Ernie Francis Jr. crept up on his first victory in the Pirelli World Challenge Touring Car A Championship, starting on the podium on Friday and moving up a spot in each subsequent race during a three-contest event at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park in Bowmanville, Ont.
In the final race, Francis Jr. started his No. 98 Breathless Performance Mazda MX-5 in second, and stalked leader Jason Wolfe for the duration. It wasn’t until the penultimate lap that Francis Jr. took control in Turn 3 and went on to a 5.845-second victory.
Francis Jr. started the weekend finishing third, then moved up a spot in the second race before sealing the deal on Sunday. It was bittersweet, though, as at the same time the TCB winner, Nathan Stacy, took the record for being the youngest race winner in series history. Francis Jr. had held that record by virtue of winning TCB in a Mazda2 in Round 1 at Circuit of the Americas in 2013. He won that race at 15 years of age.
The Pirelli World Challenge Touring Car/TCA/TCB Championships resume action at New Jersey Motorsports park for a doubleheader on May 30-June 1.