Mosport: Driver's pre-event quotes

IN THEIR OWN WORDS: MOSPORT

Just as they lauded Road America two weeks ago, American Le Mans Series drivers are ever eager to heap praise on Mosport International Raceway. The site of this weekend's Mobil 1 presents the Grand Prix of Mosport is a 2.459-mile layout just outside of Toronto that is blindingly fast and keeps drivers on their toes throughout the 10-turn lap.

Ben Devlin, B-K Motorsports
Lola B05/40-Mazda MZR-R (LMP2)

"It's a track we always like to go to. It's a little bumpy and rough. It's almost like a street course in a way. It's quick and a nice track and we look forward to going to it. As the season goes on, we're getting better and hopefully the fans will appreciate it and we'll try to put on our best show each time we go out for them."

Allan McNish, Audi Sport North America
Audi R10 TDI (LMP1)

"You have to concentrate a lot because you have one long straight. Everything else flows into each other. So your line at the exit of Turn 1 means your entry line into Turn 2 is dictated by that to Turn 3 to Turn 4 to Turn 5. You really do have to be on the ball all the time. Plus 30 other cars vying for that same position as well means you do have to concentrate, no question."

Romain Dumas, Penske Motorsports
Porsche RS Spyder (LMP2)

"Mosport is a great track and a big challenge - very, very fast. I think this year the LMP2 car will be even faster than in years past. There are a lot of fast corners with a lot of elevations. I like this track a lot. There are always big races here and we expect to do well to win the class. But it will be tough."

Johnny O'Connell, Corvette Racing
Corvette C6.R (GT1)

"We love going to Mosport. In the past, we've had some phenomenal battles with our competition whether it be Ferrari, Saleen or Aston Martin. It is without a doubt one of the greatest race tracks in North America. It's so fast and has beautiful rhythm. The Canadian fans - especially when you're Ron Fellows' teammate! - treat you really well."

Timo Bernhard, Penske Motorsports
Porsche RS Spyder (LMP2)

"All the quick corners are really challenging. You need to go in little steps with the setup. A big step might give you a big oversteer. And because it's such high speed, you cannot allow any problems or any mistakes. The corners are mostly off-camber so it's not easy to get a good setup. It's all high-speed, which is very nice for a driver."

Marco Werner, Audi Sport North America
Audi R10 TDI (LMP1)

"I hope it is a good circuit for the R10 TDI. I hope we will have better races with the Audi than some of the other venues. Mosport is a really fast track. This is good for the Audi. The car is built for that and I hope for a good weekend."

Guy Smith, Dyson Racing
Porsche RS Spyder (LMP2)

"Mosport is a great circuit, probably one of the most exciting circuits we race. Last year for us was very good. We got the lap record there last year with the Lola. We're very excited about taking the Porsche there. It always gets a great turnout with lots of fans and lots of atmosphere."

Andy Wallace, Dyson Racing
Porsche RS Spyder (LMP2)

"Mosport has some very fast corners. It's an amazing track, and I think there is just one slow corner. I'm not sure what's going to happen this year with LMP2. We have a smaller restrictor from midseason and up that long hill and the Audi will come whistling past. So it will be a very good race between us and them."

Chris Dyson, Dyson Racing
Porsche RS Spyder (LMP2)

"Mosport is one of our favorite tracks and is one of the most mentally demanding tracks in North America. There is very, very little room for error. The Porsche RS Spyder has made a big step from last year's car. We've had a great history of success up there; generally we've always been up front. It's like one of our home tracks. The Canadian crowd really connects with us being from New York. So we're really excited about the event."

The next round of the American Le Mans Series is the Mobil 1 presents Grand Prix of Mosport from Mosport International Raceway in Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada. The race will start at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, August 26 and will be broadcast live on SPEED.

-credit: americanlemans.com