Final Restart Key to Thrilling IMSA LMP2 Race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park

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Two hours and 40 minutes of racing came down to a 0.658-second margin of victory Sunday for Tom Dillmann and Nick Boulle.

Dillmann weaved his way through traffic after a final restart with nine minutes left, eventually holding off Felipe Fraga to claim a victory in the Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) class at the Chevrolet Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

The victory was simultaneously close and dominant. Despite the narrow margin of victory, Dillmann and Boulle and the No. 52 Inter Europol by PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA LMP2 07 controlled the lead for all but the first 10 minutes.

It all came down to a final restart, which Dillmann fully expected to happen before Ryan Dalziel slid into the tire barrier with 17 minutes remaining, bringing out a caution and setting up the final duel.

“I knew there would be a final restart because there always is in IMSA,” Dillmann said. “I was expecting it, but I knew that I had an edge. I was quite confident I could pull a gap and bring it home.”

Their first win of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season helped Dillmann and Boulle close in on the leaders in the LMP2 driver standings. They’re now, unofficially, just 12 points behind Fraga and Gar Robinson in the No. 74 Riley ORECA.

“All in all, it was a good points day,” Robinson said. “We’ll move on from here and go to Road America.”

As Dalziel was sliding off course late in the race, Fraga sneaked past Scott Huffaker in the No. 11 TDS Racing ORECA he co-drove with Steven Thomas for second place. After the final restart, Fraga relentlessly chased Dillmann. He got close at times, but Dillmann eventually prevailed.

“I was hoping we would not reach the traffic on the final lap, but we did reach it,” Dillmann said. “I had a little bit of a margin, like 1.5 seconds, so I could deal with it without it being too much of a threat. I was fine.”

While Dillmann was navigating his way through the harried final minutes, Boulle was in the pits, barely able to watch.

“Myself and one of our engineers had to walk away,” Boulle said. “I haven’t been that nervous in a while. We’ve been trying to do this all year. I’m happy it all came together.”

Riley is in its first year in the LMP2 class after a successful run of 26 wins in the now-defunct LMP3 class.

“These guys (in LMP2) have been racing these cars for five, six years,” Fraga said. “I think we should be proud that we’re leading the championship. It’s disappointing because we’re the only ones to have the fuel to go hard until the end. I saved a lot in the first stint. … It’s always 50-50 with the yellows, but we almost got the win.”

For PR1 Mathiasen, a consistent winner in LMP2 in recent years, the victory was a relief. The team hadn’t won since last August at Road America.

“Nick did an outstanding job, and Tom backed it up,” PR1 Mathiasen owner Bobby Oergel said. “I’m just so thankful to have these guys, you know. … It does taste good right now. We hope to keep it rolling.”