In 2015, the Canadian Touring Car Championship (CTCC) was in its ninth season. With sponsorship from Continental Tires, the series consisted of seven race weekends at five different tracks in Ontario and Quebec. The series opened in May on the Victoria Day Weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP). Following CTMP, teams would compete at Shannonville Motorsport Park, Toronto, Circuit ICAR, and Trois-Rivieres. The final two race weekends would see the championship return to CTMP and Circuit ICAR.

One of the series biggest changes in 2015 was the elimination of the B-Spec category and the return of Grand Touring. There was a Grand Touring class in the series first season. The championship has three different groups which compete in the same race.

  • Touring: This is intended to be an entry-level category. Vehicles competing in this class are allowed minimal performance enhancements. Engine, suspension and chassis modifications are not allowed. Changes can be made to the ignition and exhaust systems. Brake rotors can also be replaced provided they meet the OE specs. Manufacturers represented in this group include the – Mini Cooper S, Honda Civic Si, Acura RSX and Hyundai Tiburon.
  • Super Touring: Super Touring includes many of the same makes and models found in Touring. However, this category allows engine modifications, changes to the suspension, upgrades to the brakes and aerodynamic body enhancements. Additional manufacturers competing in this group include BMW and Porsche.
  • Grand Touring: The BMW M3, Porsche 996 and Ford Mustang are three of the most popular vehicles racing in this category. Like Super Touring, some changes and modifications are permitted. Cars in this class are typically powered by six or eight-cylinder engines. Of the three groups, these cars produce the most horsepower.

    Races five and six of the 2015 season were held at Toronto’s Exhibition Place. The Canadian Touring Car Championship was a support event for the IndyCar series. Drivers would race on the 1.755-mile temporary street circuit in two 40-minute contests. All three classes, Grand Touring Class, Super Touring Class and Touring Class, competed in this weekend's races.

    • The weekend’s first race took place in challenging conditions. Competitors had to deal with a wet track that developed a ‘dry line’ as the drivers put more laps on the circuit. Leading the field is pole-sitter, Nick Wittmer in the Ste-Rose Honda Racing Honda Accord Coupe. Sharing the front row with Wittmer is the second fastest qualifier and defending Super Touring champion, Roger LeLoux.
    The podium for round four’s top three Grand Touring finishers. On the top of the podium is Fasco Racing’s Lee Chaplin winning his first race of the 2015 season. Runner-up, Pascal Carre stands to Chaplin’s right. Sharing the podium with his teammate and son is third place finisher, Glenn Chaplin.
    Gary Kwok had mixed results in the first four rounds of the championship but that changed in Toronto. In round five, Kwok qualified his M&S Racing Mitsubishi Lancer EVO X fifth. He was able to jump into an early lead and won the Super Touring category by a margin of 1.035-seconds. Saturday’s race produced the same results. Kwok started fifth, took the lead mid-race and was the first competitor to the checkered flag.
    In round four at Shannonville, Michel Sallenbach got his season back on track with a second place finish in the Touring category. At Toronto, Sallenbach qualified the No. 46 Mini Cooper Coup third in class. During the race, he passed his teammate Alain Lauziere and inherited first place when Karl Wittmer retired. Sallenbach captured the class victory. On Saturday, contact damaged the car and he finished eighth in Touring.
    2014 Super Touring class champion, Roger Ledoux qualified second driving the No. 1 Subaru WRX Sti. Ledoux led the opening laps but was soon passed by eventual winner Gary Kwok and had to settle for second place. On Saturday, he started third and again Ledoux was overtaken by Kwok but inherited the runner-up position when the left rear hub on Nick Wittmer’s Honda failed.
    On Friday, Lee Chaplin was a distant second to Grand Touring winner Pascal Carre - in race two that changed. Chaplin driving the Fasco Racing Ford Mustang Boss 302R started first overall. During the race, he was passed by three Super Touring competitors and finished fourth overall but Chaplin was the Grand Touring winner. His father Glenn finished third – also driving a Fasco Mustang.
    Touring class point’s leader, Martin Crisp failed to start rounds five and six after severely damaging his car in qualifying. This increased the likelihood that one of the Touring class competitors would earn their first victory of the season. This proved to be the case for Alain Lauziere. Lauziere qualified and finished second to his Octane Motorsports teammate, Michel Sallenbach. In the weekend’s finale, he took top honours in the Touring category.
    Saturday’s Super Touring podium. In the center, driving M&S Racing prepared Mitsubishi Lancer EVO X is the race winner, Gary Kwok. Kwok captured the victory in Friday’s contest as well. On the left side of the podium is 2014 Super Touring champion and point’s leader, Roger Ledoux who scored two runner-up finishes at Toronto. Completing the podium is third place finisher, Nick Wittmer.
    The quickest Grand Touring competitor in qualifying was Pascal Carre, the winner of the previous round at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Carre started sixth overall in the PCS Motorsports BMW M3. At the checkered flag, he was 35.819-seconds ahead of second place finisher, Lee Chaplin in a Mustang. In race two, Carre was beaten by Chaplin and finished second in Grand Touring.
    Samantha Tan drove the No. 45 Octane Motorsports Mini Cooper S. In the practice session, on a cold set of tires, Tan lost control of the car and struck a tire barrier and concrete wall. The damage to the Mini was extensive and prevented her from competing in round five. The team performed repairs overnight and she started at the back of the field on Saturday. A steady drive earned Tan the final spot on the podium.
    The Canadian Touring Car Championship podium for the Touring category cars at Toronto. On the left is round four winner and second place finisher, Karl Wittmer. What a difference a day makes - an accident prevented Samatha Tan from participating the weekend’s first race. In the finale, she started last in Touring but finished third in class. In the center, from Octane Motorsports is the class winner, Alain Lauziere.

