Enduro Elite racing is so much more challenging than sprint racing. Not necessarily better or worse, just a lot more difficult.
On Saturday at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, the endurance race organizers changed up the schedule. There was an hour of practice, a three-hour race, lunch, then another three-hour race. But on Sunday it would be just one long, grueling, eight-hour race split between four racers. Just making it to the checkered flag is tough as attrition takes its toll on the cars and drivers.
Adam Ali drove the first stint. A very quick racer, he took the lead after 2 laps and built up a gap behind to second place. Unlike Saturday’s race where DriveTeq’s racers pushed hard from the green flag, this race would be strategic use of resources. Before handing over the car to Daniel Demaras, Adam put in a quick in-lap to open up the gap.
Demaras climbed into the cockpit of the No. 822 BMW and tightened his belts. A long stint lay ahead, but with Bridgestone tires only 68 laps old he would have plenty of grip. Upon exiting the pit lane and getting up to speed, the team radioed Daniel to report bad news. Their mandatory 5 minute pit stop was too quick, a few seconds short, and the DriveTeq team had been slapped with a drive-through penalty which Daniel would have to serve.
Pulling into pit lane, Daniel slowed to the 40 km/h speed limit and begrudgingly served the penalty, while watching his competitors blast past on the front straight at 140 km/h. Returning to the track, Daniel knew he had to chase down the V-8 powered Toyota currently in first and overtake to regain the lead, Seeing dark clouds approaching, Demaras put the pedal to the metal and clocked a 1:36.355 passing his rival at Turn 1 then taking off and building a huge lead. As the rain fell Demaras extended his lead to a full lap.
Hard as it might be to believe, the team once again radioed Daniel to announce a second penalty. This time it would be a stop-and-hold for 30 seconds for passing under the yellow flag, which Demaras vehemently denied. There’s no point arguing with officials; Demaras served the penalty and came back out on track firmly in first place.
With his two-hour stint over, Daniel drive into the pit lane and handed off the car to veteran racer Dr. Fareed Ali. The pit stop was so much quicker than competitors that Doc entered the race track more than two laps up on his nearest competitor. Seems that yellow flag that cost Demaras a penalty, was the second place car skidding off track in the rain and getting stuck in a tire wall. Fareed was miles ahead, and simply maintained position.
Daniel Ali took the wheel for the final stint. Knowing the No. 822 was now four laps ahead of second place, there was no reason to take risks; just smooth sailing. What an ironic saying from boats, because when the torrential rain began, Daniel Ali wished he had a sailboat! Visibility neared zero as the spray from other cars filled the air. Plus, the treads on the Bridgestone race tires are so shallow, that a few millimeters of rain overwhelms them. They stop expelling water and begin to hydroplane.
After a brief red flag period to retrieve a stricken vehicle, and wait out the rainstorm, the sun poked through the clouds and racing resumed in anger. The No. 822 DriveTeq BMW cruised to victory a full five laps ahead of the nearest competitor, bringing the team the second win of the weekend, and the first overall win including all four drivers.
During the podium ceremony, the racers modestly accepted their prizes and basked in the glory of the moment, not wanting to be too boatful about the win. But back in the garage, it was a different scene. Hugs and high-fives all around, as everyone grouped together for team photos with the winning car. It was a solid effort from crew, strategists and drivers.
The points haul from the weekend have DriveTeq’s car ‘Marilyn’ in contention for top-3 in the championship overall. How far the team has come! Just one race weekend earlier, the drivers suffered four delaminated tires in eight hours, killing their chances of a respectable finish. Now, with some strategy (and a new set of Bridgestone tires) the No. 822 DriveTeq BMW codenamed Marilyn had a winning weekend and even a shot at overall championship glory.
The final race of the 2025 Enduro Elite Championship runs September 26, 27 % 28 at Shannonville Motorsports Park near Belleville, Ontario. Make sure to tune in to the live stream to watch all the excitement!
Congrats! 👍
Thank you. A great result for the No. 822 team.
Woo hoo! Congrats!
Yes sir! A great team effort.
Great driving and pit timing. Congratulations.
I tell you bro, every time the car left the pits, the lead got bigger and bigger. They had it timed perfectly (except for one time, 2 seconds off). Great driving in the rain, too.
Congratulations, Team Demaras. Another great victory.
Such a great day. Big victory, and Daniel’s first win in a closed-wheel ‘tintop’ car.