Back on Track: Shaving Seconds at Mosport and Chasing My Friend's 718 Spyder

There are few circuits in North America that command as much respect as the Grand Prix track at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP), universally known to locals simply as Mosport. It is blindingly fast, notoriously unforgiving, and heavily reliant on momentum and pure driver commitment.

I signed up for DriveTeq's MAY-HEM 2026 Open Lapping Day, to apply some of the recent braking techniques that I learned from various race car drivers in Japan.

The Strategy: High Commitment and Deep Braking

Going into the day, the track conditions were absolutely perfect—dry, cool, and ideal for making grip. My standing personal best with my GR86 at Mosport was a 1:45.57; I knew there were seconds being left on the table in two specific sectors:

1. Turn 2: The defining corner of Mosport. It is a terrifying, high-speed, blind, double-apex, downhill left-hander. To go fast here, you have to quiet your survival instincts and commit to carrying massive entry speed.

2. The Andretti Straight into Turn 8: It's a long, uphill pull where you gather a ton of speed, followed immediately by heavy braking. My goal was to significantly improve my late, hard trail braking to carry more rotation into the apex.

The Result: A New Benchmark

When you dial in your focus and the car responds exactly how you want it to, the results follow. By trusting the chassis through the sweepers and stomping the brake pedal deeper into the zones, the lap times started to tumble.

I’m stoked to report that all the preparation paid off. I managed to shave over a full second off the previous record, laying down a brand-new Personal Best lap of 1:44.34!

The Chase: Naturally Aspirated Flat-Six Symphony

Track days aren't just about the stopwatch; they are about sharing the tarmac with incredible machinery. I was out there running sessions with a buddy who brought along his stunning Porsche 718 Spyder.

There are few things better than the sound of a naturally aspirated flat-six screaming up the back straight. During one of the afternoon sessions, I managed to get some incredible lead-follow footage chasing his 718 through the elevation changes of the GP circuit.

Check out the full lap breakdown and the chase footage on the channel!

https://youtu.be/h7Y7V68iLmQ

Session Details:

• 📍 Location: Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP) - Grand Prix Circuit, Bowmanville, Ontario

• 🏁 Event: DriveTeq MAY-HEM 2026 Open Lapping Day

• ⏱️ Result: New PB of 1:44.34 (Previous: 1:45.57)