At the wheel of his Dimensions Doors/Novatech Acura RSX, this past weekend, Quebec driver Mathieu Audette won the first two rounds of the 2015 Canadian Touring Car Championship (CTCC) on the Mosport track in Ontario. Two races contested, two races won ! A better start to the season could not have been dreamt of for the Audette Racing Team, which was also highlighted by with the fastest qualifying time and the lap record in the both races.
” It really is the best way to start a motorsports season. Our Dimensions Doors/Novatech Acura RSX is far from being the newest car in the pack but I feel so comfortable driving it. It’s very powerful and always well-prepared by the Audette Racing Team. I’m so happy to have been able to earn these victories in the two inaugural races of the year, just as I did two years ago ” explains Mathieu Audette.
Qualifying in pole position, Mathieu went on to lead from start to finish, both in Saturday and Sunday’s races, also recording the fastest lap both days. On Saturday, he was victorious by over fifteen seconds and won by 8.4 seconds on Sunday. ” From the outside, it could’ve looked like easy races but Mosport is a very demanding and tricky track. You always need to be attentive ” confides Mathieu Audette.
The only shadow on an almost perfect weekend for the Audette Racing Team was François Audette’s return to competition. Audette, father of Mathieu and Rémy, had his weekend shortened when his Porsche Cayman fell victim to mechanical problems during the first free practice on Friday morning. ” I did four laps to relearn the Mosport track and then on the fifth, the engine blew without warning ” explains François. ” That’s racing, it happens. It’s a shame because I was really looking forward to driving on this track, where so many big moments in Canadian motorsports have taken place. I was here in 1977 when Gilles Villeneuve competed in Formula 1. The track has remained an interesting one and the installations today are amazing. As for me racing, it’ll just have to be postponed for another time ! ” he adds.
With his two victories in as many races in 2015, Mathieu Audette currently sits at the top of the leaderboard of the drivers’ championship. The Audette Racing Team will however skip the next CTCC outing in Shannonville in two weeks’ time but the entire team will return to the series in mid-June for the Toronto Indy.
Seven double-headers make up the 2015 CTCC calendar, four in Ontario and four in Quebec.