OF PUMPKINS AND CARRAIGES

TORONTO – Most of those who have won national or international automobile racing championships tend to agree on at least one thing: It ain't easy.

At this time a year ago when Toronto-based AIM Autosport agreed to undertake a larger-than-life responsibility of fielding the Rolex Series' first-ever Ferrari 458 Italia entry, the team's "bar" was set higher than ever before.

Had AIM failed to score a Rolex Sports Car Series championship of any nature with its new Ferrari at the 2012 season's recent end, most everyone in the paddock would've probably pointed to the considerable odds any team faces when fielding a new car, nodding understandably.

A few in the crowd, especially the Italian types from Maranello, would've held a diametric (look it up) point of view.

Why?

AIM Autosport co-owner Andrew Bordin – a winning race car driver in his own right – probably said it best Friday:

"Ferrari isn't a car manufacturer. The whole organization is a race team that sells cars so that it can underwrite its racing. Winning races and championships is something they expect."

AIM Autosport co-owner and chief race-day strategist Ian Willis believes their 2012 Rolex Sports Car Series Grand Touring season, at the end of which the team and drivers Emil Assentato and Jeff Segal actually did reign victorious, expressed his belief that the season went AIM's way chiefly because when things went wrong, they ultimately still went right.

"I call it our 'miracle season,'" Willis insisted Friday, citing two incidents in which the team could've been knocked down and, possibly, altogether out but ultimately prevailed.

"I think the biggest goof of the season was my timekeeping at Watkins Glen (II)," Willis said.

For those in need of memory refreshment: The WGI2 race start wasn't exactly Assentato's finest hour and in which, after receiving the race's first green flag, the driver hurtled headlong into Turn One only to see unexpectedly early braking from the car he followed. (below)

In the perfect world of repeated super slo-mo and "expert opinion" voice-overs from a cranky former race car champion, whatever goes wrong can be put right, even if the result on the track remains the same.

(Oh boy, the email should soon be flowing on that one, Dorsey. And no, Calvin, thoughts of you being cranky and old were the farthest thing from mind, even if true.)

Seen differently is the real world, one in which a split-second decision on the direction for one to suddenly turn a steering wheel after the unerring little voice of physics says, "Uh, 'scuze me, but braking, hard or otherwise, really isn't an option you can exercise just now without considerable repercussion."

Nevertheless, confusion and repercussion followed, during which Willis improperly figured – by 28 seconds – that Assentato had completed the requirements of Grand-Am's rules-mandated 30 min. driver shift.

By the way, Assentato jumped from the No. 69 Ferrari and made like an arrow, flying straight to No. 57 team owner Johnny Stevenson to issue a profuse apology after innocently but still altogether knocking the competitor from the race.

"The 28 seconds was my error," Willis said.

"All heck was breaking loose and I failed to properly monitor the time and told Emil he could exit the car."

Grand-Am officials treated that 28-second transgression exactly as it would've 28 minutes.

"We were in the wrong but I still appealed and, even though I was certain they'd rule against the appeal, they reversed the decision.

"However, I assure you that's a bullet we'll never dodge again," Willis concluded in all seriousness.

Even should he dodge no issue at all, whatever it may be, the repeat of a championship is a tall order, no matter the opinions of the boys back in Maranello, who've experienced a fair share of Victory Lane dry spells over the years.

Insofar as 2013 is concerned, Willis insists the team will do its best to revisit the annual Rolex Series champions' banquet as it had this year, outright taking home the team and driving championships as well as providing a strong points contribution to Ferrari being named the season's top GT manufacturer.

On top of it all, AIM is looking ahead to the 2014 season, too, when ALMS and Grand-Am fully become one under the NASCAR umbrella.

"It's been a wonderful year," Willis said, "I guess one could say it's was a Cinderella-type story."

Ah yes, one of those "miracle" tales, eh!? (Couldn't resist.)

Later,

DC

Most excellent images recorded by one Brian Cleary, a nice Irish-type lad who most everyone likes. For more, visit BCPix.