David Ostella recorded his second podium finish in two career endurance racing starts, finishing third in the Prototype Challenge class with Performance Tech Motorsports in the Rolex 24 at Daytona on Jan. 25-26.

2013 Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring PC champion Ostella raced in his first Rolex 24 at Daytona this weekend with Performance Tech drivers Raphael Matos, Julio Campos, Gabriel Casagrande andTomy Drissi.

“It definitely feels good to be in a PC car only twice and land on the podium both times,” Ostella said. “I’ve got to thank Performance Tech for that because they did an awesome job here in Daytona. I didn’t get much track time until the night practice before the race, but Rafa (Matos) was a great co-driver to learn from. He did a fantastic job keeping the car on track and not making any mistakes.”

Ostella spent little time practicing Thursday, Jan. 23 and Friday, Jan. 24 due to mechanical issues. With or without track time, Toronto-area resident Ostella felt confident in his ability to help take the team from green to checkered flag in the twice-around-the-clock endurance classic.

The Performance Tech team resolved the mechanical problem before the race. Ostella and the team powered through the day and into the night fighting recurring high water temperature and on-track incidents that kept the team outside of the top five.

But Ostella brought the car near the front of the field during his multiple stints in the car, once even climbing to third. The team slipped to fourth shortly after sunrise, but Matos drove the team to the podium in the final three hours of the 24-hour race. That ensured Ostella stood once again on a podium at an endurance race.

“For the Rolex 24, we had a different strategy than the sprint races I’m used to,” Ostella said. “There were five of us in the car, so we wanted to make sure we all got our chance in the car. At the beginning of the race, we struggled a little bit, but it was a long, long 24 hours. I had a fantastic time, though, and I can’t complain.

“Finishing on the podium was definitely the cherry on top for this weekend. Throughout the race, I slept in the trailer and even in a chair in pit lane. Getting woken up to go drive a race car is definitely something I’m not used to, but it was a great challenge. There were a ton of yellows, and they lasted longer than I thought they would. In the end, sometimes they help you and sometimes they don’t, which is all part of the challenges in this 24-hour race.”

2013 Porsche GT3 Cup Canada by Michelin champion Ostella will switch gears for his next race as he is in the final stages of committing to a full season as a competitor in the Porsche GT3 Cup USA by Yokohama Series. The first race of the season will be at the 62nd Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida weekend March 12-15 at Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Fla.

CHECKERED FLAG FAST FACTS:

Race: Rolex 24 At Daytona

Date: Jan. 25-26

Track: Daytona International Speedway (12 turns, 3.56 miles)

Results: No. 38 Performance Tech Motorsports Oreca FLM09 (Julio Campos, Gabriel Casagrande, Tomy Drissi, Raphael Matos, David Ostella), third in Prototype Challenge class.

Next: 62nd Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida, March 12-15, Sebring, Fla.

Twitter: @davidostella

Facebook: David Ostella

On Oct. 1, 2013 David Ostella finally took home his grand prize as the Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Michelin champion. His band new Guards Red Porsche 911 Carrera came courtesy of Porsche Cars Canada for having a successful season. The car has kept tongues wagging all over his hometown of Maple, Ontario and even turned heads in Toronto. On its own, the car has created a narrative and towed along its driver with it. To give his fans the inside scoop, David is logging the stories while logging the miles.

David: “ The car is amazing, it’s as comfortable on the road as it is on track. It has all the similar features as my racecar so it feels like home and is very similar. The way it handles is not exactly the same but you can still feel how well it drives.

The first thing I did when I got the car was, of course, show it off. For sure had to show it off at the family office. Everyone came out to see it and commented on how awesome they thought it was. I was proud because it’s my car, for the time being anyway, and that was the start of the week that I couldn’t stop smiling from ear to ear. I also showed it off to my friends and took them for rides. I tried to give them a little taste of the racetrack. They probably wanted to drive it but I didn’t let them. I have only let one other person drive it, and it was only once — my father.

(Porsche Cars Canada) gave me snow tires for the winter but I’ve been babying it. I’ve kept it off the roads since the snow hit the ground. With all the salt on the road and just the harsh winter that we’ve had it wouldn’t be good for the car. Plus you know my mom’s always worried that being a sports car something would happen, but with the way this car handles I think it would be fine.

The one cool story I have from driving the car around town is from when a buddy and I went to a Toronto Maple Leafs game. When we got to the game we parked, I was next to some old Corvette, and we went in to our seats for the game. While we were inside my buddy got on his phone to check Instagram and one of his friends had posted a picture of my Porsche next to the Corvette with the caption, ‘I would trade my Corvette for this thing any day.’ So that was kind of cool and random because I didn’t know that guy. The car definitely gets attention.”

The GT3 Cup Challenge Canada champion will continue to wheel around in the Porsche 911 Carrera for the remainder of the year until it is the next champion’s turn to turn heads. Check in with David Ostella on DavidOstella.com for updates on his personal travels or follow him on Facebook and Twitter at @DavidOstella.