    FINISHCLASSDRIVERSPONSOR / CARLAPSRETIREMENTS
    1Super TouringGary KwokM&S Racing / Mitsubishi EVO X27-
    2Super TouringRoger Ledoux Lachute Performance / Subaru WRX Sti27-
    3Super TouringNick WittmerSte. Rose Honda Racing / Honda Accord Coupe27-
    4Grand TouringPascal CarrePCS Motorsports / BMW M327-
    5Super TouringEric Hochgeschurz8Legs Racing / BMW 330i27-
    6Super TouringBob AttrellBlanchet Motorsports / Hyundai Genesis Coupe27-
    7Super TouringScott GiannouLombardi Honda Racing / Honda Civic Si27-
    8Super TouringArek Wojciechowski8Legs Racing / BMW 330i27-
    9Grand TouringLee ChaplinFastco Motorsports / Ford Mustang Boss 30226-
    10Super TouringTom KwokM&S Racing / Acura CSX Type S26-
    11TouringMichel SallenbachOctane Motorsport / Mini Cooper S26-
    12TouringAlain LauziereOctane Motorsport / Mini Cooper S26-
    13Super TouringKyle TaskerJDS Autosport / Hyundai Tiburon26-
    14Super TouringDamon SharpeBlanchet Motorsports / Hyundai Genesis Coupe26-
    15Super TouringNathalie HenaultLachute Performance / Subaru WRX STI25-
    16TouringPaul GravelOctane Motorsport / Mini Cooper S25-
    17Grand TouringIan CrerarClearWater Design Racing / Porsche 99625-
    18Super TouringNelson ChanKensai Racing / Porsche Cayman25-
    19Super TouringScott NicolVelocity Motorsports Club / Honda Civic Si22Did Not Finish
    20TouringKarl WittmerLombardi Honda Racing / Honda Civic Si17Did Not Finish
    21Grand TouringGlenn ChaplinFastco Motorsports / Ford Mustang Boss 3022Did Not Finish

    FINISHCLASSDRIVERSPONSOR / CARLAPSRETIREMENTS
    1Super TouringGary KwokM&S Racing / Mitsubishi EVO X26-
    2Super TouringRoger Ledoux Lachute Performance / Subaru WRX Sti26-
    3Grand TouringLee ChaplinFastco Motorsports / Ford Mustang Boss 30226-
    4Super TouringScott NicolVelocity Motorsports Club / Honda Civic Si26-
    5Super TouringEric Hochgeschurz8Legs Racing / BMW 330i26-
    6Super TouringScott GiannouLombardi Honda Racing / Honda Civic Si26-
    7Grand TouringPascal CarrePCS Motorsports / BMW M326-
    8Super TouringArek Wojciechowski8Legs Racing / BMW 330i25-
    9TouringAlain LauziereTeam Octane / Mini Cooper S25-
    10Grand TouringGlenn ChaplinFastco Motorsports / Ford Mustang Boss 30225-
    11Grand TouringIan CrerarClearWater Design Racing / Porsche 99625-
    12TouringKarl WittmerLombardi Honda Racing / Honda Civic Si25-
    13Super TouringTom KwokM&S Racing / Acura CSX Type S25-
    14Super TouringDamon SharpeBlanchet Motorsports / Hyundai Genesis Coupe25-
    15Super TouringNathalie HenaultLachute Performance / Subaru WRX Sti25-
    16TouringSamantha TanSte. Rose Honda Racing / Honda Civic Si25-
    17Super TouringNelson ChanKensai Racing / Porsche Cayman24-
    18TouringMichel SallenbachOctane Motorsport / Mini Cooper S21-
    19Super TouringNick WittmerSte. Rose Honda Racing / Honda Accord Coupe13Did Not Finish
    20Super TouringBob AttrellBlanchet Motorsports / Hyundai Genesis Coupe5Did Not Finish
    21Super TouringKyle TaskerJDS Autosport / Hyundai Tiburon0Did Not Finish
    22TouringPaul GravelOctane Motorsport / Mini Cooper S0Did Not Finish

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