AIM Autosport finishes 11th at Daytona
Seven laps lost while crash damage repaired
(Woodbridge, Ontario) 05 July 2010 – AIM Autosport's Pacific Mobile/
Biosign Ford Riley Daytona Prototype sports car finished 11th on
Saturday in the Brumos Porsche 250 held at Daytona International
Speedway. The team was knocked out of contention following the first
pit stop when contact resulted in damage and a lengthy pitstop for
repairs. The 11th-place finish dropped drivers Mark Wilkins and Burt
Frisselle to third in the championship, 22 points behind the leaders.
Following Friday morning's practice and qualifying sessions, the team
openly hoped for rain as a lack of time at Daytona this season
hindered their dry set up. The crew made changes during the afternoon
and hoped they'd found the solution. On Saturday morning when the car
went out for final practice, there was, unfortunately, little joy.
As the 11:15am start approached, it was 79°F and cloudy. Wet tires
were close at hand as the possibility of rain was forecast.
As the qualifying driver, Mark was in the car for the start of the 2h
30m race. Initially losing a place, Mark slotted into 6th and hounded
car 77 for several laps until managing to complete a pass.
On lap 14, the first caution of the day sent most teams scurrying for
the pits. After taking on fuel and tires, mark exited the pit and
headed back toward the track on the inside lane of the pit exit. Car
01, on the outside, moved across, clipping and completely removing the
nose of the AIM car. A few moments later the cars touched again,
causing additional front-end damage to the AIM car.
To make things worse, Mark had to stay out of the pits while the GT
class finished its stops. Finally, he came in for repairs, steam
shooting from the car's exposed and damaged radiator.
Mark sat in the pits for nearly 12 minutes while the crew made
repairs. When he headed back to the track he trailed the entire field—
including the GT cars—7 laps behind the leaders.
Electing to treat the race as a test session, the team began to make
progress finding the elusive dry set up and when Mark handed the car
over to Burt on lap 34, Burt found the car had improved.
During the final stop for fuel and pressure-adjusted tires, Burt
finally had the car to post front-running laps. There was nothing to
be done about the 7-lap deficit, but the team's perseverance paid off
and when the checkered flag flew after 83 laps they had moved up to
11th in the Daytona Prototype class.
"We came into the weekend in a strong points position and left with a
poor result." said Mark. "Contact in the pits and unnecessary contact
on track put us out of contention. I owe my team an apology for making
a poor decision on track which cost us championship points.
"I'm eager to get to New Jersey where we have been quite strong in the
past. Thanks to all of our fans and supporters. We will look forward
to getting back on track and continuing to fight for a win."
"I was really disappointed in our result at Daytona," said Burt. "We
missed a great opportunity for another podium finish. Mark and the 01
were racing hard out of their pit boxes and it is unfortunate that the
damage cost us several laps. I can't wait to get to New Jersey and put
this race behind us as I feel we will be contending for the win and
working to make up lost ground in the points championship."
"Missing the Rolex 24 and the test sessions at Daytona is what really
cost us," said Ian Willis, chief engineer and AIM Autosport principal.
"The race was our test session and, by the end of it, our pace was
where it needed to be."
Next on the schedule is the NJMP 250 presented by Crown Royal at
1:00pm on July 18 at New Jersey Motorsports Park. The race will be
broadcast live on SPEED (television) and MRN (radio).
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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
