This weekend, Rebel Rock Racing heads North across the border to Ontario’s Canadian Tire Motorsport Park for Round 6 of the 2024 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge. The team from Deland Florida returns to the site of its maiden IMSA victory.
The event in 2019 was the first win for the driver pairing of Robin Liddell and Frank DePew in the #71 Camaro GT4.R. That win came almost exactly two years after Liddell had given the Pratt and Miller-built GT4.R its first victory anywhere in the World. It is safe to say that the 2.459 miles and ten turns of Canadian Tire Motorsport Park have been a happy hunting ground for Liddell, Depew and Rebel Rock Racing over the last few years of IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge competition.
In the five years since Rebel Rock’s breakthrough win in the GS Class, the driver pairing of Scotsman, Liddell and Virginian, DePew have won twice as many races as any other combination. Their eight wins is double that of the next best duo. In fact no other team – multi-car or otherwise – has reached Victory Lane more times than the #71 entry.
While the drivers and crew will undoubtedly have some muscle memory from their previous successes at a venue that has barely been altered since it opened in 1961, the change from the familiar Camaro to the brand new 2024 Aston Martin Vantage GT4 will ask new questions of the team lying sixth in the points standings.
Rebel Rock Racing driver and Team Principal, Robin Liddell, relishes the chance to return each year to one of the World’s most daunting tracks. “I do enjoy racing at CTMP, a proper old school circuit steeped in history from the glory days of F1 and CanAm. Its high speed nature demands a combination of precision, commitment and a good feel for the car; to be fast here you have to be prepared to put the car on the limit at high speed and that’s both challenging and a lot of fun. Although we are still learning the Aston it seems to be well suited to fast corners so I’m quite excited to get out there in it and see what it’s got.”
With the addition of the VP Racing SportsCar Challenge this weekend, Team Owner, Frank DePew will have the luxury of extensive track time in the team’s second Vantage GT4. “I will have my work cut out for me this weekend competing in both the IMPC endurance race and the two VP Challenge Sprint events.” DePew shares his driving partner’s love of the track but is aware that he has significantly less experience to fall back on. “The track is challenging with all the high speed “at the limit” corners. Having only raced here three times including our win in 2019, I will be focused on improving my pace and handing the car over to Robin in a good position to fight for the win.”
The Green Flag for Canadian Tire Motorsport Park 120, Round 6 of the 2024 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park drops at 1:25pm ET. The race is live on Peacock in the USA. For International viewers without a TV broadcaster, the race can be seen live at IMSA.TV. IMSA Radio will also have non-stop live coverage of the race. For full event coverage please follow Rebel Rock Racing on Twitter at @RebelRockRacing, on Instagram at @rebelrockracing and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/rebelrockracing2.0.