Thompson and SCM Earn Second Place Finish with Late Race Charge at CTMP

Jul 4, 2022

Thompson and SCM Earn Second Place Finish with Late Race Charge at CTMP

CANADIAN TIRE MOTORSPORT PARK, ONTARIO, CANADA

Alberta native Parker Thompson had a prominent performance, driving the No. 14 SCM Exelixis/Focal One/Alta Equipment Ligier JS P320 in Prototype Challenge as IMSA crossed the border into Canada for the first time since 2019. Sporting a livery featuring American stars and stripes and the Canadian maple leaf, Thompson and co-driver Lance Willsey were keen to make a mark on the holiday weekend festivities at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP). Last month, fueling issues spoiled an impressive performance by the pair in their debut together in Round 2 at Mid-Ohio. A strong result at CTMP would bring redemption and elevate the team’s position in the season’s points standings. Through a ninety-minute race on the historic Ontario road course, Thompson and Willsey accomplished precisely that, piloting their white, red, and blue SCM machine to a second-place finish.

The high-speed, undulating Canadian Tire Motorsport Park circuit presented a daunting challenge for much of the field after nearly a three-year absence from the IMSA schedule. Thompson however, entered the weekend with a stellar record on the track, showing eight career podiums and a total of four wins. On his first laps in Saturday’s Practice 1, he immediately appeared comfortable, setting a benchmark time for the Prototype Challenge field. Less familiar with the 3.957-kilometer, 10-turn road course, teammate Lance Willsey showed quick progress through practice sessions. When Qualifying launched on Sunday morning, Willsey earned an eighth position start.

Thompson, Willsey, and Sean Creech Motorsport shined when racing action began. From P8, Willsey made steady progress early in the race. When he entered the pits at the halfway mark, he had moved his way into fifth place. After the driver change and refueling, the team suffered a setback. Race officials deemed that Thompson had been released from the stop a half-second short of the minimum requirement. He was immediately called back into the pits for a stop-and-go penalty.
The No. 14 had dropped back to seventh place when Thompson re-entered the track. From there, he showed the dominant pace we had seen in May during Round 2 at Mid Ohio Sports Car Course. Navigating through the field, Thompson put together a series of laps that saw him set and reset the fastest racing lap multiple times, advancing his position to fourth. When a full-course-yellow was required late in the race, Thompson capitalized on the subsequent restart, capturing two spots to claim second place. Having already made significant advancements throughout his stint, Thompson had limited capacity to challenge the race lead. He held second through to the checkered flag.

Parker Thompson
“From start to finish, I’m so proud of our effort this weekend in Prototype Challenge. When Lance and I got together earlier this year, we felt we could challenge the front of the field. That didn’t quite pan out in our first event at Mid-Ohio, but I’m delighted that both of us put it together here at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. For me, it’s incredible to do it in Canada, where I haven’t had an opportunity to race in almost three years. I feel like the sum of my experiences showed in my performance here today – from the races earlier in my career here at this track to the frequent race restarts I’ve seen in Carrera Cup recently. Thank you to Sean Creech and Lance Willsey for allowing me this opportunity. With our finish this weekend, we can only do one better! In the future, I’d be honored to do exactly that.”

For the present, Thompson has his sights set on another significant Canadian event. He will reunite with JDX Racing when Carrera Cup North America visits the Honda Indy Toronto, July 15 – 17. Marking Carrera Cup’s first and only stop in Canada, the event is particularly significant to Thompson and JDX Racing team principal Jeremy Dale. Each has strong connections to the region. Currently sitting second in that season’s championship, the pair will look to advance their position in the standings by winning on the Streets of Toronto.

Images credit Bob Chapman / Autosport Image

Event Results

2022 IMSA Prototype Challenge
Round 3 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park

Qualifying – Official (PDF)
Race – Provisional (PDF)
Fastest Lap by Driver (PDF)
Championship Standings – Provisional (PDF)

Complete results are available at results.imsa.com

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Thompson Rejoins SCM as the IMSA Prototype Challenge Visits Canadian Tire Motorsport Park

Jun 29, 2022

Thompson Rejoins SCM as the IMSA Prototype Challenge Visits Canadian Tire Motorsport Park

TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA

For the first time since 2019, Canadian Parker Thompson will come home to race, joining Sean Creech Motorsport (SCM) for Round 3 of the 2022 IMSA Prototype Challenge at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP). Thompson rejoins SCM after a strong performance with the team at Mid-Ohio last month in a race effort that was ultimately compromised by mechanical issues. At Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Thompson and teammate Lance Willsey will look for a strong result to improve the team’s sixth-place position in the current IPC standings. The green flag will drop on Sunday, July 2nd, at 11:35 AM EST for a 90-minute race.

Thompson is no stranger to the historic Ontario road course. Through nine career races at CTMP in multiple series, Thompson has stood on the podium in all but one, earning four wins in the process. Driving the No. 14 SCM Exelixis/Focal One/Alta Equipment Ligier JS P320, Thompson is likely to clock a faster lap around the 3.957-kilometer, 10-turn circuit than he has in any other series to date. Still, after earning the quickest race lap and a new track record in his debut with SCM at Mid-Ohio, Thompson has proven he is more than up to the challenges that the IPC car and series present.

