AIM & Doncaster - Daytona race

AIM Autosport had a strong start to the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series
race at Daytona International Speedway on Thursday evening, but the team
struggled with the balance of the car and wasn't able to match its January
performance on the 2.56-mile track in Daytona Beach, Fla. The rookie series
team finished fifth in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, but couldn't find the pace
this week.

 

Mark Wilkins of Toronto drove the first stint, starting the No. 61
Lexus-powered Riley Mk XI sixth of 18 Daytona Prototypes. He stayed in the
top seven through most of his stint, but lost three positions past the first
hour of the two-hour 30-minute race. Burt Frisselle of Lynchburg, Va., took
over at 1h14, returning to the track 13th. He regained one position to
finish 12th for sponsors Exchange Traded Gold, Barrick Gold Corporation, RBC
Financial Group and Telus' Mike Network.

 

Doncaster Racing scored a top-10 finish in the GT class after a charge from
back to front. Greg Wilkins of Toronto started the No. 17 MineStar / Tim
Hortons Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car 10th on the 21-car GT grid and moved to
seventh before a spin put him back to 16th. He regained seventh place before
pitting for a driver change at 1h15. Dave Lacey of Toronto drove the final
stint, returning to the track 9th and finishing 10th.

 

race report

 

car          time             driver                  action

 

17           start              G Wilkins

               16m              G Wilkins             pit – fuel

               30m              G Wilkins             spin

               1h15             change                 pit – Lacey in, four
tires, fuel, rear gurney change

 

61           start              M Wilkins

               14m              M Wilkins             pit – fuel

               1h14             change                 pit – Frisselle in,
four tires, fuel

 

Mark Wilkins:  "We struggled a little bit; we just didn't have the grip
where we needed it. It was really tough to make up ground and to maintain
ground. Definitely, it was a tough one, but the guys worked really hard and
did a great job with the pitstops. The motor ran great all day – it's always
strong and reliable – we just didn't quite get there with the setup."

 

Greg Wilkins:  "The car was running well; we were staying with the lead
pack. I was pushing really hard, missed a shift and spun the car and went to
the back of the field. We regained most of it, but we had to work really
hard because it was a green race the whole way, so everything we lost was
real – it didn't get fixed by a caution. On balance, it was a pretty good
race for us. We qualified 10th and finished 10th, so I guess there's some
symmetry there."

 

– aimautosport.com – 

 
Sylvia Proudfoot
HYPERLINK "mailto:sylvia@spurcom.ca"sylvia@spurcom.ca
403 287 3945
 

No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition. 
Version: 7.5.476 / Virus Database: 269.10.0/886 - Release Date: 7/4/2007
1:40 PM