Quebec-Based GT Racing Prideful, Passionate In Preparation For 2015 Season

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GT Racing team owner Eric Cote is a man filled with passion for racing and pride for his home, the Canadian province of Quebec. 

 

The Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Michelin series had three Quebec-based teams in 2014, and Cote is honored to represent one. GT Racing is based in the Montreal suburb of Mirabel.

 

“With the climate here in North America, just being able to do this is exceptional in itself,” Cote said. “I do take pride in this because we started it in the back of our garage and continued to move up.

 

“These Porsche cars are pretty awesome cars to race, so for sure I’m proud of that. There are not a lot of people in Canada, and even less in Quebec, that can say this is their full-time job.”

 

GT Racing will begin the 2015 season in the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA)-sanctioned Single-Make Series focused on returning driver Etienne Borgeat, with an eye on fielding a second car.

 

“Etienne will be with us, but we are looking for new guys to fill out the roster,” Cote said. “We will obviously try to beat those fast young kids in the front, like the past two years.”

 

GT Racing and Borgeat finished a close fifth, respectively, in the Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Michelin Platinum Cup Team and Driver Championship in 2014. It was the team’s third season in the series.

 

The team dabbled in GRAND-AM competition in 2006 and 2007 before racing with a two-car team in the Canadian Touring Car Championship from 2007-12 with Borgeat and other drivers. Borgeat won the CTCC title in 2011, but he always had aspirations to go endurance racing.

 

So Cote bought a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car with the idea of fielding it in six-hour club events and other Canadian endurance races. But the Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Michelin grew in 2012 after its first season in 2011, and increased grid sizes and increased competitiveness attracted Cote and Borgeat.

 

Borgeat finished second in the Platinum Cup standings in 2012. But Cote thinks he is a better driver than ever entering 2015.

 

“We’ve been racing different makes and models of cars before, and each car has its advantages and disadvantages at each track, where now all the cars all equal,” Cote said. “Etienne has stepped up his driving and made big improvements in the last few years. The results may not always be there to show it, but in our first year we almost won the championship, we came in second.

 

“We now need to manage our race tires, and be smart about it, especially at Calabogie. There’s always a place for improvement, but I’ve seen a lot of improvement in Etienne’s driving the past few years, and we will keep working on that.”

 

The 2015 Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Michelin series starts on Victoria Day Weekend, May 15-17, at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario.

 

For updates on the series, follow @IMSA on Twitter with the hashtag #GT3CAN and on Facebook. The latest news can be found by visiting IMSA.com.

Adam Sinclair
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