Practice 1 - Porsche 250 @ Barber Motorsports Park
GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series

(2010.04.08) First practice is complete at Barber Motorsports Park for this weekend's Porsche 250 in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No 16 and the Pacific Mobile No 61 Ford Riley is tenth fastest on the day. Burt would turn in a lap of the session with a 1:21.739 @ 101.298 mph on the 2.3 mile course.

There were heavy rains overnight and through the morning which created a "green" track when the cars went out under sunny skies at 2:30 this afternoon. With limited practice sessions this weekend, the team was looking to get get as much information as possible to find the right setup for the car ahead of qualifying on Friday afternoon.

"This has always been a difficult track to find just the right setup for the drivers" commented team principal Ian Willis. "Add the fact that our old data is from when we raced in 105-degree heat in August, not the 66F we had today, and you can see that we are basically starting from scratch. We did get some good data today and the feedback from Mark and Burt is that with some minor adjustments, we should be in good shape."

The team completed 41 laps in practice with Burt starting the session as he will drive the longer closing stint on Saturday. Mark will qualify the car tomorrow morning.

AIM had a great race going in 2008 - jumping into the lead and controlling the race until an engine problem forced them out with just twelve laps to go. It was the turnaround the team had been looking for as they would go on to three straight podium results including back-to-back victories at Montreal and Watkins Glen.

"The race at Barber in 2008 was a watershed moment for the whole team," noted Willis. "We had been moving forward all season and this race was when we proved we could run strong and be up front. We are hoping for some of that same magic this weekend and take that forward the rest of the season."

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