Representing the Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada last week in the IMSA-sanctioned test at Sebring International Raceway was OpenRoad Racing and driver Remo Ruscitti.

Ruscitti, entering his sophomore season in Porsche GT3 Cup Canada, has had previous IMSA experience at the iconic 3.74-mile circuit in a handful of Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge races. The Canadian emphasizes the importance of track time at Sebring.

“I’ve had a decent amount of track time here and lots of testing as well throughout the winter,” said Ruscitti. “For sure, there’s definitely a couple little tricks to Sebring. There’s definitely a lot of tough corners, one very blind – 17, very blind and bumpy. So just right off the bat, it seems like one of these places that takes you just a little bit longer up to speed, but hopefully that’s one of the advantages that we’ve got.”

The Porsche GT3 Cup Canada season kicks off at Sebring next month during the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Advance Auto Parts weekend, with a pair of races in conjunction with the series’ American counterpart, Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama. This will be the eighth season of Porsche GT3 Cup Canada competition and the first of six race weekends scheduled throughout 2018. 

While many Porsche GT3 Cup teams participated in the 48 Hours of Sebring hosted by Porsche Club of America two weeks prior, OpenRoad Racing chose to bring it’s No. 96 Porsche 991 to the two-day IMSA test last week for additional race preparations.

“We checked off a good number of boxes, but you’re always coming from behind,” said Ruscitti, a Vancouver native. “We’re still chasing a little bit of the base, but for the way the week went, we achieved, I guess, the goals we were needing to, so we’ll come back in two weeks and start from there.”

Following a rookie season which resulted in several podium finishes, Ruscitti is still seeking his elusive first Porsche GT3 Cup Canada win. 

“Last year, we had some really good moments and we’ll try to build off that and prep for two weeks for the first race of the year,” said Ruscitti after the test concluded. 

“Honestly, I really like Sebring, it’s one of my favorite places. It’s pretty exciting for (the season-opener) to be here this year. It’s a little bit of an early season start so it doesn’t make our season so crammed, so that’s really exciting. So yeah, we’re gunning for the win. A couple podiums last year, but never reached the top step so we’re hoping to get there this year.”

The first Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge race at Sebring will be held Thursday, March 15 from 4:25 p.m. to 5:10 p.m. and the second runs from 11:25 a.m. to 12:10 p.m. Friday.

Performance Tech Motorsports is teaming up with Charles Wicht Racing (CWR) to field a full season LMP3 effort in the IMSA Prototype Challenge.

The entry is the No. 7 Ligier JS P3 driven by Leo Lamelas and Charles Wicht at Daytona International Speedway in the season-opening event. Lamelas and Wicht finished seventh in the first ever endurance event for the series, which took place during the Roar Before the Rolex 24 weekend. A solid debut, but Wicht wanted to grow his effort to better support his talented driver, Lamelas.

Wicht turned to longtime friend and Performance Tech team principal Brent O'Neill.

"Brent has sort of been an open book whenever I have had questions," Wicht said. "We've known each other for 25 years, and in racing, there are people out there that will try to take your clients or your business. Brent is a great guy. When we were sharing notes after the Roar on the P3 car, he said let's join forces for a two-car LMP3 effort.

"I'm looking forward to having engineers and data guys accessible to me," Wicht said. "Really, I'm looking most forward to working alongside a friend. Doing this with a friend makes it more special. We're teammates now. I'm honored and thrilled to work with Brent."

Which brings 30 years of racing experience into the CWR Performance Tech Motorsports entry.

Lamelas will compliment Cameron Cassels in the No. 75 P3. The two will share data and strategy. However, unlike Cassels, Lamelas is hoping to find a driver to share seat time with for the season. A driver that ideally matches Lamelas quick and consistent lap times.

O'Neill is happy to have his longtime friend share his tent for the 2018 season of IMSA Prototype Challenge Presented by Mazda. Not only does he have another friend in the paddock but he instantly has a stronger P3 lineup. Running two LMP3 cars has been O'Neill's goal since the introduction of the car in 2017.

"I think it'll be really good to have Charles and Leo with us this year," O'Neill said. "Charles is a really great guy. He's faced ups and downs in this business just like the rest of us, but he's always stayed trustworthy. He ran Trans Am for a while and then last year made the switch to IMSA. He actually leased us a P3 car last year.

"I'm happy to help him out. It'll be good for Cameron to have a teammate he can share data with each race. I think it'll make everyone better. Leo will benefit from it too. Hopefully, we can get another driver with him in that seat. We'll have a really solid team."

This week’s test at Sebring International Raceway saw a new face behind the steering wheel of the BMW M8 GTE as 17-year old Californian Colton Herta drove the No. 24 machine in his very first laps in a GT car as BMW Team RLL prepared for the 66th 12 Hours of Sebring. Herta has been named as a BMW Team RLL test and reserve driver for the 2018 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season.

Herta, son of IndyCar Series driver Bryan Herta, was recently signed to the BMW Motorsport Junior program where he will participate in many of the program’s disciplines that will support his growth as a young racing driver. Beginning in 1977, the BMW Junior program has proved foundational for many young American drivers; among them Eddie Cheever (1977); Tommy Milner, Graham Rahal, Jonathan Summerton (2004); and Trent Hindman (2015).

The drive at Sebring comes just one month after Herta participated in the Formula E Rookie Test driving a MS&AD Andretti Formula E racing car with BMW’s partner, Andretti Autosport, in Marrakesh, Morocco. This year will also see Herta race in his sophomore Indy Lights Championship season for Andretti-Steinbrenner Racing . He finished third in the 2017 Indy Lights championship.

“Having never driven a GT car before, it was a day of firsts for me,” said Herta. “I really enjoyed the experience and felt that I fit right in. While I was expecting to sense the weight difference from the open wheel cars I currently race but what did take some laps to really understand was the braking. You sit in a different relationship to the tires so your sense of the force is much different. I had thought that a GT car’s grip would be less in the high speed corners, but there was a surprising amount of downforce. On a scale of one to 10, I’d say I’m at a seven. With two or three more sessions I believe I’d be ready to push.

Continuing to comment on being named a BMW Junior he said, “I know Ricky Collard and Beitske Visser (2018 BMW Juniors) so I realize I am in strong company. I am super excited to have this opportunity and ready to take advantage of everything offered.”

“BMW of North America welcomes another young American to the BMW Junior program and we are excited to be able to allow Colton to participate with BMW Team RLL,” commented BMW NA Motorsport Manager Victor Leleu. “His very first laps in the M8 GTE showed the potential BMW knew was there.”

The two-day test offered 16 hours of track time divided over five sessions, including two hours of night practice. Drivers Bill Auberlen, Connor DePhillippi and Alexander Sims drove the No. 25 M8 and John Edwards, Jesse Krohn and Colton Herta in the No. 24 M8. Nicky Catsburg could not make this test and thus opened the seat for Herta who drove for more than one hour during the first day. The test was an opportunity for the team to use the latest BoP changes allowed by IMSA.

Led by Bobby Rahal, BMW Team RLL finished the 2017 IMSA season with four victories including consecutive wins at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and Petit Le Mans to close the M6 GTLM program in the biggest way. Since 2009, the team has totaled 17 GT class wins among 68 total podium finishes campaigning the BMW M3, BMW Z4 and BMW M6.