After qualifying in the second spot, the #67 Ford GT piloted by Richard Westbrook and Ryan Briscoe used a sound strategy to take the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GT Le Mans class win at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park. That allowed the Ford Chip Ganassi Racing team to reclaim the season points lead with five races remaining in the season.
We were definitely on for a podium, but that safety car gave us the win. — Richard Westbrook, Ford Chip Ganassi Racing
“I’m just so happy,” Ryan said. “It was such a disappointment at Watkins Glen where we definitely had the fastest car all weekend, then had a mechanical issue one hour into the race. That was a tough one to swallow, and to come back here where we weren’t expecting to get the win and get the win, it’s just incredible. I’m so happy and so proud of my teammate and the whole team at Ford CGR.”
Richard Westbrook and Ryan Briscoe piloted the #67 Ford GT to victory at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, which marked the duo’s second win of the season and the Ford GT’s second IMSA GTLM win in a row. (Photo Credit: Ford Chip Ganassi Racing)
The key to scoring that win was a sound pit strategy. The #67 Ford GT held the lead while other team pitted. Then when a caution flag waved, Richard ducked quickly into the pits and drove out with the lead, which he held for the win, giving the drivers the points lead with 181.
“It was a struggle all weekend. Then Ryan threw down just an insane lap in qualifying, which gave us hope. Maybe a little bit of false hope. That’s what I was thinking an hour and a half into the race,” Richard added. “The car was really tricky but the team did a great job adjusting tire pressures. That’s what you expect from Ford CGR. The car got better as the fuel went down. They decided to leave me out, which was a really good call and we got a safety car at the end, which was good. We were definitely on for a podium, but that safety car gave us the win. It was just awesome.”
The Ford GT teams will look to maintain that lead as the GTLM series continues at Lime Rock on July 20-21, 2018.