Millville, NJ (08.29.2008) AIM Autosport arrived in Millville, New Jersey ready to attack the brand new Thunderbolt circuit at New Jersey Motorsport Park (NJMP) for the penultimate round of the Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16. This is a brand new facility and the circuit is an unknown factor for all the teams. AIM Autosport, coming off its third consecutive podium with a third place at Infineon Raceway just last weekend, is looking to be on the pace early with the Exchange Traded Gold No. 61 Ford Riley.
“Back to back race weekends on opposite coasts put us under a bit of pressure commented team principal Ian Willis. “We took an extra day in Sonoma to prep the car before sending the hauler straight to New Jersey and the team arrived at Thunderbolt early Wednesday to get the car ready for practice the next day. Being a new track, we needed to do a track walk with the drivers and engineers before we could come up with ideas for setup. We’ll get that setup on the car tonight and spend the first session sorting out the details.”
The Thunderbolt circuit is 2.25 miles with twelve turns. A narrow course with only slight elevation changes, it will prove a difficult track when it comes to passing. After two races featuring only the Daytona Prototypes, this weekend the GT class will also be on track which will make passing even more of a challenge.
The Thunderbolt circuit is 2.25 miles with twelve turns. A narrow course with only slight elevation changes, it will prove a difficult track when it comes to passing. After two races featuring only the Daytona Prototypes, this weekend the GT class will also be on track which will make passing even more of a challenge.
Both drivers of the No. 61 Ford Riley noted that there is no room for error on this circuit. While it appears there is plenty of runoff around the track, it is all soft dirt at this point. Someone going off will bring a lot of dirt and debris back onto the track making it bit of an adventure especially for the faster DP cars. There will also be large dust clouds to deal with as was evidenced during practice on Thursday.
The Exchange Traded Gold No. 61 Ford Riley is on track for two official practice sessions on Friday (29th) with additional practice and qualifying Saturday. The Supercar Life 250 is scheduled to start at 1:00 p.m. (ET) Sunday (31st) and will be broadcast live on SPEED TV.
AIM Autosport Facts: Established in 1995, AIM Autosport 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. AIM fields the Exchange Traded Gold #61 Ford-Riley Daytona Prototype in the Rolex Grand Am series with drivers Mark Wilkins and Brian Frisselle. The team also competes in the Star Madza Championship presented by Goodyear with John Edwards at the wheel of the #7 Formula Mazda.
From Chris Jameson // Level Ten Communications
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