Canal began his motorsport journey in karting, achieving third place in the 2000 French Championship Elite. He then transitioned to single-seaters in 2003.
Canal competed in French Formula Renault for four seasons, securing his first podium finish in his final season in 2006 and finishing sixth overall. He also participated in the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 series during those four years. In 2007, Canal switched to GT racing, entering the Porsche Carrera Cup France where he raced for three seasons, achieving one podium and two pole positions. He joined Larbre Compétition for the opening round of the 2007 Le Mans Series at Circuit Paul Ricard, driving their Saleen S7-R in the GT1 class.
Canal’s breakthrough in endurance racing came with Larbre Compétition. He won the GT1 class at the 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans with the team. In 2011, driving alongside Gabriele Gardel and Patrick Bornhauser, Canal repeated his Le Mans victory, this time in the LMGTE Am class within the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup. The following year, 2012, saw Canal, alongside Pedro Lamy, achieve a third consecutive Le Mans class win, this time in the newly-formed FIA World Endurance Championship’s LMGTE Am category, with Lamy making the pass for the lead during the final hour.
Canal moved to prototype racing in 2014, competing in the LMP2 class with G-Drive Racing alongside Olivier Pla and Roman Rusinov, achieving four victories, though ultimately finishing second in the championship. He remained with G-Drive for 2015, partnering with Sam Bird and Rusinov, and dominated the class, winning the title with four victories.
In 2017, Canal partnered Bruno Senna and Nico Prost at Vaillante Rebellion, securing the LMP2 title with three wins in the final three races of the season, following a win in Mexico. Senna’s resilient performance at Bahrain, despite a late loss of power steering, cemented the championship.
A major accident for Pla, caused by a brake failure at the 2014 São Paulo season finale, contributed to G-Drive Racing's eventual second-place finish in the championship.
Canal has demonstrated entrepreneurial spirit alongside his racing career, operating multiple McDonald's restaurants in and around his hometown of Le Mans. As of 2022, he had opened three such restaurants outside of Le Mans.
Canal has competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans multiple times, achieving class victories in 2010, 2011, and 2012, and podium finishes in 2015, 2020, and 2023. His 2020 LMP2 venture yielded a third-place finish. In 2023, driving for Alpine, Canal scored a podium at Monza and finished seventh in the WEC standings.
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