BMW Team RLL Finishes Third at ALMS Monterey
Müller Takes GT Driver Points Lead
Woodcliff Lake, N.J. – May 11, 2013 . . . Dirk Müller and John Edwards, driving the No. 56 BMW Z4 GTE, scored a third place finish in today's four-hour American Le Mans Monterey race. A second consecutive podium finish for the No. 56 machine and a win for the No. 55 car at Long Beach in only the third race of the new program keeps BMW in second place in the GT class manufacturer point standings and moves Müller to the top of the GT class driver points.
Müller started the car from the eighth starting position and by lap 27 had moved up to fourth. Just past the first hour, on lap 45, he moved to third and stayed there until handing off to Edwards on lap 57 during the race's third caution period. Edwards remained in third until what could only be considered as a move-of-the-race move gave him second with an in-an-out dodge through slower traffic. A mistake on a restart cost him one spot, but he held onto third for his first ALMS podium finish.
Unfortunately, the No. 55 Z4 GTE of Bill Auberlen and Maxime Martin suffered a broken differential shortly after the mid-point of the race and had to retire on lap 85. Auberlen started the car from the fifth position and ran strongly in third for most of his first stint. A pitstop to replace damaged rear body work dropped him back one lap, but he was back on the lead lap before handing off to Martin on lap 83. Only two laps later Martin was back in the pits in a cloud of oil smoke and, ultimately, out of the race.
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BMW Team RLL Finishes 1-2 at Long Beach
Z4 GTE wins in only second race of debut season.
Woodcliff Lake, N.J. – April 20, 2013 — The streets of Long Beach, California continue to be the favorite stomping grounds of BMW Team RLL as they finished 1-2 in today’s American Le Mans at Long Beach race. In only the second race for the new BMW Z4 GTE, the team beat a very competitive GT class field with excellent strategy set in place during the first hour of the two-hour contest around the 1.968-mile, 11-turn temporary street circuit. BMW Team RLL has finished with at least one car on the Long Beach podium, including a win from the pole in 2011, for five consecutive years. Today’s victory puts BMW in a tie with Chevrolet at the top of the GT Class Manufacturer points. The win was also the first for the new BMW-Michelin partnership.
Bill Auberlen and Maxime Martin, driving the Frozen Black No. 55 Z4 GTE, won the race, finishing 6.578 seconds ahead of the No. 56 Z4 GTE of Joey Hand and Dirk Müller.
Martin started in the No. 55 car from the fourth spot. A spin on lap two dropped him to the rear of the field, but the first of three long caution periods in the first hour of the race gave the 55 crew the chance to reverse their fortune. Pitting Martin after 25 minutes, on lap 16, Auberlen got behind the wheel with a full tank of fuel and new Michelins. During the second caution period Auberlen pitted twice more for fuel only. When the race went green with 44 minutes run, the die was cast for the veteran to not return to the pits for the remainder of the race. A third caution during which the rest of field pitted allowed for a bit more breathing room for fuel conservation and Auberlen to cycle to the second position as the race went green just past the first hour. On lap 66 with 15 minutes left in the race, Auberlen took the lead and drove to his first win at the Long Beach.
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Promising race debut: BMW Team RLL finishes fourth and seventh as
BMW Z4 GTE makes first appearance at 12 Hours of Sebring
Sebring – March 16, 2013 — For more than eight hours a top result was in reach for BMW Team RLL at the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) season opener at the “Sebring International Raceway” (US). While in the end technical problems in the final third of the race denied Bobby Rahal's (US) squad a shot at a possible podium finish, BMW Motorsport was able to draw a positive conclusion after the race debut of the newly developed BMW Z4 GTE. The two cars showed a promising pace, finishing fourth and seventh in the GT category after 12 hours.
Bill Auberlen (US), Maxime Martin (BE) and Jörg Müller (DE) were able to battle it out at the front of the field with the Frozen Black No. 55 BMW Z4 GTE for most of the endurance classic, before the trio lost time and positions due to an issue with the power steering. After 330 laps, final-stint driver Müller crossed the line in fourth. The No. 56 BMW Z4 GTE, driven by Dirk Müller (DE), Joey Hand (US) and John Edwards (US), delivered an equally strong race, even leading for several kilometers in the BMW Z4 GTE's maiden ALMS race. However, a problem with the front left strut with three and a half hours to go made repair work necessary. Dirk Müller lost many positions, dropping down from second. Hand ultimately took the checkered flag in seventh. Corvette's Oliver Gavin (GB), Tommy Milner (US) and Richard Westbrook (GB) claimed victory in the GT class.
