Walker Racing proved they were ready to put Road America behind them and go racing this weekend in Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, Canada. All three drivers, Canadian Kevin Lacroix and Brits Greg and Leo Mansell, sons of former Formula One World Champion and IndyCar Champion, Nigel Mansell, were itching to get strapped in the car and put the pedal to the metal this weekend for the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres.
After an eventful weekend in Wisconsin, Lacroix (#25 Uni-Select/Deans Knight Capital Management Ltd./Wasteco) is happy to be at his home stomping grounds. Even though the Saint-Eustache, Quebec, Canada native earned a fourth place finish in race two of the doubleheader weekend, he was penalized five points and put on probation for two races for unjustifiable risk after an incident after the checkered flag with Tonis Kasemets.
Today demonstrated a positive feel as Lacroix maintained good, consistent speed, topping the time charts. The 19 year old recorded the sixth fastest time of 1:00.407 seconds. This is his second running at the temporary street course. The Canadian ran here in 2006 in the Star Mazda Series, earning a fourth place position.
It was a similar story for Greg and Leo Mansell, who wanted to forget Wisconsin as well. Trois-Rivieres marks the first time for the Walker Racing rookies. Today was a learning day for the duo. This morning’s practice was a matter of learning the track and gaining experience, and that’s exactly what they did.
Greg Mansell, who had issues with his engine last weekend, had a brand new one for the Canadian event, but unfortunately, during the provisional qualifying session, lost power due to a hole in one of the pistons. As a result, the 20 year old clocked the 14th fastest time of 1:01.182 seconds.
Miles and laps are what Leo Mansell (No.15 Sunseeker) was trying to accomplish, and he did just that. Enjoying the uniqueness of the Canadian circuit, the 23 year old posted the 18th fastest time of 1:01.945 seconds.
Walker Racing will be back on track tomorrow at 7:45 a.m. ET for practice and then again at 11:35 a.m. ET for Atlantic Championship qualifying. For more information on the team, please visit www.walkerracing.com.
What they had to say….
Greg Mansell (#5 Sunseeker): "We are making good progress with the track. It’s very difficult with the limited running that we’ve got. We should have been in the top ten, but we had engine problems and had a hole through one of the pistons, so we lost a bit of power down the straight. It’s still a test session and as long as it doesn’t rain tomorrow, we will be a lot quicker. We have a lot of changes to do to the car, so I’m very positive."
Leo Mansell (#15 Sunseeker): "We made some good improvements throughout the session. It’s a very unique track, a lot of bumps and good corners. Hopefully, we can gain more experience, make more changes and be further up the grid for the race."
Kevin Lacroix (#25 Uni-Select/Deans Knight Capital Management Ltd./Wasteco): "It was a good session. When the green flag dropped at the end, after the last red flag, everyone was following each other and braking to get a gap and I only had one quick lap. I was trying to get a gap each time, but was unable to. Luckily, we have another qualifying to do better.
The Uni-Select/Deans Knight Capital Management Ltd/Wasteco car was very good, unfortunately I wasn’t able to show how fast it really was due to the traffic. I have to thank Nick Snyder, my engineer, all of my mechanics and my sponsors. Hopefully, we will have a better result tomorrow."
Derrick Walker, Walker Racing Owner: "I think basically we have a good starting setup. The track was getting much better and I’m sure we would have had a better result than what we ended up with Kevin. Traffic was a big issue for him.
Everyone was backing up trying to find a space and we got caught. For Leo and Greg, every lap that they go out they get quicker and we get the car better. They just need more lap time and more laps around here and they don’t have it yet. We are definitely improving."
- Elizabeth Cannon
