Woodbridge, Ontario: The AIM Autosport Exchange Traded Gold No. 61 Ford Riley makes the trip up Highway 401 to Montreal this week for the next round of the Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve and they are hoping for a bit of a home field advantage. This is the only Canadian date in the series and the Woodbridge, Ontario-based team is looking forward to the support of the crowd and also to build on their performance here last year.
Coming off a heartbreaker in Birmingham, Alabama just over a week ago, everyone on the team is nonetheless feeling pretty good as the No. 61 Ford Riley was working very well under race conditions. Now with a fresh Roush-Yates engine and a lot of new data, drivers and crew are ready to attack the track in Montreal.
“We did well here in ‘07 qualifying fifth and finishing seventh” noted team principal Ian Willis. “Our car has been fast all season. After Barber, we have some new ideas on setup plus Mark and Brian have come on strong. Taking all of that into the Montreal race makes everyone at AIM feel like we have a shot at the win. We came so close at Barber, a track where we struggled, but Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is just the right kind of track for the Ford Riley and the guys really enjoy it there.”
Racing in Montreal always has a bit of a party atmosphere and this weekend is no exception. The circuit, which usually hosts the Canadian Formula 1 Grand Prix, will play host to the Rolex Sports Car Series and the NASCAR Nationwide Series. There are a number of off-track events scheduled including a street party on Rue Peel Wednesday afternoon where the Exchange Traded Gold No. 61 Ford Riley will be on display with Mark Wilkins and Brian Frisselle stopping by to meet race fans and sign autographs.
“Montreal is a bit of a party come race weekend” commented Mark Wilkins, but first and foremost, Brian and I have a job to do on Friday afternoon. We are hoping that after the race we will have plenty of reason to celebrate.”
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