Super Production Challenge

QUEBEC SERIES CROWNS 2022 CHAMPIONS AT ICAR

Story by J. Wally Nesbitt

The final two dates on the Super Production Challenge calendar took place at Circuit ICAR over the final weekend of August. A large, 36-car field rumbled onto the 3.6-km airport circuit with championships remaining to be decided in the Super Production, Production and Compact classes. The resulting intensity provided the expected drama in each of the 30 minute races. Challengers rose to the top while misfortune took its toll on others, but ultimately a trio of deserving champions were recognized.

SUPER PRODUCTION CLASS

For the majority of the SPC season, the fight for Super Production class superiority had been a three-way battle between defending class champion Olivier Bedard, Jimmy Briere (No. 12 Hyundai Genesis) and the No. 11 BMW with its co-drivers Arek Wojciechowski and Eric Hochgeschurz, each team taking turns sitting atop the point standings. Although Bedard was unable to set the fastest time in qualifying for the final two contests, this obstacle played no part in his weekend results as the Terrebonne, QC driver guided his No. 1 Nissan 370Z to back-to-back overall and SP class victories. Briere and Gabrile Lacombe (No. 03) took turns filling the remaining two steps on the podium, but the weekend, and the championship, belonged to Bedard.

Over the 14 race calendar, Bedard racked up an impressive seven 42 Inside Track Motorsport News race victories and added to his totals with a further five podium appearances to outscore class runner-up Briere by 61 points (495434). The No. 11 BMW duo concluded the season another 19 points in arrears, in third place in SP.

Said Bedard about his back-to-back championship successes, “Last year we spent our time developing the car, that was our biggest challenge. We got the car close in 2021, but we managed to find a little more speed in it this year. That was a good thing, because it was much closer competition this year. Jimmy, the No. 11, they were both crazy fast.”

As if to prove his domination, Bedard regarded his third round win on the streets of Trois Rivieres as a turning point.

“We were disqualified for ‘Avoidable Contact’ with the 11 in race two, that meant I had to start at the back for the weekend finale. I came back to win that race and reclaim some of the lost points. The BMW lost its motor in that race and was a DNF. If that hadn’t happened the overall result may have been a bit different.”

Bedard’s closest competition came from Jimmy Briere, a very familiar opponent.

“We’ve raced against each other before, he’s a very respectful driver, someone I know I can trust. Actually, all of the top drivers in this class were good this year. They all had good pace, and that made the racing at every event even more intense.”

(Left) Olivier Bedard won thes 2022 Super Production championship with 495 points, 61 points ahead of runner-up Jimmy Briere. (Above) Nelson Chan and Carlos Tesler-Mabe won the Production class title, beating runner-up Owen Clarke by just six points (438 to 432).

Photos by Paolo Pedicelli

PRODUCTION CLASS

It took a rulebook to decide the outcome of the final two races, as well as the championship, in the Production Class this year.

A tight points battle had raged all season between the Octane Racing No. 45 Mini Copper of Nelson Chan and the No. 55x Toyota GR86 of Owen Clarke. Entering into the last doubleheader racing event of the year, Clarke held on to a tenuous six point advantage in the scoring.

As the Octane Racing duo of Chan and Carlos Tesler-Mabe prepared for the ICAR finale, the drivers switched rides. Unfortunately, Chan was involved in a serious crash, one that destroyed Tesler-Mabe’s No. 47 car and left Chan with multiple injuries. A close examination of the rulebook revealed that it is the car that scores the points in SPC, and not the driver. Thus, Tesler-Mabe was able to slip behind the wheel of the No. 45 Mini in an effort to track down the point leading Toyota of Clarke.

In the weekend’s opening round, Clarke was handily leading his Production class rivals until a mechanical issue forced his retirement with only ten minutes remaining in the contest. His misfortune opened the door for Nathan Blok (No. 05 Toyota GT86) to record his debut SPC victory. Benefiting from a penalty to Suellio Almeida, Tesler-Mabe was moved up to a third place finish.

Clarke rebounded in the season finale with a race victory, his sixth of the season, but Tesler-Mabe survived late race contact with Clarke’s teammate Alex Brosseau to notch a fifth place finish, just enough to capture the Production Class title for Chan and Octane Racing’s No. 45 Mini.

“It was quite difficult to watch someone else drive my car,” admitted Chan. “But Carlos did an amazing job, bringing the car home with so much damage, the back end and back quarter panel were crushed. We won this championship because we were able to finish every race. My name may be on the trophy, but this championship truly belongs to the team. The team gave me a good package for every race and never gave up on me.”

“We spend a lot of time trying to squeeze the most speed out of this car, and we seemed to find a breakthrough at Trois Rivieres. I was able to get two wins, while Carlos took the opener. We rode that momentum right through until the final.”

Chan concluded, “Every year, the racing is slightly different, with different drivers, and different conditions. Overcoming these challenges makes for great racing and makes a championship so rewarding.”

COMPACT CLASS

The Compact Class has seen a recent surge in numbers, this entry-level class also producing some of the closest racing in SPC.

“It was not unusual to see five or six cars, nose-to-tail, battling for the win,” noted SPC founder Dominic St-Jean. “The key to success in this class is consistency. You may not be able to outrace your rivals every weekend, but you can always try to outlast them.”

Fittingly, that very attitude is what led to success for the driving tandem of Sylvain Ouellet and Gilles Villeneuve.

Aboard their No. 99 Nissan Micra Cup car, the pair teamed up for only two race wins, both coming at the season opening event at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, but followed those achievements up with eight runner-up results and only one finish off of the podium.

“Sylvain has raced for many years in Quebec in both road racing and stock cars, and he wanted to test the SPC waters,” continued StJean. “He is very serious about competition, and he also has enough experience to know how to avoid trouble and finish every race. That combination won him the championship this year.’

Demonstrating the depth of talent in the Compact class, aside from the champions, in 2022 six different drivers recorded victories, led by No. 19 Etienne Samson-Laflamme (5-including back-to-back victories at the ICAR season finale) and No. 93 Patrick Wittmer (4), while Steven Scala (No. 81), Eric Coulombe (No. 83) and Vincent Desautels (67) notched one win apiece.

FINAL POINTS

SUPER PRODUCTION: 1. No. 1 Olivier Bedard (495 pts), 2. No. 12 Jimmy Briere (434), 3. No. 11 Eric Hochgeschurz / Arek Wojciechowski (415), 4. No. 03 Gabrile Lacombe (316), 5. No. 91 Shawn / Christopher Bernier (312). PRODUCTION: 1. No. 45 Nelson Chan / Carlos Tesler-Mabe (438 pts), 2. No. 55x Owen Clarke (432), 3. No. 05 Nathan Blok (408), 4. No. 30 Connor & Greg Bell (355), 5. No. 35 Yannick Lupien. COMPACT: 1. No. 99 Sylvain Ouellet / Gilles Villeneuve (485 pts), 2. No. 67 Vincent Desautels (450), 3. No. 93 Patrick Wittmer (426), 4. No. 19 Etienne Samson-Laflamme (419), 5. No. 2 Nathan Mutch (367). IT