The British Empire Motor Club introduced a three-hour endurance race for Ontario GT Challenge competitors in 2005. The concept was popular with teams and attracted strong fields. It also drew a healthy contingent from Quebec.

The race is governed by many of the same rules used for the Pirelli GT Sprints series.

There are some rules unique to this format.

  • The car qualifies for the contest and any entered driver can start the race.
  • All cars are required to make a two-minute pit stop no earlier than thirty-minutes after the start and no later than ninety-minutes after the beginning of the race.
  • Refueling is permitted.
  • Trackside repairs are allowed, but only by the driver in the car at the time of the breakdown and they can only use the tools in the vehicle when it stopped.

The classes are set by using a bracket system. Teams are placed in one of five categories based on lap times – GT1 (the fastest) to GT5 (the slowest).

  • Enduro GT1 – 1.26:999 and faster
  • Enduro GT2 – 1.27:000 and slower
  • Enduro GT3 – 1.31:000 and slower
  • Enduro GT4 – 1.35:000 and slower
  • Enduro GT5 – 1.40:000 and slower

This year’s BEMC event was a two-hours in length and only attracted twelve teams. It was held at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park’s ten-turn 2.459-mile road course during the BEMC Late Summer Trophy Races weekend.

The first lap through Canadian Tire Motorsport Park’s Moss corner for the start of the two-hour BEMC Late Summer Enduro. Leading the field are the overall and Enduro GT2 pole winner Audi RS3 shared by Rick Franczek and Jonathan Woolridge. Trailing the Audi is the No. 107 Mercedes-Benz AMG GT4 driven by Joe Chan and Paul Taylor. Behind the front row qualifiers is the No. 307 Porsche Cayman of Joeie Tsang.
Despite only ten starters in this year’s Late Summer Enduro, the two front-running cars finished on the same lap. The No. 09 Audi RS3 of Rick Franczak and Jonathan Woolridge started on the pole but were passed early in the contest by the Taylor / Chan Mercedes-Benz AMG GT4. Late in the event and with just two laps remaining, the Audi moved into the top spot and claimed the overall and Enduro GT2 victory.
BEMC’s Late Summer Enduro was the first appearance of the No. 107 Paragon Competition / Bluechem Group Mercedes-Benz AMG GT4. The car, which was shared by Joe Chan and Paul Taylor, was the only Enduro GT1 competitor and qualified second fastest. The Mercedes led the most laps but would lose first-place near the end of the two-hour contest. The pair won their class and finished second by a margin of 2.980-seconds.
Benjamin Pook was one of four competitors in the BEMC Late Summer Enduro that drove solo for two hours. Pook, the only Enduro GT3 participant, raced the No. 511 Porsche Cayman and qualified fourth. He moved into the overall lead when the other teams pitted for their mandatory stop. After the stops were completed, Pook returned to the fourth position and finished five laps behind the leaders.
The No. 28 Volkswagen GTI COX RT was piloted by Piotr Nytko. Nytko drove one of five cars entered in the Enduro GT5 category. He failed to record a qualifying time and started the two-hour contest at the rear of the field. Nytko wasted little time moving up the race order, but in doing so, he broke out of the GT5 class and was moved to Enduro GT4. He finished fifth overall and claimed the Enduro GT4 win.
During the first hour of the Late Summer Enduro, the Outline Motorsports’ BMWs of Pierre Knobbs / Alan Lewis and Steve Barnett / Don Beatty ran in tandem. Before the mid-point of the contest, the No. 113 BMW 325i shared by Knobbs and Lewis ‘got the upper’ and led to the Enduro GT5 victory. Their teammates, Barnett and Beatty, in the No. 213 BMW 328, would finish four laps behind the winners in second place.

FINISHSTARTCLASSDRIVERCARLAPS
11E - GT2R Franczak / J WoolridgeAudi RS377-
22E - GT1P Taylor / J ChanMercedes-Benz AMG GT477-
33E - GT2Joeie TsangPorsche Cayman73-
44E - GT3Benjamin PookPorsche Cayman72-
510E - GT4Piotr NytkoVolkswagen GTI69-
68E - GT5P Knobbs / A LewisBMW 325i69-
75E - GT5S Barnett / D BeattyBMW 32865-
87E - GT5A Caruso / L CarusoHonda Civic62-
99E - GT5B Rashleigh / D BassantToyota GTS58-
106E - GT2Ian CrerarPorsche Carerra8Did Not Finish

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