Parker Thompson
“I want to thank Sean Creech and Lance Willsey for inviting me to join them again for Round 3 of the IMSA Prototype Challenge. In my first race with the team, we performed well on track but didn’t get the result we deserved. I’m ecstatic that Lance and I have another opportunity together. The fact that this opportunity comes at a track like Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, and puts me back in front of Canadian fans for the first time in two years, makes this weekend even more special.”

About SCM

Team leader Sean Creech has competed in a multitude of sports car series from 1990 until the present day, including Group C, IMSA GTP, WSC, Grand-Am, SRO World Challenge, and IMSA. SCM will contest the full WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in 2022 with João Barbosa and Lance Willsey. http://seancreechmotorsport.com/

Event Information

IMSA Prototype Challenge at Chevrolet Grand Prix
Canadian Tire Motorsport Park

Saturday, July 2nd, 2022
10:15 AM EST – IPC Practice 1
02:05 PM EST – IPC Practice 2

Sunday, July 3rd, 2022
08:15 AM EST – IPC Qualifying
11:35 AM EST – IMSA Prototype Challenge at CTMP

Flag-to-flag coverage of the race is available to USA viewers on PeacockTV. International viewers can watch via IMSA.tv, with IMSA Radio also available at IMSA.com.Follow Parker throughout the weekend at https://parkerthompsonracing.com/live

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Thompson and SportsCarBoutique Maintain Course in Action Packed GT3 Cup Weekend at CTMP

Jul 7, 2019

Thompson and SportsCarBoutique Maintain Course in Action Packed GT3 Cup Weekend at CTMP

CANADIAN TIRE MOTORSPORT PARK – BOWMANVILLE, ONTARIO

Continuing the success from events earlier this year, Rounds 5 & 6 of the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge Canada at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, showed close wheel to wheel racing action and parity deep in the field. Embroiled in battle with multiple drivers throughout the two races, Parker Thompson drove the #3 SCB Racing and Porsche Centre Victoria entry to 5th and 2nd place finishes. He completed the weekend, maintaining his second place standing in the Platinum Cup Championship.

The result was hard earned for Thompson, who started Race 1 from fourth position, but found himself near the back of the fourteen car field early on. Contact from behind in the opening corner forced the black and gold coloured #3 off the track, allowing multiple cars to pass-by. Making the most of the remaining laps, Thompson showed a steady offensive drive from that point on. He cleanly worked his way up to fifth place before the 45-minute race timed out.

“The #3 SCB Racing / Porsche Centre Victoria Cup Car certainly had more pace than the results sheet showed. For that reason, I’m disappointed by our result. In turn one on the opening lap, I took a solid bump from the inside and ended up putting the car off the track. I was forced to make a quick decision on whether to fight back and risk the whole race, or find a safe escape path that would allow us to continue racing. I’m proud of the fight we showed working our way back up the ranks. There are some great competitors in this series. That was no easy task.”

Race 2 saw Thompson make a move into second place on the opening lap, and then play defense against two hard-charging competitors. Former teammate, and fellow championship contender, Jeff Kingsley would present the greatest challenge. The two drivers were nose-to-tail until Kingsley spun on the sixth lap while trying to make a pass on Thompson in turn 10. Thompson would hold off another challenge from Patrick Dussault before creating a comfortable gap later in the race. He would finish second.

The strong finish is important leading into the most significant weekend on Thompson’s 2019 race schedule. Both the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge Canada, and Indy Pro 2000 will visit the Toronto Indy next weekend, giving Thompson four races over two days. His final race of that weekend will mark the 100th auto race of his young career.

“I’m excited about the chance to race in two different series next weekend at the Toronto Indy. I’m so blessed to have had so many opportunities in racing this far in my career. We’ve got a great group of people coming to celebrate my 100th race milestone, but more critically, there are four important races in two series where we are contending for the overall championship. Alternating race cars is certainly going to test my adaptability as a driver. I’m grateful to be working with the crews of SCB Racing in GT3 Cup, and Abel Motorsports in Indy Pro 2000. I’m confident that they will give me the support we need to get a good result.”

Images Credit: Sandile Magadlela - 778-951-3984 - sandile@mgdla.com - @_mgdla

Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada – CTMP Round 5 & 6

Qualifying (pdf)
Round 5 – Race – Provisional (pdf)
Round 6 – Race – Provisional (pdf)
Overall Standings – Provisional (pdf)

Next Events

JUL 12 – 14, 2019 – Indy Pro 2000 & GT3 Cup Canada – Streets of Toronto, ON
JUL. 26 – 28, 2019 – Indy Pro 2000 – Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, OH
AUG. 02 – 04, 2019 – GT3 Cup Canada – Road America, Elkhart Lake, WI

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Thompson Dominates in CTCC Debut with Speedstar Motorsport

May 21, 2019

Thompson Dominates in CTCC Debut with Speedstar Motorsport

CANADIAN TIRE MOTORSPORTS PARK – TORONTO, ONTARIO

In a busy weekend of racing to open the 2019 season in Canada, Thompson dominated Canadian Touring Car Championship (CTCC) races. The Alberta native drove the #1 Audi R8 LMS GT4 of Speedstar Motorsport and New Roads Automotive Group to two overall race victories at the Victoria Day Speedfest held at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. The performance puts an exclamation mark on what has been a commanding start to Thompson’s 2019 season. Across 4 different series, Thompson has already raced 12 times. He has won five of those races and been on the podium for all but two of them.

