Click here to discover the scheduled time for the doubleheader event and the designated moment to tune in to Fox Sports 2. 

WEC: The Monza Circuit 

The No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R team will compete in the fifth of seven events on the 2023 World Endurance Championship schedule this weekend at the 6 Hours of Monza.

CGR’s No. 2 Cadillac returns to competition after a successful podium performance at Le Mans last month. 

“I’m really enthused by the result at Le Mans and the progress we’ve made in just our first year in the WEC. It shows all the hard work that the team, Cadillac and its partners have put in, and there’s more positives to come,” said Earl Bamber. “Monza is a great track overall and the race in the Hypercar class will be intense for the drivers and entertaining for the spectators. We’ll have to navigate the slower traffic in the tight corners, but there are long straights that will provide overtaking opportunities. I’m looking forward to returning to Monza and getting back in the seat of the No. 2 Cadillac.”

Bamber, Alex Lynn and Richard Westbrook have combined to bring home 70 points behind the wheel of the No. 2, good for third in the Hypercar championship standings. They will be one of the 13 Hypercar entries competing in the 36-car field. 

The team will compete in qualifying on Saturday, July 8, at 9:30 a.m. ET. On Sunday, July 9, the green flag for the six-hour race will drop at 6:30 a.m. ET. Coverage will again be available on MotorTrend+.