Burt and Brian Frisselle Reunion Doesn't Go as Planned in New Jersey
Equipment failure spells a challenge as Burt and Brian share a DP for the first time since 2007
(Millville, NJ) 24 July 2011 – Burt and Brian Frisselle, who have for the last few seasons raced against each other in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series, got the chance to once again share a Daytona Prototype as Burt joined Doran Racing at New Jersey Motorsports Park. With the region experiencing an oppressive heat wave, Burt was drafted to join his brother Brian and Henri Richard to share the driving controls in the No .77 Office Depot Ford-Dallara.
Unfortunately, a promising race outing saw the effort thwarted after some crucial cooling equipment didn't work properly and cost the Doran squad time in the pits for repairs.
From the high-density metals surrounding the engine bay to insulation that seals the radiators, it takes a lot of things to make a race car work right in the high heat. The same is true of what it takes to allow the drivers to do their jobs inside the cockpit of a Daytona Prototype, which can climb past the 160 degree mark.
Richard opened the race and despite scoring a strong spot on the grid in qualifying, was sent off track following contact from behind from a GT Class machine. This ultimately put the No. 77 car one lap down 30 laps into the race. Burt Frisselle took over the controls and was looking to make the most of a fresh round of Continental Tires. But his sojourn in competition was a short one as none of the driver cooling elements were working properly.
"I want to thank Doran Racing for drafting me here in the last minute to help out. I wish it would have worked out better. That was the worst environment that I've ever been in," said Burt about the extreme temperatures in his SPEED interview. "Brian and I train really hard, in the heat and at altitude. But despite that, even we just couldn't stay out for any real time with the heat inside the car. It's incredible. The temperatures can be hard even when those things are working perfectly. But when it is not, it was simply unbearable. It is a shame, but now I'll look forward to getting back into the GAMMA88 machine at the Glen with AIM Autosport."
The Doran Racing crew worked to effect repairs on pit lane, but unfortunately were forced to take the car back behind the wall, costing several laps as the car was ultimately classified ninth at the finish.
"It was great to race with Burt again," said Brian. "It was just not our day today. We had some incidents with some other cars early on which put us a few laps down. Then we had issues with our cool box so it was just one of those days but I think we showed potential at times this weekend and I think we had a decent car, not a top-three but a decently quick car so hopefully we'll come back and be better at the next one."
Round 10 of the 2011 championship will be staged at Watkins Glen International as part of the traditional NASCAR Sprint Cup event in the classic New York track. The No. 77 finished sixth at the track earlier this year in the 6 Hour event, and will look to go even better as the No. 61 GAMMA88 machine will also be in action when Burt Frisselle and Mark Wilkins look to add to AIM's win tally at the track.
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Press Notes:
About AIM Autosport
Established in 1995, AIM Autosport operates multi-car teams competing in the Formula BMWUSA Championship and the Star Mazda Series. The company has a mandate to identify, train and manage emerging motorsport talent. AIM has provided many young drivers with a solid foundation on which to build a career in professional racing. The success of the AIM driver development programs has been achieved through the dedication of our employees and the ongoing support of our commercial and technical partners.
Away from the track, AIM Autosport serves the needs of the racing community with a purpose-built preparation shop situated in the Toronto suburb of Woodbridge, Ontario.
Chassis brings resume of success to AIM Autosport:
AIM Autosport's Riley chassis was purchased from Chip Ganassi Racing and comes to the team with an impressive legacy of success, having won the Rolex Sports Car Series Championship in 2004.
AIM Autosport Alumni:
AIM has a long history of bringing drivers up through the ranks, and the alumni list reads like a who's who in the sport: www.aimautosport.com/drivers/Alumni/Alumni.htm
Performance-Oriented:
Performance Drink, the "Official Performance Drink" of Grand Am has signed on as an associate partner for the 2007 season, and will be utilizing the relationship to develop and demonstrate the high-performance capabilities of the drink. The drivers in the Rolex 24 At Daytona will be participating in a unique program that will closely monitor their bodies' performances throughout the enduro. More details to follow.
For additional information
www.aimautosport.com
www.doranracing.com
