AIM Autosport Team FXDD Eighth in 50th Anniversary Roles 24
Team Battles Huge Field with new Ferrari 458 Italia

Daytona, Fla. (January 30, 2012) – AIM Autosport Team FXDD took eighth place yesterday in the GT class of the Fiftieth Anniversary Rolex 24 at Daytona as its FXDD Ferrari 458 Italia GT Grand-Am performed flawlessly for 24 consecutive hours at Daytona International Speedway. The team faced stiff competition in its debut race with its new Ferrari, battling 47 other cars in the GT class with top drivers representing GT championships around the world.

The twice-around-the-clock race began on Saturday at 3:30pm with Jeff Segal at the wheel of the AIM Autosport Team FXDD entry. On Thursday afternoon, Segal qualified second, putting the car on the front row for the start of its first race. After briefly surging into the lead, Segal settled into race pace for the long drive ahead.

Although the FXDD Ferrari 458 ran flawlessly for Segal and his co-drivers, Emil Assentato, Anthony Lazzaro and Nick Longhi, the gruelling 24-hour contest was not without anxious moments.

A couple of contact incidents within the first six hours of the race, including one that knocked the car into a spin, gave the team cause for concern, but AIM Autosport had put significant effort into protecting key components of the car in the event of light contact and the Ferrari emerged unscathed from both incidents.

Another moment of drama arose when Longhi ran out of fuel as he neared the end of a driving stint in hour nine. The car coasted into the pits where it was refuelled and Longhi handed off to Segal. The motor stumbled after the stop, but the quick-thinking Segal was able to reset the computer and rejoin the fray.

The most significant setback came 11h 15m into the race when Lazzaro received a 1m 50s penalty for passing the pace car under yellow. Lazzaro was, in fact, entitled by the rule book to pass the pace car, but as Race Control had yet to issue permission at the time of the pass, the penalty was levied upon AIM Autosport Team FXDD and a few other teams who had interpreted the new 2012 yellow-flag rules in similar fashion.

From that point on, the race went quite smoothy for AIM Autosport Team FXDD. At around the 12-hour mark—near 3:30am—the team made a scheduled replacement of front brake rotors and pads. Then, while running eighth with just 45 minutes remaining in the race and a sizeable gap to the next car, the team elected to replace the front-left brake pads as a precautionary measure. The service was completed without losing a position and the car went on to cross the finish line eighth in the GT class.

“I am a little disappointed that we were not fighting for the win. On the other hand, today we proved that the Ferrari 458 Italia GT Grand-Am has great potential and is reliable over 24 hours,” said Segal, who logged over ten hours in the car during the 24-hour run.

“First of all, I am very pleased to have finished the race. With a new car, there is always the question of reliability and for the car to finish a 24-hour race on its debut is a testament to both Ferrari and the standard of preparation by AIM Autosport Team FXDD,” stated Assentato.

“Ferrari proved today that it is a force to be reckoned with in Grand-Am endurance racing,” said Lazzaro. “For me, it was satisfying and encouraging to see the pace and reliability that the new car had.”

“This first race has certainly justified Ferrari's decision to create the 458 Italia GT Grand-Am; our car was both fast and perfectly reliable,” remarked Nick Longhi. "The highlight for me though was qualifying, Jeff putting the car on the front row in the most competitive GT field in 50 years of Daytona racing history. It was very satisfying for our team to give Ferrari that result to thank them for their great support in such an important event."

“Given our strong qualifying performance, it is easy to focus on just the race win and overlook what a tremendous achievement it is for a new car to finish a 24-hour race as gruelling as Daytona,” said Race Engineer, Ian Willis. “I’m reasonably content with the result, but am much more excited by the speed and reliability it showed out of the box.”

AIM Autosport now has two months before round two of the 2012 Rolex Sports Car Series, the Porsche 250, scheduled for March 30–31 at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala. The team will not be taking any time off during this long break in the schedule; as soon as the car arrives back at the team’s headquarters in Woodbridge, Ont., the crew will start the process of stripping, examining and rebuilding the car.

Front-row Start for AIM Autosport Team FXDD at Rolex 24
Last-lap Flyer Claims Second on Grid for Classic Endurance Race

Daytona, Fla. (January 27, 2012) – AIM Autosport Team FXDD driver, Jeff Segal has claimed a front-row start in the GT Class of this weekend’s Rolex 24 at Daytona. Segal’s last-lap run in the team’s FXDD Ferrari 458 Italia GT Grand-Am, clocked at 1m 49.357s / 117.194 mph / 188.605 km/h, secured second place for Saturday afternoon’s start and set up a fitting Ferrari-Porsche front row for the fiftieth anniversary edition of the famous race.

With yesterday afternoon’s qualifying session approaching its end, Segal started his final run and wrung a fantastic lap from team’s Ferrari 458 Italia. His time, which he later admitted could have been even better, was a mere 0.015s from pole position and the Woodbrige, Ont.-based team was elated with such performance from a new programme with a new car.

Just a few hours earlier, the team had battled development issues, finding it challenging to fine tune a qualifying setup for its new Ferrari. The team pressed on, working to find a solution and ultimately began to unleash the car’s qualifying pace.

