No. 61 Ford Riley - Caitlin Fell
The second half of the season started with promise - a pole at Daytona, but once again, gremlins crept in bringing an end to an exciting race to the podium. Despite the disappointment, everyone at AIM Autosport came away from the Brumos 250 at Daytona with some renewed energy. After all, they would once again score fastest lap of the race, be credited with the "move of the race", see Mark recover from a wild ride on the banking and have a solid race strategy that put the Exchange Traded Gold No. 61 Ford Riley at the front every time it was on track. The AIM Autosport crew and drivers are now ready to carry this energy into the next race at Barber Motorsports Park.
"Everyone on the team feels it. The excitement. The disappointment" commented AIM Autosport principal Ian Willis. "No matter what happens though, the drive to succeed, to get that podium, is always there. When things go well, everyone is pumped and when things go not so well, everyone works just a bit harder to get the job done."
As a testament to that, crew members spent a bit more time away from home than usual between races. Following the race at Daytona, the Ford Riley made the trip south to Homestead to run tire tests with Pirelli. With the next race in Alabama, the decision was made to leave the car in Florida and do race prep there courtesy of some space provided by AIM's friends at Speedsource. The crew spent the extra time needed to get the work done before returning home. In the meantime, drivers Brian Frisselle and Mark Wilkins have been working on their fitness programs as it is expected to be hot and humid in Alabama.
With the team's first pole in the books, the focus is to work on their first podium and first win but with five races scheduled over the next seven weeks there are plenty of chances to meet those goals.
The AIM Autosport Exchange Traded Gold No. 61 Ford Riley will be on track for the next round in the Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 at Barber Motorsport Park in Birmingham, Alabama July 18-20. The race will be broadcast on SPEED TV, Sunday July 20 at 3:00 p.m. ET
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.
- Chris Jameson-
More reports from this category all copyright automobilsport.com.
