IMSA Sportscar – Simpson storms to Canadian podium

South Africa’s Stephen Simpson and his Russo-Canadian teammate Misha Goikhberg took their JDC-Miller Oreca to its second runner-up position in two weeks in Sunday’s Mosport Park WeatherTech IMSA Sportscar Grand Prix at Mosport Park in Canada. The duo was second in the Watkins Glen 6-hour following a fraught dice to the flag last time out, but Simpson’s chances of victory were thwarted by a late safety car that saw the race finish under yellow flags.

That prevented Simpson from taking the challenge to Dan Cameron who shared the winning Cadillac with fellow US driver Eric Curran, but Simpson was nonetheless delighted with yet another great performance by his pro-am JDC-Miller squad against the factory Cadillacs.

“It was another very strong performance by the entire JDC Miller Motorsports Team,” Stephen explained. “We have all worked so hard to be fighting for race wins and although we haven’t reached the top step of the podium yet, we are in the hunt for a win. “My teammate, Misha drove the stint of his life and it was fantastic to watch.” Goikhberg moved into the lead when he passed the leading Taylor Cadillac in a fraught battle with the championship leaders early on, but the Cadillac went back ahead through the pitstops.

“When I got in the car, I was determined to catch the leading #10 Taylor Cadillac and I was delighted to get by and pull a small gap and everything was under control. “Then it rained and because it was wet on half the track and only damp on the other, it made for a tricky tyre call so I decided to pit for wet tyres, while some of our rivals stayed on dry rubber.

“Ultimately I was able to aggressively fight back to second but we ran out of time to challenge for the win when the safety car came out and that prevented us from attacking the red Caddy, which had found its way into the race lead.

“All in all, Mosport was another big team effort, which I am extremely proud of.” The weekend left Simpson and Goikhberg in a close third in the championship charge, splitting the three Cadillacs. The IMSA circus now takes a one weekend break before heading to Lime Rock in Connecticut for the 22 July Northeast Grand Prix.