Action Express Racing go into the second round of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship full of confidence following victory at the Rolex 24 at Daytona.
Not only does the season-opening win bode well for the squad, but the team’s Corvette DP set the pace at both of the IMSA tests at the Sebring International Raceway. If either the #5 or #9 does go on to win, it will become the first Daytona Prototype machine to have ever won the Twelve Hours of Sebring, and the #5 could become only fifth team in history to have won both the Twelve Hours and the Rolex 24 in the same year.
Rolex 24 winners Joao Barbosa, Christian Fittipaldi and Sebastien Bourdais will return to pilot the #5, while the #9 will Burt and Brian Frisselle joined by Jon Fogarty.
“We have two very good driver line-ups and we’ve been preparing just the same as we always do back at the shop,” said Team Manager Gary Nelson. “This track is probably the toughest one we’ll go to all year. There is a lot more opportunity for trouble at a track like this versus at Daytona where most of the track is pretty wide. We treat the banking of the NASCAR portion at Daytona as a straightaway because you’re flat out. But here, you are constantly going through turns. The turns are where trouble usually happens especially with so many cars on the track. Our goals are to have a fast car, stay out of trouble and to be in contention at the end.”
Only Brian Frisselle enters the weekend as a Twelve Hours of Sebring rookie, but will be pulling on information from his brother and his father, a two-time winner of the event, as well as experience of the circuit in his Star Mazda and Skip Barber racing days.
“I can’t wait to get going for my first 12 Hours of Sebring,” he said. “It is an awesome endurance event that takes place at a track with a lot of history and character. I know I got my first taste of the magic of sports car racing at night when watching night practice from Turn 1 at Sebring. It would mean the world to me if I were able to join my Dad as an overall winner, over 30 years later, alongside my brother. We fell just short of or goal of finishing 1-2 at the Rolex 24 and we will be looking to achieve that goal going into the historic 12 Hours of Sebring!”