Joining the CTCC and Speedstar Motorsport presents an opportunity for Thompson to expand his career outside of open-wheel racing.

“Speedstar Motorsport has a great history in the Canadian Touring Car Championship. They have proven great results in international series as well. I’m excited about future possibilities that exist with the team and their partners.” – Parker Thompson

With Thompson behind the wheel, the #1 Audi R8 LMS GT4 of Speedstar Motorsport and New Roads Automotive Group, dominated both CTCC races on the weekend. Thompson qualified on pole position for both races, and was never challenged during race action.

With future endeavors in other series on the horizon, Thompson and the team had a watchful eye on the SRO GT4 America’s races that also took place as part of the Victoria Day Speedfest weekend. Running cars identically classed to Thompson’s Audi R8, the GT4 America’s series features drivers from around the globe and participation from a variety of manufacturers.

In the Speedstar Motorsport / New Roads Automotive Group Audi R8, Thompson marked a lap time that bested not only all CTCC competitors, but all GT4 America’s entrants as well. In fact, the 1:23.332 that Thompson posted is faster than any GT4 lap on recent record at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park.

“We’re racing guys over in the SRO GT4 America’s paddock. We’re comparing and making sure we’re faster than all the manufacturers over there. The Speedstar Motorsport / New Road Automotive Group #1 Audi R8 was on rails all weekend long. It’s amazing to drive for this team. Thank you to everyone who came out from New Roads Automotive Group and Audi Uptown.” – Parker Thompson

Photos credit: Speedstar Motorsport

Canadian Touring Car Championship Round 1 Results

Qualifying 1
Race 1 Results – Official
Qualifying 2
Race 2 Results – Official

Next Events

MAY 24 – 26, 2019 – INDY PRO 2000 Race 4 & 5 – Lucas Oil Raceway, Indianapolis, IN
JUN. 01 – 02, 2019 – CTCC Race 3 & 4 – Calabogie Motorsport Park – Ottawa, ON
JUN. 08 – 09, 2019 –GT3 CUP CANADA & USA – Circuit Gilles Villeneuve – Montreal, QC

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Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada Commences with a Busy Weekend for Parker Thompson

May 21, 2019

Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada Commences with a Busy Weekend for Parker Thompson

CANDADIAN TIRE MOTORSPORTS PARK – TORONTO, ONTARIO

Thompson boldly kicked off the new race season in Canada this weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. The 21-year-old driver from Red Deer, Alberta competed in four races as part of two different series that joined the annual Victoria Day Speedfest weekend at the Toronto area racetrack. In those four races, Thompson earned four podiums. In the Canadian Touring Car Championship (CTCC), he dominated the weekend, taking the Audi R8 LMS GT4 of Speedstar Motorsport to two overall victories. In the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada, Thompson earned a 2nd and 3rd place finish. That result puts him only 1 point back of the lead in the overall championship points standings.

As expected of the popular one-make series, the opening races of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada were tightly contested. An incident in Saturday morning’s qualifying cut the session short, leaving multiple drivers unhappy with their starting positions for race one. Thompson would start in second position. Over the course of the race he applied good pressure on leader, Jeff Kingsley, but was not able to execute a pass. The two crossed the finish line with a comfortable margin over 3^rdplace Marco Cirone.

The starting line-up for Race 2 put Thompson in the fifth position. Intense battles with Marco Cirone, Jeff Kingsley, and Patrick Dussault saw Thompson make his way up to second position. Heavy rain would fall, ending the race before he had any chance to challenge for the lead. The excitement of Thompson’s dramatic performance was tempered somewhat post-race when he was penalized one position for making a pass outside of track limits. The final result was third place.

After combining point totals for both races, Thompson holds second place in the overall championship standings, just one point behind race 2 winner Roman DeAngelis. The two drivers are also first in second in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA standings. Having shared the track for six races so far this year, Thompson and DeAngelis are demonstrating the tight competition that the GT3 Cup series is renowned for.

The performance puts an exclamation mark on what has been a commanding start to Thompson’s 2019 season. Thompson has been racing south of the border since March when the Indy Pro 2000 season commenced in St. Petersburg, Florida. He joined Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA shortly after. Thompson is in contention for championship titles in those two series. After this weekend, he is set up to challenge for the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada as well.

Parker Thompson
“I’m so fortunate to have the opportunity to work with SCB Racing and their partners. Not too long ago, I had never even considered the possibility of joining the series. Now I am very excited about my chance to contend for the overall Championship in Canada.”