Big Win for the No. 12 Can-Jam F1200 at Shannonville

---

~ by Daniel Demaras ~

Saturday afternoon, 1:30 pm, 31° and sunny. I qualified P4 for the first of two races at Shannonville. I knew that this track provides a different style of racing than we’re used to at Mosport, since its a lower speed, more technical circuit. Track position is more advantageous here, due to the less powerful draft. This meant a good start was important.

The field got off to a clean start, and as I worked on a move for third place, traffic bunched up through Turn 3. I followed the No. 19 of Jason Abrams through on the outside, and moved into second place. I then spent the next couple laps following him, taking note that I could carry more speed into turn two than him. I then used that detail to line up a pass in Turn 3 for the lead of the race.

After leading laps, I got shuffled down the field, getting overtaken on the back straight for first, falling to second after an ill-fated attempt to take back the lead on the outside of Turn 2. I wanted to find out if the outside line had the grip needed to make it a viable option in a racing scenario, but as my car began sliding towards the grass, realized it was not. I soon found myself in fifth place, struggling for the last bit of speed required to pass on the long back straight, but keeping within touching distance.

My fortunes started to change as tires began heating up, making the cars more difficult to drive, especially side-by-side. Two racers made contact in the battle for the lead, one had a mechanical failure, and one car went off track while exiting the hairpin. I kept my cool and made up three positions, before a full course yellow came out, which turned into a safety car.

On the restart, I knew there was limited time and my opportunity was now. As the green flag waved, I picked my line on the inside of Turn 1 and moved into the race lead. There was a close call through the esses as I tried to make my way past the No. 38, who was running several laps down, that nearly took me out.

I recovered control in time to wildly shake my fist in frustrations. Later, I realized it would be more fruitful to calm down and use my hands for steering rather than gesticulating.

Stuck behind the last place No. 38, I defended against second place No. 19 for two more laps then took the checkered flag for my first win of the 2024 season (and my first ever win at Shannonville Motorsports Park). It has been a difficult start to the season, but this was a race of attrition, where strategy and composure mattered. I knew all too well that getting too aggressive at this track could spell disaster, so I chose my overtakes wisely, kept it clean, and picked up a hard fought victory.

I also picked up a P3 finish in the second race of the afternoon, but that one was a bit of a snoozer from my perspective. Not the same aggressive passing as Race 1. I’m still not satisfied with the power from the No. 12 but that’s nothing new. We’ll be back on track at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park on July 27th & 28th for the BARC Touring Trophy race, and I hope to ride the momentum from Shannonville back to the top step of the podium again.

---