John Maddox - Ford interview 2008-08-05

This Week in Ford Racing

Brian Frisselle and Mark Wilkins, co-drivers of the No. 61 AIM Autosport Ford-Riley Daytona Prototype, won last weekend's Grand-Am Rolex Series race in Montreal, Quebec, with an engine built and supported by Roush Yates Engines. John Maddox, manager of Cammer engine programs at Roush Yates Engines, talks about the victory.

JOHN MADDOX - manager, Cammer engine programs at Roush Yates Engines - IT HAS GOT TO FEEL GREAT TO GET A WIN AFTER ALL OF THE CLOSE CALLS THIS SEASON. "We're really excited that we had a win. We felt like we had one in hand the week before and had an unusual engine failure, which is quite unusual for us, and we felt like we let the team down. Then we go to this race and the team did a good job and we did a good job. They engineered the car very well and there was great strategy and very good driving skills. They did such a good job, and Mark did such a good job getting to the finish line in front of the other two cars, that it was just unbelievable. We're really excited for our team. We like doing well for Ford, but we really like doing well for our teams and we like it when our teams do well."

THE FUEL MILEAGE WAS OBVIOUSLY A HUGE FACTOR IN THIS RACE AS SEVERAL CARS DROPPED OFF ON THE FINAL LAP. "We've always had good economy with our engines. We have economy strategies and hard-run strategies. The team just takes those and applies them in their need. We set it up and they use it how they deem it necessary. They did a perfect job of managing the fuel consumption through the hour and twenty minute stint that the car had to run."

THIS TEAM HAS RACED NEAR THE FRONT A LOT OF THIS YEAR BUT THERE ALWAYS SEEMED TO BE SOME BAD LUCK. DID YOU EVER WONDER IF A WIN WOULD COME THIS SEASON? "Never did I ever question it. We go to the races to win. We have five cars capable of winning. I felt like it was only a matter of time. We should have done it earlier, but you can't control some things in racing."

Mark Wilkins was behind the wheel of the No. 61 AIM Autosport Ford- Riley Daytona Prototype when he came from third place down the backstretch to grab victory in the closest finish in Grand-Am Rolex Series history last weekend in Montreal. This weekend the Rolex Series heads to Watkins Glen, where Wilkins and his teammate, Brian Frisselle, are hoping for back-to- back wins.

-credit: ford racing