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New Canadian series promises international quality competition

January 20, 2021 by Gary Grant Leave a Comment

Motorsport, like just about every business/activity/hobby/sport/whatever, has been in a bit of a state of flux since March 2020, as the world figures out how to deal with the challenges presented by operating during a global pandemic.

That doesn’t mean that those behind the scenes are just hanging out on the couch swilling PBR and downing Doritos like the government wants us to do.

There are those who are so passionate about the health of motorsport that they are, in between snacks, are laying the foundation for the future of racing. Chris Bye from FEL Enterprises is one of those guys.

Bye’s business FEL is known for hosting top flight events for auto manufacturers, but his passion is racing. So much so that he spends an inordinate amount of time working with up and coming drivers, who have their eye on a career as Canada’s next international superstar.

We are arguably in a modern golden age of motorsport, when a significant number of auto manufacturers are building true turn-key race cars. Cars that the aspirational racing team can buy and go racing without doing anything beyond choosing their own suspension settings. Perhaps even more exciting is that those aspirational teams have the opportunity to prove their mettle against actual factory run racing teams.

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AIM VASSER SULLIVAN to Field Two Lexus RC F GT3 Race Cars in IMSA’s GTD Class in 2019

October 19, 2018 by Media press release Leave a Comment

 

Woodbridge, Ontario, Canada (October 16, 2018) -. AIM VASSER SULLIVAN (AVS) is a newly formed motorsports entity that includes AIM Autosport, a championship-winning organization, partnering with IndyCar winning team owners Jimmy Vasser and James “Sulli” Sullivan to campaign two Lexus RC F GT3 race cars in the GT Daytona (GTD) class of the IMSA WeatherTech Championship beginning in 2019.

Vasser and Sullivan were allied and partners from 2011-2016 with KVSH Racing in the IndyCar Series. During that time they won the 2013 Indianapolis 500 and went on to win five more IndyCar races over a three-year period (2014-2016). In 2018, they formed a partnership with Dale Coyne to establish Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan to compete in the IndyCar Series with driver Sebastien Bourdais. In its first year, the team earned multiple podiums including winning the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, and finishing seventh in the 2018 championship standings.

AIM Autosport has won races and championships in every level of motorsports they have competed in with customer racing programs dating back to the 1990s, including the 2012 GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series GTD championship.

“Having the opportunity to campaign two mighty Lexus RC F GT3 cars in the IMSA WeatherTech Championship in partnership with Jimmy and Sulli is fantastic,” said AIM VASSER SULLIVAN co-owner Andrew Bordin. “To compete for wins and Championships in this ultra-competitive class requires excellence in all aspects of racing and we now have all of the right pieces in place.”

AIM VASSER SULLIVAN will operate from the current AIM facilities in Woodbridge, Ontario, Canada and a newly established US-based race facility located in Charlotte, North Carolina.

“Sulli and I are excited and looking forward to entering a new chapter in our racing careers,” said AIM VASSER SULLIVAN co-owner Jimmy Vasser. “I have driven sportscars before, but my career was pretty much limited to the 24 Hours of Daytona, including a ‘class’ win in 1992 and second overall in 2008. The AIM VASSER SULLIVAN TEAM, with the support of Lexus and our sponsors, has the tools to get the job done and we are looking forward to this new challenge.”

The RC F GT3, which is based upon the production Lexus RC F high performance coup, initially debuted in IMSA competition at the 2017 Rolex 24 at Daytona. In its first two IMSA WeatherTech seasons, Lexus earned five pole positions, two race wins and finished third in the 2018 GTD Manufacturer point standings.

“We believe AIM VASSER SULLIVAN is a great fit for our organization as we continue to evolve our race program,” said David Christ, group vice president and general manager, Lexus division. “Lexus F is a brand infused with motorsports technology and the high performance capabilities of the RC F GT3 on the race track has proven Lexus as more than just a luxury automaker.”

“It’s been exciting for Lexus to get back into sports car racing with the RC F GT3,” said Mark Egger, motorsports manager, Lexus division. “We’ve been able to build our fan base through on-track performance and by engaging with consumers at our Lexus Racing Experience activation, and look forward to continuing that growth in our new partnership with AIM VASSER SULLIVAN.”

The team will announce its 2019 driver line ups in the coming weeks.

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The Garage at 2013 Rolex 24 at Daytona

January 31, 2013 by Gary Grant 3 Comments

The Winners crossing the line!

The Winners crossing the line!

The past 12 months have been just a crazy ride for me as I have traveled around the world covering events for Wheels.ca including bucket list events like the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Goodwood Festival of Speed and just this past weekend I went to Daytona Beach to cover the Rolex 24 for the first time. Just an incredible year!

To get my full report on the 24, click here to read my live blog from the race complete with tons of images. The long and the short of it is that Chip Ganassi Racing won their fifth Rolex 24 in ten years. Toronto’s AIM Autosport pulled off a great third spot on the podium in the GT class and west coast Canucks, Bullet Racing, scored second place in the new GX class.

Head past the jump to see a rather huge gallery of images from the 2013 Rolex 24 at Daytona.
[Read more…]

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