The 26th running of the Cart Toyota Atlantic Championship at the Circuit Trois-Rivieres in Trois Rivieres, Quebec commenced today with a morning practice session followed by the first of two qualifying sessions early this afternoon. Warm, sunny skies welcomed Atlantic racers as they throttled their cars around the 1.521-mile street circuit to the delight of race fans.
Piloting the NTN Bearings Swift, Gormley, Ontario’s Jonathan Macri had a disappointing run, qualifying a provisional twelfth overall.
“I’m disappointed with the results,” Jonathan said. “The car’s just not taking to the track the way it should. Top speed is OK, but there’s too much over steer exiting the corners and too much under steer entering the corners. I’m hoping we can make some real changes to the car tonight. Qualifying will be quicker tomorrow, so we need to get it right, especially here at Trois Rivieres where your start position is so important because the track doesn’t allow for too many passing opportunities.”
The penultimate Atlantic race to be run in Canada, Jonathan is looking for a significant turnaround for tomorrow’s qualifier. He knows the Circuit Trois-Rivieres well, having placed third and having won two pole positions here racing in the Formula Ford 1600 series. “I like the track, and especially the tight corners. Hopefully, we’ll be a lot quicker for tomorrow’s qualifier,” Jonathan said.
Today’s provisional qualifying session saw Atlantic Championship leader Hoover Orsi place first with a lap time of 1:01.028 seconds and David Rutledge close behind with a time of 1:01.083 seconds. Martin Basso captured third spot with a time of 1:01.314 seconds.
Atlantic drivers will be back on the track tomorrow for a morning practice session followed by the all-important second qualifier.
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