Rumours moved through the paddock faster than the cars on the Andretti Straight. After Saturday’s seven-hour race ended without an official GT1 winner announced, Sunday morning at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park began with an odd question: who won?
Drivers, crew members, and spectators compared notes and half-remembered timing sheets, trying to piece together what happened the day before. The No. 822 DriveTeq BMW had been fast, clean, and in the fight, but until the series officials confirmed the final results—P2 in GT1— the celebration stayed in neutral.
Daniel did not engage in the gossip. He just put his head down and focused on his task.
In the Demaras home, motor racing has always been a family activity. Most weekends from May to October, you will find Daniel and Chris at a race track, especially during those early kart racing years when there seemed to be four races a month.
But since Daniel stepped up to open-wheel cars, and now endurance racing in the No. 822 BMW, his mom Alice has been attending more events. Their body language in the paddock did not exactly say calm and cool.
This is real racing, with real stakes.
The first stint went to new guy Erik, an American who crossed the border on the Fourth of July weekend for some Canadian endurance racing. Clearly a veteran racer, Erik did a great job of putting the car in a competitive position: second place, one lap down on the leader.
Climbing into the driver’s seat, Daniel knew exactly what challenge waited for him. He would have to pass the leader to unlap himself, then take off down the road and start picking off every other car on track. So much more fun than driving to a set lap time!
Speaking of Americans, there were several out-of-town competitors at CTMP.
The big IMSA race was scheduled for the following weekend, including cars competing in the Spec Miata support series. The No. 98 Wheels America team spent the entire Enduro Elite event using the race as a warm-up for the big show.
It was very cool to see international competition at Mosport, especially in a club endurance race that already felt bigger than usual.
Endurance racing is one of the few motorsports disciplines where teammates play such a massive part in the outcome.
Working together is not optional. Along with keeping the car shiny side up, each racer is responsible for telling the next driver about track conditions, traffic, tire feel, and any developing issues with the car. How proud Daniel must have felt to hand over the No. 822 now running first overall. What an accomplishment. He had total faith in George, and later Anthony, to maintain the lead and extend the gap.
Never let it be said that the racing gods do not have a sense of humour.
In the nearly four hours since Daniel handed the race car over to his teammates, everything had remained steady and under control. No penalties. No speeding in pit lane. Just a solid lead that grew every time the No. 822 BMW cycled through the pits. The DriveTeq crew is one of the quickest in the paddock, often making up serious time during driver changes.
Then, with 10 minutes to go, Anthony suddenly pulled into the pits, believing a tire had gone down. As the lead evaporated, the team changed the tire and found nothing wrong. It was still holding air. That meant the problem could be something else entirely, maybe a wheel bearing, maybe another component preparing to give up at the worst possible moment. In the most stressful minutes of the weekend, Anthony cruised around the track, trying to protect a shrinking lead without pushing the car too hard.
The checkered flag could not come soon enough.
There is something about the character of CTMP that plays to the BMW’s strengths. High-speed corners, few heavy braking zones, and a very fast straightaway help the No. 822 compete and win in the top category of GT1. What a difference from the GT2 times at Shannonville in May.
For team principals Gerry and Rick, it must be a joy to see their drivers compete and win in their machinery. They call DriveTeq a complete motorsports ecosystem, one that can take a driver from a rookie track day to a race winner in the span of months. For the guys behind the wheel, it was their first victory together. They were already part of the DriveTeq team, but had never shared a car.
To take P1 in GT1 at the fastest track in Canada really meant something.
Onboard footage from Sunday’s Enduro Elite race at CTMP has been uploaded to YouTube. Due to the length of the race, it’s been broken into four parts, which can be found on Demaras Racing’s channel.
Congratulations on your team win!
Thank you very much.