Grand-Am

VIR: AIM Autosport preview

AIM Autosport hopes to strengthen its top-five standing in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series with a fast performance in the series race at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Va., on April 29. The Canadian team is fifth in Daytona Prototype ...

Published: Apr 25, 2007, 4:45 PM

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AIM Autosport hopes to strengthen its top-five standing in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series with a fast performance in the series race at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Va., on April 29. The Canadian team is fifth in Daytona Prototype class points with consistent race finishes of fifth, seventh and 10th this year. Lead driver Mark Wilkins of Toronto thinks recent fine-tuning could boost the No. 61 Lexus-powered Riley Mk XI he will drive with Brian Frisselle of Lynchburg, Va., on Sunday.

"We've made further improvements to the car," Wilkins explained. "We upgraded the differential, which should help our power-down quite a bit. We also got our new air-conditioning unit, which has a carbon-monoxide filter on it, and the guys built some new tunnels behind the rear wheels to help improve airflow.

"We're at the point now where we're doing the little things and making the little changes to make the car that much better. Our results of late haven't reflected where we are in the standings, except we've stayed out of trouble. We really need to be back with a top-five finish, and I think we can do it."

gold billions

AIM's primary sponsor, Exchange Traded Gold, reached a new high last week when its global assets topped $13 billion. Exchange traded gold securities are backed by allocated gold. They offer investors a means of participating in the gold bullion market without the necessity of taking physical delivery of gold, and to buy and sell that interest through the trading of a security on a regulated stock exchange.

"The speed at which these global assets continues to grow goes hand in hand with racing," Stuart Thomas, Exchange Traded Gold founding principal, noted. "These products continue to gain traction as investors recognize the value of gold in a well-diversified portfolio."

all-weather racers

Although bad weather slows most racers, the Doncaster Racing drivers take it in stride. With rain always a possibility at Virginia International Raceway, Dave Lacey and Greg Wilkins, both of Toronto, are prepared to blast through it. Lacey believes their Canadian experience will give them an edge in the No. 17 MineStar / Tim Hortons Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car.

"It's probably the bad-weather quotient that we get exposed to. As soon as it rains, the Canadians seem to take to it. There must be some relationship between the bad weather in Canada and wet-weather [racing] capability," he said. "I love driving in the rain -- I think it's fun! It's a great equalizer; it takes the horsepower quotient out of the equation and puts car control back as a premium."

-credit: aimautosport

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