PAUL FIX TO DEBUT IN IMSA PROTOYPE CHALLENGE SERIES

Williamsville, NY ? (March 13, 2017) 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.

About Paul Fix:

Paul Fix is a professional racecar driver based in New York, he has been competing in the SCCA Pro Trans-Am Series since 2000, started racing in 1992. Fix has several wins, podium finishes and championships in his career.? www.paulfix.com

Sponsors:?

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About IMSA

The International Motor Sports Association, LLC (IMSA) was originally founded in 1969 and owns a long and rich history in sports car racing. Today, IMSA is the sanctioning body of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the premier sports car racing series in North America and the IMSA Prototype Challenge presented by Mazda, as well as four single-make series. IMSA ? a company within the NASCAR group. For more information, visit IMSA.com,? or on twitter @IMSA or facebook.com/IMSA????????