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AIM Autosport - Sebring preview |
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Thursday, 15 March 2007 |
AIM Autosport will field two cars in the 2007 Star Mazda Championship season-opener this week at Sebring (Fla.) International Raceway, with plans to add a third car for the rest of the season. The program is part of AIM's three-series effort this year, which also includes a Daytona Prototype in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series and two cars in the Formula BMW USA Championship.
Devin Cunningham of St-Bruno, Qué., will drive the No. 33 Discovery Channel Canada Pro Formula Mazda. He won the network's Star Racer reality television competition last year, earning a full-season ride with AIM. Cunningham started racing karts in Asia, where he won four championships. He was a member of Canadian road-racer Ron Fellows' Sunoco Team Ultra 94 in the 2006 Bridgestone F2000 Racing Series.
Michael Duncalfe of Saskatoon, Sask., will drive the No. 30 AIM Mazda.
He tested for AIM's Formula Ford program in 1997 after winning the
Bridgestone Racing School championship, but did not have the budget to
continue. He returns this year with backing from Exclusive Motorsport
Diecast Gallery and Auto Art, a Canadian manufacturer of diecast models.
Mike Goodyear of Mississauga, Ont., will manage AIM's Star Mazda
program. With a new season and unknown competition, he has advised his
drivers to race smart.
"Although we have two outstanding young Canadian drivers who are both
capable of winning, we have been stressing to them to leave Sebring
with good points in the bank. The series is full of young hard-charging
drivers, many still prone to making mistakes," he noted.
"We will be reiterating what we have been preaching to our drivers
since the first test session. Make sure the other driver knows you are
there or back out of it. Better to be still racing behind them than to
be crashed out with them. This race is about getting the best finish we
can and learning who we can race with and whom we can't. It is hard to
build a championship run if you are on the sidelines."
The 3.7-mile Sebring road course is always a tough start to the season, but the AIM crew is ready for the March 16 race.
"Sebring itself is a fast track that is challenging to both man and
machine. The track is very bumpy which makes setting up the car
difficult. Making the car absorb the bumps so that you can get the
power down has always been an engineering headache. The mechanics will
go over every nut and bolt after each session as Sebring has been known
to shake loose the toughest of cars," Goodyear said.
"I am excited at our prospects for a great season of Pro Formula Mazda
racing. Chemistry is a key component to success in any sporting venue,
and we have assembled a great group of people who have gelled into a
cohesive unit as quick as any group I have been involved with."
– aimautosport.com –
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