BOWMANVILLE, Ontario, Canada (8 July 2023) – It was a new year with a new car but the same result for Tom Blomqvist in qualifying for Sunday’s Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. The Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) with Curb-Agajanian driver captured his second-consecutive IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship pole at the circuit.
Blomqvist turned a lap of 1:05.653-seconds in the No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Acura ARX-06 co-driven by Colin Braun, earning his second Motul Pole Award of the 2023 IMSA WeatherTech season. It was his fifth pole in IMSA competition, and second in the new GTP category.
Blomqvist and Braun are coming off a third-place podium in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen.
Fast right out of the transporter as the team headed north for the sole Canadian event on the calendar, the team demonstrated its strength in practice. Braun led Friday’s opening session, while Blomqvist was second in Saturday’s session with Acuras running 1-2 ahead of qualifying.
A year ago, Blomqvist started on the pole in MSR’s Acura DPi, shattering CTMP’s three-year-old all-time sports car qualifying mark with a lap of 1:04.394-seconds. The former mark was held by Braun, his current MSR teammate.
The race starts at 12:05 p.m. ET on Sunday and will be broadcast live on NBC, starting at noon. It will also be streamed live on Peacock. SiriusXM will broadcast live on Channel 207.
Meyer Shank Racing Team Quotes:
Tom Blomqvist:
“I’m really happy to get the pole today. The car has been quick. We knew it was possible. Colin’s been doing a fantastic job. We found ourselves struggling with the car a bit and made a few tweaks. New tires and low fuel didn’t hurt. I always have good faith in what I can do in those situations. I’m really happy for everyone at MSR. The guys have been on it all weekend. Tomorrow is the important one though. We just need to convert.
“It’s always a hell of a commitment around here, regardless of what car you’re in. Last year was a lot more of a wild ride. You know we’ve got a good car this year, it’s a bit more forgiving. Nonetheless, I wasn’t actually happy with my personal performance in that session. I was just a little bit messy from my side and then just wasn’t super happy with where I was on track. But I mean, I can’t complain, obviously, I’m still sitting here. So, you know, that’s fantastic. It’s just testament to the job. You know, the team’s done in preparing the car.”