Paul Fix to debut in IMSA Prototype Challenge at Sebring - Speedway Digest

Veteran sports car driver Paul Fix will compete in the IMSA Prototype Challenge presented by Mazda in 2017, as driver of the #44 Ave-Riley AR-2 LMP3 car. The series will participate in select events in conjunction with the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship series. The series will feature a 13-round calendar, starting at Sebring in mid-March and finishing in early October. Nine of these rounds will take place during WeatherTech Championship weekends. Most rounds will have two races of 45 minutes each, in a single-driver format over two days.

For team owner Tony Ave, the decision to acquire Fix as a driver was an easy one. Said Ave, “Paul drove our works Trans Am cars for the past three seasons and played a large part in helping develop the car to its current point of success in that series and I expect him to lead us in this endeavor in the same fashion.”

Fix and Ave have collaborated for three highly successful seasons in the SCCA Trans Am series where the team accumulated numerous wins, poles, podiums and track records. The team looks to bring that level of preparation and success into the new operation.

Said Fix, “I am honored to be asked to drive the all new Ave-Riley AR-2 LMP3 car. We are all looking forward to getting on track and experiencing prototype racing in North America. I know that from previous experience, the entire Tony Ave Racing team is behind this endeavor 110 percent.”

Both team and driver have prepared over the winter off season, testing the new car at various locales, both in the United States and Europe. The results have been appealing and show great promise for the upcoming series.

“The car is both fast and a pleasure to drive,” offered Fix. “I expect we should be on pace for the season of racing. Past experience at various tracks on the schedule will allow us to get a good setup under the car and be in a competitive posture from the moment we unload the transporters.”

Along with Fix’s current sponsors, three new partners have stepped forward to eagerly participate in the new venture. Fueling US Forward, Operation Support Our Troops-America and the Alan J. Lynch Medal of Honor Veterans Program will be present on the sides of the new prototype racing machine.

The first event of the 2017 season is from Sebring International Raceway. Qualifying beginning at 12:30 PM EDT Thursday. Race 1 for the championship goes green at 4:35 PM EDT Thursday for the 45-minute sprint to the checkered flag. Friday will conclude the week of action with Race 2 set to start at 10:45 AM EDT, for 45-minutes of racing. Fans can follow all the action via IMSA TV at www.imsa.com.

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Adam Sinclair

NHRA, IHRA, Motocross and other forms of motorsports Staff writer
About Me: Adam has been a race fan since the first time he went through the tunnel under the Daytona International Speedway almost 30 years ago. He has had the privilege of travelling to races all across the state of Florida (as well as one race in Ohio), watching nearly everything with a motor compete for fame and glory, as well as participating in various racing schools to get the feel of what racecar drivers go through every week. Adam has spent the last three years covering motorsports for Examiner.com., where he had the opportunity to see the racing world from behind the scenes as well as the grandstands. He invites everyone to follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, and looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for all things racing with the readers of SpeedwayDigest.com.Be sure to tune in for his weekly sports talk program, Thursday Night Thunder, where he discusses the latest in motorsports news with drivers, crew members, and fans. The show takes place every Thursday at 8:00 pm EST on the Speedway Digest Radio Network.