Race Weekend Central

AIM Autosport, Vasser Sullivan Combine Forces for New IMSA Team

On Tuesday (Oct. 16), the combined might of AIM Autosport and Vasser Sullivan announced that they will field two Lexus RC F GT3s in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship full-time under the AIM VASSER SULLIVAN name in 2019.   For Jimmy Vasser and James “Sulli” Sullivan, it is their first time owning a sports car team.  However, they have been partners in INDYCAR teams since 2011, first with KVSH Racing and now with Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser Sullivan.  AIM Autosport is a Canadian operation that has been in and out of sports car racing, most recently running the Always Evolving Nissan program in Pirelli World Challenge (seen above).

“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 Andrew Bordin, co-owner of AIM Vasser Sullivan.  “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.”

“Sulli and I are excited and looking forward to entering a new chapter in our racing careers,” Vasser stated.  “I have driven sports cars before, but my career was pretty much limited to the [Rolex 24 at 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.”

For the AIM Autosport portion of the team, this is a return of sorts.  The team last competed in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in 2014 under unusual circumstances.  They took over the No. 555 Ferrari after Daytona when Level 5 Motorsports pulled out.  At the time, it was a bit of a mystery why Level 5 disappeared.  Since then, team owner Scott Tucker has been indicted and convicted of multiple federal charges related to his payday lending empire and is currently serving a 16 year prison sentence.

AIM Autosport gave full-time drivers Townsend Bell and Bill Sweedler a chance to drive for the full season.  They ended up finishing fourth in GT Daytona points with three podium finishes.

The team did not announce drivers or sponsors for their Lexus effort.  Those will be coming at a later date.

About the author

Phil Allaway has three primary roles at Frontstretch. He's the manager of the site's FREE e-mail newsletter that publishes Monday-Friday and occasionally on weekends. He keeps TV broadcasters honest with weekly editions of Couch Potato Tuesday and serves as the site's Sports Car racing editor.

Outside of Frontstretch, Phil is the press officer for Lebanon Valley Speedway in West Lebanon, N.Y. He covers all the action on the high-banked dirt track from regular DIRTcar Modified racing to occasional visits from touring series such as the Super DIRTcar Series.

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