Nissan-powered prototypes, fast at Watkins Glen, head to Canada

After showing impressive speed in last weekend’s six-hour IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race at Watkins Glen, the Nissan-powered ESM team now heads north of the border to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, a mere 300 miles away.

It’s the first back-to-back weekend of the year for the IMSA WeatherTech championship, and the Canadian circuit has the fastest average speed of any track on the schedule.

While the ESM team had a variety of troubles at Watkins Glen, the outright speed of the Nissan-powered prototypes cannot be denied. Both the No. 2 and No. 22 cars led the race, and Pipo Derani qualified on pole.

The ESM team showed speed in the pits as well as on the track. After Scott Sharp was pushed off the track in the sweeping first turn, the team quickly returned the car to the track despite its heavy impact with the tire wall.

“Wow. What a crazy change of events during the day,” said Sharp. “In so many ways, it was a great weekend that we desperately needed. We stepped up in performance, and showed what we can do. We were competitive in practice, put the car on pole, led the early part of the race and both cars were strong. The team did a fantastic job and it all went away for a variety of reasons.”

NISMO Calendar

July 8-9
IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada
Virgin Australia Supercars Championship, Townsville, Queensland, Australia

July 15-16
FIA World Endurance Championship, Nurburgring, Germany
Micra Cup, Circuit Mont-Tremblant, Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, Canada

July 22-23
IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Lime Rock Park, Lakeville, Connecticut
European Le Mans Series, Red Bull Ring, Spielberg, Austria