Terry Borcheller and Mike LaMarra in the #23 Burton Racing 128i moved up from fourteenth on the grid to finish a strong fourth in the Street Tuner class in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park on July 11. Their finish was the best for a BMW in the 2 ½ hour race.
Andrie Hartanto and Tyler Cooke finished tenth in ST in the next best finishing BMW, the #81 BimmerWorld 328i that Hartanto had qualified second in class.
Competition at the front of both the Grand Sport and Street Tuner classes was intense throughout the race, but BMWs were not in contention for the win in either class. Ashley Freiberg in the #46 Fall-Line M3, the only BMW in Grand Sport, exited the race with low oil pressure before her co-driver Trent Hindman could get into the car. The overall and Grand Sport wins went to Jade Buford and 16-year-old Austin Cindric in a new Ford Shelby GT350R-C. Cindric passed Matt Plumb in the Rum Bum Porsche that he shared with his brother Hugh Plumb with thirty minutes remaining and held on for the win. It was the first win for the new car in only its second race.
The ST win was a battle to the finish between eventual winner Spencer Pumpelly in a Porsche Cayman and Andrew Carbonell in a Mazda MX-5. It was the second win of the season for Pumpelly and his co-driver Luis Rodriguez, Jr. Carbonell and his co-driver Liam Dwyer left the race with the ST points lead.
The series runs again at Lime Rock Park on July 24-25.—Brian S. Morgan
