Success at Montreal for Colours Inc Autometrics Motorsports
The Colours Inc Autometrics team left the Montreal circuit of Gilles Villeneuve with a great sense of satisfaction after a podium finish. This has been the first appearance of this young team at the Montreal track and the overall result has been very gratifying.
Gordon Friedman with Autometrics says, “We are very pleased with the Montreal event. Looking at the big picture (GT3 Challenge Championship), we are definitely heading in the right direction. Getting closer to the leaders has been no easy task. The front-runners are very strong, but Fernando has proven that he can match their pace. Miller was a setback that has motivated us to dig in and work even harder. Seeing Fernando on the F1 podium at Montreal is very gratifying and a confirmation of our teams’ strategic approach to the car and driver. We are committed to improvement to maintain our forward momentum”.
Tim Evans from Colours Inc did not want to miss the opportunity to see his “colours” on the track for such event. “What can I say? We love racing, we love Porsches and we would have never missed an F1 event with our car participating. This is as special as it gets. To see our car in front and competing for the top spots has been fantastic. I knew Fernando would have a good start, but to be leading was unbelievable. Thankfully we recovered after a mistake and still finished on the podium. It is getting better and better”.
Mike Courtney, a key member of the team, was cautiously optimistic when he got up on Sunday morning and saw a wet track. “I know Fernando and how he performs on wet tracks, I knew we would do well. A third place is excellent, but we can not enjoy it too much either. We need to keep learning and working at it. A win is the ultimate goal and we have to make it happen”.
“I am still kicking myself… Made a mistake at the exit of the hairpin spinning wheels on 3rd gear” Fernando says without hiding some disappointment. “The track has a bump that unloads the car and makes it more unstable. I learnt it the hard way. It was fun to be leading, but it was more fun to come back from sixth and to finish third. The track was very difficult and very slippery. Made a few excursions by the grass but managed not to damage the car. It was hard to keep the concentration after such a blunt mistake. My previous podium at Sebring was what I called a lucky podium, but this one, I earned every second of it. I worked very hard to get to third and it played out at the end. The team is working beautifully and I can almost touch the support and professionalism behind it. We did some testing prior to this event and it is showing the results. I am getting along with the car better and better at every event”.
IMSA had the luxury to participate on the Montreal Grand Prix with their usual line up of drivers. Gordon Friedman added “We’d also like to thank IMSA for their typical professionalism sanctioning these events. With an open mind they considered the special circumstances of this event and made temporary adjustments to the regulations allowing us to use fresh tires for the race. That is a testament to their sensibility and commitment to the teams and drivers”.
The next race for the Colours Inc Autometrics team will be at Lime Rock, CT in July 8th-9th.
