Photo Finish Decides Milton CAT American-Canadian Tour CAN-AM 200 at Montmagny

A thrilling CAN-AM 200 at Autodrome Montmagny ended in a photo finish, with Jeff Cote taking the win over Raphael Lessard in the $10,000-to-win Milton CAT American-Canadian Tour event.

A caution for Patrick Laperle's stalled car set up a late-race restart with nine laps to go, erasing the advantage Cote had built over Lessard on a green flag run. The two Quebec natives then battled door-to-door, trading paint over the final laps for the CAN-AM 200 victory.

Coming out of the final corner, the two drivers were deadlocked alongside one another, crossing the line in a photo finish.

Initially, Lessard was declared the victor, with electronic timing and scoring showing him 0.005 seconds ahead of Cote. However, further review of video footage led series officials to give the win to Cote.

Lessard first took the lead on lap 44, after misfortune for his teammate, William Larue. Larue pulled out to an early lead, but fell off the pace from the top spot with a mechanical issue.

Cote took the lead for the first time on lap 116, but Lessard moved back out front on lap 132. Cote reclaimed the top spot after another battle on lap 149, and started to stretch out his advantage before the late caution set the stage for the fierce battle for the win.

Lessard entered the race as the points leader in the Milton CAT American-Canadian Tour. Cote is a three-time race winner with Serie ACT LMS Quebec, leading that championship battle, and now has his first career win with the Milton CAT American-Canadian Tour.

Gabe Brown finished third, followed by Dany Gariepy and Jesse Switser.

The next event on the Milton CAT American-Canadian Tour schedule is another $10,000 to win race, the 8th annual Milton CAT Midsummer Classic 250 at White Mountain Motorsports Park. That event is scheduled for Saturday, August 2.

CAN-AM 200 Unofficial Results