Michael Shank Racing Looks to Extend Podium Streak at Barber Motorsports Park
(Columbus, OH) 07 April 2010 – Michael Shank Racing will return to Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal race action this Saturday afternoon as the Series stages round three of the 2010 championship at Barber Motorsports Park outside of Birmingham, Alabama.
Despite showing excellent pace once again with both team entries, round two at Homestead Miami Speedway proved to be a frustrating race outing for the team. But with a strong record of results at Barber Motorsports Park and a roster full of drivers with experience at the sharp end of the field at the track, there is good reason for optimism for Michael Shank Racing ahead of Saturday's Porsche 250 (SPEED, 1:30 PM ET).
John Pew and Oswaldo Negri will team in the No. 60 Crown Royal XR Ford-Riley combination, with the No. 6 The Pit Stop at Norris Lake Ford-Riley once again being co-driven by Michael Valiante and Brian Frisselle.
With cars placed 6th (No. 60 Crown Royal XR) and 8th (No. 6 The Pit Stop at Norris Lake) in the team championship standings, the team is hoping to pick up some momentum in the championship standings, as the current rankings don't reflect the pace the Ford-Riley machines have shown through the opening two races of the year.
"We've historically rolled off the trucks with fast cars at Barber, and hopefully we can do that again this weekend," said team owner Mike Shank. "It's going to be a little bit different for us set-up wise because the conditions should be very different from what we've experienced there the last few years. But we are confident about how competitive we can be with both cars this weekend. With two races-- Barber and VIR--this month, we have two good opportunities to bank some points and make up some ground in the championship. We just have to focus on converting our speed into results, and hopefully we'll avoid any of the bad racing luck that hit us at Homestead and Daytona."
The race weekend is part of the IZOD IndyCar event, and as the Rolex Sports Car Series moves from the traditional July timeframe for the Barber event, many are looking forward to a more temperate weekend.
"I enjoy warm weather, but racing there in July is just brutal!" said Pew, who scored a top ten in qualifying at Barber last year despite getting balked early in the session by a slower car. "So this weekend looks like it will be much more comfortable than last year. Maybe because it is so technical, or just because the Michael Shank cars are always so strong here, but I've really enjoyed racing at Barber. Getting my first Rolex podium there was a highlight for me and it was great to come back and do that again last year. Hopefully I can go three for three this weekend with the Crown Royal XR car!"
Pew isn't the only pilot with some stout previous performances at the track. Brian Frisselle qualified third on the grid last year, and qualifying will once again likely prove to be a significant factor this weekend, as the 17-turn course can make overtaking a challenge, as witnessed by the closing laps in the 2009 event, which saw Valiante part of a thrilling three-way battle for the win.
The Porsche 250 race schedule will see a practice day on Thursday ahead of a busy Friday morning, which will feature practice and then qualifying before noon, after which the team will focus on preparations ahead of Saturday's scheduled 12:30 PM (local time) race start.
| Thursday, April 8 – NOT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC |
| 8:00 AM |
|
Rolex Series Unloading |
| 1:00 PM |
1:45 PM |
Practice – Continental Tire Challenge |
| 1:55 PM |
2:25 PM |
Practice – Rolex Series GT |
| 2:25 PM |
3:25 PM |
Practice – Rolex Series Combined |
| 3:25 PM |
4:05 PM |
Practice – Rolex Series DP |
| 4:15 PM |
5:00 PM |
Practice – Continental Tire Challenge |
| Friday, April 9 |
| 8:00 AM |
8:30 AM |
Practice – Continental Tire Challenge Combined |
| 8:40 AM |
9:10 AM |
Practice – Rolex Series Combined |
| 9:10 AM |
9:40 AM |
Practice – Rolex Trueman/Akin Award Participants Only |
| 9:50 AM |
10:05 AM |
Qualifying – Continental Tire Challenge GS |
| 10:15 AM |
10:30 AM |
Qualifying – Continental Tire Challenge ST |
| 10:40 AM |
10:55 PM |
Qualifying – Rolex Series DP |
| 11:00 AM |
11:15 AM |
Qualifying – Rolex Series GT |
| 11:45 AM |
6:00 PM |
IRL on course |
| 5:45 PM |
6:45 PM |
IRL Driver Autograph Session |
| Saturday, April 10 |
| 8:00 AM |
11:30 AM |
IRL on course |
| 10:00 AM |
11:00 AM |
Drivers Autograph Session at Team Transporters |
| (Both Rolex and Continental Tire Drivers) |
| 11:30 AM |
12:15 PM |
Fan Walk/Recon Laps |
| 12:30 PM |
|
START – Rolex Series Race (2.75 hrs) |
| 4:00 PM |
|
START – Continental Tire Challenge Race (2.5 hrs) |
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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
