A weekend of successes and mixed results for Louis-Philippe Dumoulin

Pole position, a qualifying track record and a top-5 finish in the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières

Louis-Philippe Dumoulin and the #47 WeatherTech Canada | Groupe Bellemare team showed their potential right from the start of their weekend with the best time in practice, the pole position by one second, establishing a new track record at the same time. Louis-Philippe Dumoulin led the race until his mandatory pit stop on lap 12. He then fought hard for a top-3 finish as one of the front calipers seized and slowed him down on the straight. He crossed the finish line in fifth place, after a weekend of mixed successes.

“We had a good race pace, but one of the front calipers was seizing. We had to fight very hard to stay in the top-3, end then in the top-5. I was pushing hard on the brakes in the corners because I couldn’t keep up on the straights. The brakes were cooling down during the caution periods, but the problem came back after three or four laps at speed after the restarts. On the last restart, I was in third place as a competitor pushed me. I got sideways, barely making the subsequent corner, relegating me to fifth place. We had a car good enough for a podium finish, but the great result got away from us. It’s not easy to live through this because we want to do well for our partners, friends and family, but it’s important to focus on the championship, where every point counts. We will work even harder for the next races,” shares Louis-Philippe Dumoulin.

Weekend Summary

On Saturday morning practice, Louis-Philippe was quickest right from the start and remained on top throughout the one-hour session. “It’s nice to be first in the practice, but the important thing was the pole position. I’m proud of my team because we made several set-up changes to make the car better towards the end of the 60-lap race. In that time on track, we made adjustments to the car’s behaviour,” explained the driver of the #47 WeatherTech Canada | Groupe Bellemare car. 

We saw the same scenario in Saturday qualifying as Louis-Philippe Dumoulin set a new lap record that put him firmly in the lead (1:06.721), almost a second ahead of second place. “After my first lap, already good enough for the pole, I went back on track with the idea of delaying the braking even more and that’s certainly what ensured my pole position and set the track record. This great result is a testimony to the hard work the team has put in over the last few weeks. I am also very proud of my brother Jean-Francois who qualified fifth.” 

Upcoming races

The #47 WeatherTech Canada | Groupe Bellemare team will return to the track on Saturday, August 28, at ICAR for the Lafleur 75 on the road course and will move on Sunday to the Autodrome Chaudière oval for a doubleheader, the Canadian Tire 300.

Photos Credit: Stéphane Bergeron

2021 RESULTS  

WeatherTech is committed to designing, engineering and manufacturing the finest products possible for your vehicle, home and your pet. From the industry leading FloorLiner to the 100% non-toxic Pet Feeding System, WeatherTech has dedicated itself to exceed customer expectations of quality, craftsmanship and environmental sustainability for over 30 years. To see the full line of automotive, home and pet products that are guaranteed for life, visit weathertech.ca. ABOUT PARTNERS 

Groupe Bellemare is a 3rd generation family business that has been serving clients since 1959. Today, the company has more than 500 employees and provides them with an innovative work environment facilitating work-family balance and a healthy and safe quality of life. With over a half century of experience and its sustained R&D efforts, the Company offers high-quality products and services in areas as diverse as concrete, abrasives and minerals, dimensional load transportation, and recycling. Groupe Bellemare is also very involved in its industry and attaches great importance to its social and environmental role as a member of the business community. Groupe Bellemare makes a positive contribution to the quality of life of citizens in the communities it serves by supporting numerous social causes and promoting local purchasing through its responsible procurement practices. groupebellemare.com

Dumoulin Competition. Jean-François and Louis-Philippe Dumoulin founded the Dumoulin Competition Race Team in 2009. Working with financial, marketing, logistics and sports management experts, they built up a solid business structure. Dumoulin Competition prepares its on race cars in-house since 2016. Their motto: “Passion – Performance – Partnerships” expresses their will to perform on the track and offer their partners maximum visibility and profitability in return for their commitment. Their vision: To become Canada’s leader in motorsports through track performance, entrepreneurial and human values dumoulincompetition.com

SUMMARY – HIGHLIGHTS IN LOUIS-PHILIPPE DUMOULIN’S CAREER

NASCAR Pinty’s Series

• Inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame(2020) for his outstanding contribution.
• In 2020, the sanitary situation forced the NASCAR Pinty’s Series to present only 6 races in the “Pinty’s FanCave Challenge”. Louis-Philippe Dumoulin scored 1 win and 3 top-5 finishes.
• 2019: Third in driver and owner championships (2 wins, 4 podium, and eight top-5 finishes from 13 events).
• 2018: Champion (3 victories, 7 podiums, 2 poles, eight top-5 in 13 events). Saw his name added for the second time to the NASCAR Hall of Fame (Charlotte, NC) / Wins “Driver of the Year” and “Best Performing Driver” awards.
• 2017: Fourth in the driver championship (3 podiums, nine top-5 and eleven top-10 finishes from 13 events).
• 2016: Joint fourth in the driver championship (4 podiums, six top-5 and seven top-10 finishes from 12 events).
• 2015: Fourth in the driver championship (2 podiums, six top-5 and nine top-10 finishes from 11 events).
• 2014: Champion (2 victories, 5 podiums and nine top-5 finish from 11 events). Saw his name added to the NASCAR Hall of Fame (Charlotte, NC) / Awarded the “Driver Of the Year”, “Best Performing Driver” and “Gilles-Villeneuve” awards.
• 2013: Fifth in the driver championship (2 victories, 3 podiums, four top-5s, six top-10s and five-time top-3 grid positions from 12 events).
• 2012: Sixth in the driver championship (1 pole, three top-5 and seven top-10 finishes from 12 events).
• 2011: Rookie of the year.

Rallying and Road Racing

• 2015: Participated in FIA World Rallycross Championship round in Canada (Grand Prix of Trois-Rivieres).
• 2012: Second in class in the 12 Hours of Sebring (American Le Mans Series – GT3 Cup). The only Canadian driver on the podium.
• 2004 to today: Front runner in the Grand-Am and Rolex Sports Car series, in Porsche, Ferrari and Daytona Prototype cars – Races in the 12 Hours of Sebring / and the Rolex 24 At DAYTONA events.
• 2002: Champion in the Canadian Formula Ford Championship.
• 2001: Awarded the ”Gilles-Villeneuve” and ”Quartz” trophies.
• Records: Holder since 2002 of Formula Ford Series records for most victories (6) and most pole positions (7) in a single season.

WEBSITES / ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• WeatherTech Canada : weathertech.ca/behindtech
• Groupe Bellemare : groupebellemare.com
• Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières :gp3r.com
• ICAR : icarexperience.ca
• Autodrome Chaudière : autodromechaudiere.com
• Fondation québécoise du cancer : fqc.qc.ca
• Musée Gilles-Villeneuve : museegillesvilleneuve.com
• Festidrag développement : festidrag.com
• Série Mini Sportsman Québec : seriesportsman.ca/mini-sportsman-calendrier
• Dumoulin Compétition : dumoulincompetition.com
• Série NASCAR Pinty’s : nascar.ca
• Facebook: facebook.com/dumoulincompetition
• Twitter: @DumoulinDC / @DumoulinLP / @jf_dumoulin
• Youtube : youtube.com/user/dumoulincompetition
• Instagram: @dumoulincompetition