AIM Autosport ready for Six Hours of The Glen this weekend
Team works overtime with only four days between races, including travel days
(Watkins Glen, NY) 03 June 2010 – It has been a hectic week for the AIM Autosport crew with just four days between races as they moved from Lime Rock Park in Connecticut to Watkins Glen, New York for this weekend's Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen. The entire team had a lot of work to do in preparing the car after what started as a rough outing at Lime Rock. The race had ended alright but not after the crew had to rebuild the car after an accident in qualifying and while Burt Frisselle and Mark Wilkins ran a fantastic race in the Pacific Mobile No. 61 Ford Riley, job one was to tear the car down and make sure it was fit to run a six hour enduro at the very fast Watkins Glen International.
The team took some extra time at Lime Rock to work on the car before loading for the trip to Watkins Glen and they were at the track early this morning going over every detail while the engineers started working out their plan for the race. Practice begins on Friday morning with qualifying that afternoon followed by an early-evening practice so that teams can get used to the changing conditions that could occur during the race into the sunset.
But the team goes into this race with some marked optimism after showing they could come back from adversity to run at the front at Lime Rock. Burt had the Pacific Mobile No. 61 Ford Riley near the front of the field through most of his stint and handed the car over to Mark from the second position. Mark would lead twenty laps and also never be far from the front.
"Burt and Mark both put in a terrific drive", commented Team Principal Ian Willis. "The crew did a great job getting us onto the starting grid after the accident and we had the car to run at the front. The only hiccup was when we missed the call on the last pit stop an not making it in before the caution. That cost us track position but Mark still fought back to finish in the top five."
He continued, "The result of all that hard work is that now we can come back this weekend at The Glen and make a run for the podium. We have a history here, taking the win on the short track in 2008, so now we'd like to add a win in the Six Hour to complete the package. The No 61 started from the front row in 2008. No reason we can't do that again and go on for the win."
In their first three appearances in the Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen, AIM had three drivers in the car. This year, the team will do it with just Burt and Mark.
"The boys are fit and ready for this", said Willis. "Both have already done the Rolex 24 this year and the 6-hour race at Laguna a few weeks ago. Mark also competed in the 12 Hours of Sebring earlier this season. They have been training very hard."
To determine the benefits of that training, this weekend, founder and Chief Technologist of AIM's new technical partners, Biosign, will be on hand to demonstrate their UFIT® health monitoring system and determine how it can be used to enhance Mark and Burt's training regimen.
The GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 presentation of the Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen takes place on Saturday, June 5th. The race will be broadcast live in two, two-hour segments on SPEED TV starting at 2:00 p.m and 6:00 p.m. ET. The entire race will be carried live on MRN (Motor Racing Network) affiliates on the Sirius Satellite Network.
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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.michaelshankracing.com
