CAN: Lombardi Honda Racing Mirabel summary

NICK WITTMER WINS AT MIRABEL AND CLAIMS THE CHAMPIONSHIP !

Mirabel (Québec), September 12, 2010.- Leading the Canadian Touring Car Championship heading into the last round of the season, held this past weekend at the ICAR Complex in Mirabel, Montreal driver Nick Wittmer not only did what was required to secure his second consecutive title, he also claimed victory in both races while teammate Benjamin Distaulo earned himself two "Top 4" finishes. This marks the Lombardi Honda Racing Team's second consecutive series title in this, an exceptional year that was highlighted by six victories.

After qualifying in pole position for Saturday's race, Nick Wittmer was always in position to control the race an never gave up the lead. The following day, he once again led every lap to cross the finish line in first place. " My strategy was the same for both races, I wanted to get the biggest lead possible on the first few laps so that I could ease off a bit of the pressure and just manage a lead " explains Nick, " I am really happy, both for myself and for the entire Lombardi Honda Racing team, to have earned another title. We have had a remarkable car all season long and when certain mechanical issues slowed us down, everybody worked really hard to come back even stronger the next time " he adds. Nick Wittmer won 6 of 14 races presented as part of the Canadian Touring Car Championship season, more wins than any other driver in the series.

Benjamin Distaulo hoped to finish his season well with a "Top 5". After suffering from a few mechanical problems during the practice session, Distaulo qualified fourth on Saturday before crossing the finish line in the same position. An identical result awaited him on Sunday. " I was really very motivated. At the beginning of the season, the team asked me to have "Top 5" as my goal but I would've liked to finish on the podium at Mirabel. I had a good battle with Mathieu Audette on Sunday and wasn't far off but I had to settle for fourth place " explains the driver from Ville Lorraine who, despite some bad luck this season, completes his year's results with nothing lower than a "Top 10" finish and a final championship ranking of ninth place.

For team owner, Tony Lombardi, winning in Mirabel was the best way to cap off the season and clinch the title : " after two difficult weekends (Trois-Rivières and Mosport in August), we worked non-stop for two weeks to ensure that our cars would perform at their best. I am very proud of what our team has accomplished, winning the championship in such a competitive series is not easy but doing it for two back-to-back years is fantastic ! ". Concerning the drivers, Tony Lombardi adds: " Benjamin suffered from several mechanical problems during the season but each time he had the opportunity, he proved that he was among the best. As for Nick, he showed that he is the best ! ".

Lombardi Honda Racing contested all rounds of the 2010 Canadian Touring Car Championship, which consisted of four double-headers in Ontario (three times at Mosport and once in Toronto) and three in Québec (twice at ICAR Mirabel and once in Trois-Rivières). The team received support throughout their championship winning season from the following partners: Lombardi Honda, Trim Line Montréal, Discount, Pole-Position Magazine, Distaulo Racing (Puma), Perry Auto Parts, Gulf and Pneu Nicoletti.

-source: www.lombardiracing.com