Most drivers dream of the day they can share the same track with the most elite racing series in the world, Formula 1. This year David Ostella got a taste of that dream when he took to Circuit Gilles Villeneuve for Grand Prix Du Canada. As one of the supporting series for the circuit’s Formula 1 weekend David shared the same top step of the podium that Formula 1 star Sebastian Vettel would eventually take. The Maple, Ont.-native faced stiff competition from other young guns in the series but fought his way to a third- and first-place finish that hectic weekend

1.) The Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Michelin was one of the supporting series for F1 at the Grand Prix Du Canada. What was it like to be part of that atmosphere?

David: “It was incredible to be a part of such an event where we supported the pinnacle of racing. The best part about the race other than the track would have to be the fans, because even though they are there for F1 we still had them in their seats cheering us on.”

2.) This was your second win in the series and third win of the season. Did you feel like you were hitting a stride?

David: “I felt as though I was starting to get into a nice groove, but I was always focusing on the championship, that was the main thing so I didn’t let the comfort go to my head. I made sure I was focused and determined at every race.”

3.) You faced stiff competition this race from Spencer Pigot and Chris Green – how do you keep the drama off track and focus on track?

David: “Off the track I have known Spencer from my go-karting days, so we are good friends, but on track it’s every man for himself. When I get into the car my mind clears and it’s focused on what I need to do on the track.”

4.) This particular race weekend saw a few wrecks, what is your instinct reaction when you have to avoid incidents?

David: “My reaction to a crash is to get around it with little to no damage taken and then continue on with what I need to do no matter how bad it is. It’s not good to see someone get hurt but it’s what we signed up for when we put the helmet on. You just have to ignore it and keep going.”

5.) Race two, thanks to convenient time reshuffling, was won in front of a large F1 crowd. Did going through a similar podium to F1 give more life to your racing dreams?

David: “In 2008 I stood on that exact same podium in third place, and to stand on it again this year in first made it feel that much better. I couldn’t have raised the trophy to a better crowd.”

6.) Being that this circuit was built for F1 did it seem any more difficult or “world class?”

David: “It definitely is way different than any other track I have been on, and has that world class feel to it. From the pit lane, curbs, to the run offs, all of these things are totally different than any other track I have been to, and with it being for the top of racing I wouldn’t expect any less.”

7.) Do you appreciate racing in Canada for it’s proximity to home?

David: “I do appreciate racing close to home just because I like to have my family come out and support me. I had friends and family at Montreal for support and although they were really there for F1, it was good to have them as support.”

Porsche ended 2013 by honoring all of their champions from each series around the globe in Weissach, Germany, including David Ostella. While abroad, the Canadian was also offered the chance to go through Porsche’s physical checkup, a fitness test each factory driver endures. The boot-camp-style physical was a challenge for the 22-year-old, but one that possibly led to a few New Year’s resolutions.

1. You already workout quite a bit, but were you nervous at all going into the boot camp?

David: “I was nervous for sure going into the boot camp but mainly it was just nerves because I didn’t know what to expect.”

2. Did you know about all the different challenges they had waiting for you?

David: “I had some idea of what was going to happen just from talking to some of the guys I was there with but I didn’t know what the intensity would be. Which was partly where my nerves came from.”

3. What was the hardest thing you had to do or struggled most with?

David: “I struggled with the running just due to the fact I have a bad knee right now, I’m not even sure what I did to it, but I didn’t do too bad.”

4. After completing the boot camp what will you change about your workout routine?

David: “I will be doing a lot more running that’s for sure, but also more stability training for my knee. After the tests I decided that running would be the most beneficial to me and improve my performance the most.”

5. Learn any new health tips while you were there?

David: “I learned about my endurance training level and what my heart rate needs to be at to improve my endurance and also my recovery time. Learning about those things will be important for the endurance races. When I’m not in the car I can recover and be prepared for the long stints in the car, which will help me be able to perform at 100 percent all the time.”

6. What workout activities results transfer best to on-track results? Which workout prepares you best for being in the car?

David: “I would say the running for the endurance and also some of the strength training like trunk rotations which helps the back. It is important to strengthen your core because it is the main part of your body that stabilizes you through the G-force. A good example is Sebring with all those long duration corners and the bumps; it takes all of your strength the whole time.”

7. Prior to the camp you also attended the Night of Champions. What was the best part about being honored?

David: “The best part about the banquet was getting a trophy that was the same as everyone else to show how everyone is on equal terms and is just as important as the other champions.”

8. Not every champion gets a new Porsche to drive for the year; did you make any other champions a little jealous?

David: “Yes, I think a few were a little jealous once hearing that I got a car from them. I did not brag too much, I’m not one to do that, so if I was asked I talked about it but considering they were factory drivers there I’m sure they had their own.”

9. Was coming home to your Porsche after completing the Porsche boot camp like winning the car all over again?

David: “Not really. I would have loved to jump right into it but unfortunately the weather wouldn’t allow me to drive. But instead of driving I was able to ice skate on the road in front of my house around the car.”