DOUBLE VICTORY FOR JUSTIN DI BENEDETTO AT THE GP3R
Vaughan (Ontario), August 8, 2023 - It was a widely successful weekend at the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres for Justin Di Benedetto and Di Benedetto Racing as they claimed two victories and a second-place finish this past weekend in the TCR class, in addition to securing two fastest laps.
Di Benedetto finished Friday evening’s race in second place, just behind Louis-Philippe Montour. However, he wasted no time moving his way up the grid in Saturday morning’s event as he launched down the inside line on board his Gen 2 Audi RS3 LMS heading into the first corner to claim the lead of the race for himself early on. This proved to be vital, as a lengthy yellow flag came out shortly thereafter. The young Canadian driver soon began to challenge cars in the GT4 class, with his rapid pace being put on full display across all parts of the track.
The battle with the GT4 of Demi Chalkias allowed some fellow TCR competitors to close the gap, with the frontrunners now fighting nose-to-tail throughout the street track. Di Benedetto was able to fend off the threats from behind and never faltered, charging forward all the way to the finish line to pick up the win.
It was a similar tale for Race 3, which took place later that same day. Di Benedetto had a clean start and established the lead early into the race. He built up a gap to the cars behind as the grid continued to battle for the remaining podium positions. Another full course caution came into play in this race, with nearly half of the race being spent under yellows. As the field went back to green with just over 10 minutes remaining, Di Benedetto handled the pressure excellently as the rest of the field tried to hunt him down. Gary Kwok was in hot pursuit in the #66 car, with the two drivers going wheel to wheel in the final laps. Di Benedetto momentarily lost the lead, but reclaimed the top spot shortly after to solidify his second win of the weekend.
“It was a fantastic weekend for the team at the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières as we secured two wins and a second place over the course of the event,” said Justin Di Benedetto. “The #4 InsuJet Audi RS3 LMS TCR was on the rails all weekend thanks to Bestline Auto Tech and Craig Willis. It was important for me to manage the race starts well and make my way through the traffic cleanly, and I’m happy to have executed on both throughout the weekend. We ended with a near perfect outcome!”
“After this double victory we now sit second in the TCR championship,” he added. “We are closing in and have a real chance of winning the title coming into the final rounds at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park in a few weeks' time.”
He concluded by saying “I’m proud of all the support I have had from my sponsors, team and family throughout the weekend. None of this would be possible without their continued support. Now it’s time for us to prepare for one last push this year to end the season on a high note!”
Di Benedetto currently sits second in the championship after Races 8 and 9 with 235 points, with 48 points separating him from the championship lead. The final event of the season will take place from September 1st to 3rd, 2023 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.
