Perfect Weekend for Camirand at GP3R; Disappointing Wreck for Ranger

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Marc-Antoine Camirand had a perfect weekend at the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières, as the Paillé Course//Racing driver claimed his first victory on this mythic street course in the NASCAR Pinty’s series, last Sunday. Andrew Ranger showed great speed early in the weekend but was caught in a spectacular accident at the beginning of the race.

Prior to this weekend, Marc-Antoine Camirand already held the record for most victories at GP3R, but one was missing to his crown: the NASCAR Pinty’s series 60-lap race. When he arrived at GP3R, he was determined to get his 15th victory, and definitely his most important one.

Camirand set up the pace early in the weekend, posting the fastest lap during Saturday’s practice session. And he carried that speed at the end of the day: during his qualifying lap, he scored a blistering time of 1:06,533, setting a new track record in NASCAR Pinty’s.

Starting from pole in Les 60 tours Rousseau Métal, Camirand pitted for fuel at lap 11 and managed to climb back positions as the field also took fuel a few laps later. Camirand then battled for first place, finally regaining the lead on lap 35. He then never looked back.

“I’m so happy to win this race in front of my whole family, my sponsor, my friends, all the fans. The crowd here at GP3R is incredible. I had won here before, but this is definitely the most important victory here”, said the driver of the GM Paillé/Chevrolet Canada n°96 Camaro.

“My team at Camirand Performance has been working very hard and I knew we could achieve great things. I’m so happy for the whole team, we had been waiting for this victory, here, for a long time”, concluded Camirand, who had a perfect weekend with the fastest lap in practice, the pole position -and track record-, and the win.

His Paillé Course//Racing teammate Andrew Ranger was also showing great speed early in the weekend. Fourth in practice and third in qualifying, the four-time GP3R winner was hoping for a good race.

“I had a difficult beginning of the season, and the last few races here at GP3R had also been disappointing. I was just hoping for a clean race and a good result,” said Ranger.

Unfortunately, he was caught in a violent accident in the first lap of the race. His GM Paillé/Chevrolet Canada n°27 Camaro sustained heavy damage when it was hit from behind in turn two after a competitor lost his brakes. The other car went airborne, and both vehicles ended up in the tire barrier.

“It is very disappointing. There is nothing I could do to avoid this. I was at the wrong place at the wrong time. It’s a shame, because my team had worked hard on the car to be quick this weekend, and now it’s heavily damaged,” concluded Ranger.

Paillé Course//Racing will be back in action next week, as the NASCAR Pinty’s series heads to Ohsweken Speedway dirt track, for two races in two nights on August 14 and 15.

PCR PR

Speedway Digest Staff
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