“The car was really good to drive and I am thrilled to have our Ferrari on the front row for the race,” said Segal. “The team worked really hard and this is a great result for such a new car to us.”

“We lost a lot of time with teething issues on the car in the morning, so it is very satisfying to be so close to pole position,” said Race Engineer, Ian Willis. “I feel that we are well placed for the race.”

The Fiftieth Anniversary edition of the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the opening event in the 2012 GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series, is scheduled to start tomorrow afternoon at 3:30pm ET. Segal, along with co-drivers Emil Assentato, Anthony Lazzaro and Nick Longhi will take shifts driving around the clock to Sunday’s 3:30pm conclusion.

SPEED will broadcast coverage in two segments: 2:30–11:00pm ET on Jan. 28 and 9:00am–5:00pm on Jan. 29. MRN will provide updates throughout the event via radio and web streaming. The AIM Autosport Team FXDD Facebook page, www.facebook.com/AIMautosport will be updated hourly during the race to keep followers updated on the team’s progress.

Ferrari Québec to Sponsor AIM Autosport Team FXDD
Dealership Proud of Ferrari's Official Return to the Rolex 24

Montréal, Québec (January 19 2012) – Ferrari Québec is proud to sponsor the all-new AIM Autosport Team FXDD Ferrari 458 Italia GT Grand-Am car at the 50th Anniversary of the Rolex 24 at Daytona, January 26–29. This event marks the official return of Ferrari to its endurance racing roots after years of absence at the famed Daytona International Speedway and the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series.

Ferrari Québec opened its doors in June of 2000 and is the only factory-authorized Ferrari and Maserati facility in Montréal, Québec. Since its inception, the newly constructed 44,000 square foot facility has been dedicated to serving the Québec and Maritimes markets for the last 12 years. Their personalized service includes sales, maintenance, collision repair and the Ferrari Classiche restoration service for classic Ferraris.

While the focus of services provided is centred on serving the needs of customers’ road-going Ferraris, Ferrari Québec is not new to the racing circuit. Ferrari Québec has provided race preparation and support to many drivers participating in events ranging from the Ferrari Challenge Series, Ferrari Historic Challenge, numerous vintage-racing series, and even previously in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series. Its most recent team effort as a supporting dealership was customer Emmanuel Anassis’ first place finishes at the final two Ferrari 458 Challenge Series races of 2011 held at Lime Rock Park and Homestead-Miami Speedway. Anassis will pursue his racing activities in the 2012 North American Ferrari Challenge Series for a full season and Ferrari Québec will support him in his quest to secure the 2012 North American Ferrari Challenge Drivers’ and Dealers’ Championships.

Before the 2012 Ferrari Challenge season gets underway, Ferrari Québec will focus its racing efforts on the 50th running of the famed Rolex 24 at Daytona. Ferrari last went to victory lane at the gruelling once-around-the-clock Daytona event with an overall win in 1998 using its 333SP prototype, and returns in 2012 to fight for the GT class honours with its new 458 Italia GT Grand-Am racer. Based on the acclaimed 458 Italia road car and 458 Challenge race car with which Ferrari Québec has had such recent racing success, the Grand-Am GT variant features several changes aimed to bring it in line with GRAND-AM Rolex Series GT specifications, most notably by restricting the 570hp road-going motor down to just under 500hp in order to find parity with cars of other competing manufacturers such as Porsche, BMW, GM, Mazda, and Ford.

Sharing driving duties of the Ferrari Québec supported AIM Autosport Team FXDD Ferrari 458 will be 2010 GRAND-AM Rolex Series GT Champions Jeff Segal and Emil Assentato, who add experienced Ferrari racers Nick Longhi and Anthony Lazzaro to round out the team for the 24-hour event. This will mark the third consecutive year that this driving team has shared a car in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, and all four drivers are poised to make use of their collective Ferrari racing experience.

Umberto Bonfa, President of the prestigious bi-branded dealership states, “I’m thrilled about this affiliation and want to thank the AIM Autosport Team FXDD for giving us the tremendous opportunity to be a part of history at the 50th Anniversary of the Rolex 24 with Ferrari.” He continues, “Sports car racing is at the core of every Ferrari’s DNA, so it seems natural for a passionate and committed dealership like Ferrari Québec to support what promises to be an exhilarating chapter in Ferrari racing history.”

Following the Rolex 24 at Daytona, Ferrari Québec will continue their support of Canadian-based AIM Autosport Team FXDD when the team visits downtown Montréal on August 17–19, as part of the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series race at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve. This partnership will allow Ferrari Québec clients and guests an up-close look at the 458 Italia GT Grand-Am race car as the team battles for the 2012 Rolex GT Championship.

Roar Before the Rolex 24
Photos from the Recent Test at Daytona

See photos or AIM Autosport Team FXDD testing the Ferrari 458 Italia GT Grand-Am. >photo gallery

VIDEO: Jeff Segal takes the new AIM Autosport Team FXDD Ferrari 458 Italia GT Grand-Am out for its first run at Fiorano