Canadian TCC @ Bowmanville - Gary Kwok is crowned the first TCR champion 29.08.2019: With Friday’s victory in the first race of the Canadian Touring Car Championship’s finale at Bowmanville, Gary Kwok had staked a serious claim on the title. The M&S

With Friday’s victory in the first race of the Canadian Touring Car Championship’s finale at Bowmanville, Gary Kwok had staked a serious claim on the title. The M&S Racing’s driver capitalised on that result in Saturday’s Race 2 and settled in a sixth position that was enough to be crowned the first ever TCR champion in Canada. His brother Tom provided the icing on the cake by winning the race.



Jean-François Hevey had won pole position beating Gary Kwok by 14 thousandths, but the latter started better, took the lead and set an impressive pace to pull away until his margin was swept away by the safety car. When racing resumed, Tom Kwok overtook Matthew Taskinen for third and then Hevey for second. The Kwok brothers pulled away together and Gary took his third victory of the season from Tom, with Hevey and Taskinen in third and fourth positions.



In Race 2, Gary made a superb start and passed both the GT Sport cars ahead of him on the grid to take the lead. The position was short-lived, however, as both GT cars passed the Honda by Turn 5, so Gary led his brother Tom in the TCR class, with the three Audi RS 3 LMS cars of Taskinen, Hevey and Travis Hill battling for the next three places.



Halfway through the race Tom Kwok seized the lead and then Taskinen passed Gary for second place. Soon afterwards, both Hill and Hevey also passed Gary who lost another position to Attrell; just before the end, the latter also passed Hevey to finish fourth. Tom Kwok took the win from Taskinen and Hill.


In the final standings of the TCR Class, Gary Kwok led Hevey and Hill by 21 and 30 points respectively.



Race 1

1. Gary Kwok (M&S Racing, Honda Civic FK7), 26 laps
2. Tom Kwok (M&S Racing, Honda Civic FK2), 0.546
3. Jean-François Hevey (TCR/M1GT Racing, Audi RS 3 LMS), 3.603



Race 2

1. Tom Kwok (M&S Racing, Honda Civic FK2), 28 laps
2. Matthew Taskinen (TCR/M1GT Racing, Audi RS 3 LMS), 0.694
3. Travis Hill (TWOth Autosport, Audi RS 3 LMS), 12.208



Championship points

1. G. Kwok 1165 pts; 2. Hevey 1144; 3. Hill 1135





Fabio Ravaioli  Photos: CTCC/Philip Sutherland