Always Evolving/AIM Autosport returns to Pirelli World Challenge
Always Evolving/AIM Autosport will return to Pirelli World Challenge campaigning an all-new Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 in the Sprint-X Championship with Mexico GT Academy winner Ricardo Sanchez teaming with winning American driver Frankie Montecalvo.
“We are excited to be back in PWC with Nissan / NISMO,” said Erik Davis, team owner of Always Evolving Motorsport. “Always Evolving has been associated with the series for many years and the level of competition continues to amaze me year-over-year. Our team is ready to come back in winning form. We look forward to competing with an all-new car and two great drivers to take on the Sprint-X format kicking off at VIR, home track of Nissan North America.”
The Sprint-X Championship was initiated in 2016 with a limited number of races and in 2017 there will be 10 races over the course of five weekends. This new format provides new challenges for teams given a mandatory driver exchange with the same excitement of sprint racing Pirelli World Challenge is known for. The pit stop will allow strategy to play a greater role in the racing results.
The team will return to World Challenge competition at Virginia International Raceway on April 29-30.
Sanchez heads to the U.S. championship after spending the past two seasons racing in Europe in the Blancpain GT Series with Nissan.
“After racing for the past two years in Europe, it’s really exciting to get the chance to race the Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 in the US,” Sanchez said. “It’s a completely new chapter for me. I’ve got a whole new set of tracks to learn but the GT-R has been really strong in the U.S. and I’m looking forward to continuing my career in a new country.”
Sanchez has been preparing for his US debut by going back to his racing roots. “I have been training on most of the tracks in the simulator and I’ve been looking at on-board videos from VIR,” Sanchez said. “I think the GT-R could be really strong there because of the fast corners and the track is really quick. I really can’t wait. I know the car well and Frankie knows the tracks – I think we’ll make a great combination.”
Montecalvo is no stranger to success in the Pirelli World Challenge Championship. The American driver won the GTA class championship in the series in 2015 with seven victories. His racing resume also includes two assaults on the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a full season in the European Le Mans Series in 2013 and runner-up finish at the Dubai 24 Hours. “I’m very excited to team up with Always Evolving and AIM Autosport in the Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 for the Sprint X Series,” Montecalvo said. “I’ve always been a fan of the GT-R, both as a racecar and the streetcar version, and I’m very, very excited to be working together this year with one of the best teams in the championship.”
ABOUT AIM AUTOSPORT
Established in 1995, AIM Autosport is a Canadian sports team operating multi-car teams in professional sportscar racing. AIM’s success has been achieved through the dedication of its employees and the continuous support of the team’s commercial and technical partners. Away from the track, AIM Autosport serves the needs of the racing community with a purpose-built preparation shop situated in the Toronto suburb of Woodbridge, Ontario.
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