Montreal: SpeedSource championship report

Montreal Sees Mazda Clinch Rolex GT Manufacturer Championship

The Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 is shifting into top gear as the 2010 season comes to an end. The SpeedSource team returned from Montreal, Quebec this weekend for the Montreal 200 held at the historic Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Perhaps adding to the mystique was the clinching of the 2010 Manufacturers Championship for Mazda. This tremendous achievement marks Mazda’s first Grand Touring title since 1991. Moreover, SpeedSource has claimed its first GT Team and Drivers Championship.

Leading the SpeedSource pack at Montreal with a solid 4th place finish was the #69 FXDD Mazda RX-8 driven by Emil Assentato and Jeff Segal. The duo has been leading the GT Drivers standings for the majority of the 2010 season through strong consistent races. In fact, since the second race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the pair has not finished worse than 4th at any single event, which includes five trips to the podium. With one race remaining, the #69 FXDD Mazda RX-8 has amassed 318 championship points.

Trailing closely behind at 310 points is the team car of Sylvain Tremblay and Jonathan Bomarito in the #70 Castrol Syntec Mazda RX-8. The GT Team Championship battle has been tight all season with both team cars jostling for position at every race in order to aid their championship hopes. Regardless of the final order, when the checkered flag falls for the conclusion of the 2010 Rolex Sports Car Series season at Miller Motorsports Park, one of these SpeedSource built and prepped team cars will win the Team and Drivers Championships.

With one race still remaining on the schedule, Mazda has clinched the manufacturer’s championship. The Japanese brand currently holds a 50-point advantage (35-points maximum for each event) over the next closest competitor. This season has been a display of brilliance for the Mazda name with six pole positions, six race wins and three podium sweeps. With teams fielding a total 8 full-time Rolex Sports Car Series entries for the 2010 season, there has been no question to Mazda’s commitment to climb to the top of sports car racing. Through a collaborative effort, the Mazda field of teams beat out fierce competition from names like Porsche, Chevrolet, BMW, Ford and Ferrari, amongst others.

The Rolex Sports Car Series concludes the 2010 season on September 11th from Tooele, UT at the Miller Motorsports Park.

-source: speedsource