Nevertheless, BMW Motorsport and BMW Team RLL had every reason to be satisfied with the first outing of the BMW Z4 GTE in race conditions – on one of North America's most challenging circuits. All six drivers, including the series newcomers Martin and Edwards, were able to record competitive lap times with the new car and challenge the strong competition at the front of the GT pack. In addition, the engineers collected valuable insights over the course of the weekend, which will now be used for further development of the car and getting it prepared for the second ALMS race at Long Beach (US) on April 20.
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BMW Powers Chip Ganassi Racing with
Felix Sabates to Victory at Rolex 24 at Daytona.
Woodcliff Lake, N.J. – January 27, 2013— The No. 01 Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates TELMEX/Target BMW Riley ended 24 hours of hard fought sports car racing at the 51st Rolex 24 At Daytona in the same position from which it started: First.
Starting from the pole-position, CGRFS co-drivers Scott Pruett, Charlie Kimball, Juan Pablo Montoya, and Memo Rojas completed 709 laps in the twice-around-the-clock endurance classic at the Daytona International Speedway to secure the famous pyramid-shaped trophy and Rolex watches. The car led a total of 420 laps and set the fastest lap of the race at 1:41.177 minutes on Lap 180.
The victory is the second overall Rolex 24 win for BMW with CGRFS. The first win came in 2011. Since the program began in 2010, the combination has combined for the GRANDAM Daytona Prototype Manufacturer’s championship in 2010 and 2011 and the Team and Driver titles (Pruett and Rojas) in 2010, 2011 and 2012.
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BMW Team RLL Finish 3rd and 4th at Petit Le Mans.
Woodcliff Lake, N.J. – October 21, 2012 — BMW Team RLL finished its fourth season of American Le Mans Series competition with third and fourth place GT class finishes at the 15th annual 1,000-mile Petit Le Mans. The team’s seventh podium finish of the year, that included victories at Sebring and Road America, gave BMW third place in the GT class Manufacturer’s Championship. BMW Team RLL finished second in the Team Championship.
Bill Auberlen, Jörg Müller and Jonathan Summerton co-drove the No. 55 BMW M3 GT to a third-place finish in today’s race, completing 374 laps of the 2.54-mile Road Atlanta circuit. The result was the fourth podium finish of the season for the No. 55 machine. Auberlen and Müller shared the win at Road America.
The No. 56 machine was shared by Dirk Müller, Uwe Alzen and Summerton. The trio finished fourth, completing 373 laps to make it three podium finishes for the No. 56 M3 GT this season, including the victory at the season-opening 12 Hours of Sebring.
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BMW Team RLL Finish 4th and 9th at Virginia International Raceway
Woodcliff Lake, N.J. — September 15, 2012 — BMW Team RLL finished the inaugural American Le Mans Series race at Virginia International Raceway with the No. 55 M3 GT of Bill Auberlen and Jörg Müller in fourth place and the No. 56 M3 GT of Dirk Müller and Jonathan Summerton in ninth place. The disappointing result ended the team's drive for a third consecutive GT class championship as Corvette Racing clinched the 2012 GT titles.
For the second consecutive race, a first turn altercation after the race start between prototype cars brought out the yellow flag and caused the balance of the field to scramble behind them. Müller, starting from the outside of the GT class front row, was forced onto the grass on driver's left and fell back to the tenth position. Auberlen, who had started from the seventh spot, had a bit more time to react and took to the grass on the inside of the corner, moving up to fourth. The two M3 GTs raced mid-field before pitting just before the races second yellow flag waved. Auberlen came in on lap 28 to hand off to Jörg Müller. Four laps later and just past the one hour mark Müller entered the pits and Jonathan Summerton took over. With one-and-one-half hours complete, Summerton held the third spot. Müller was two positions back in fifth. As the clock ticked past the mid-point of the race Summerton continued to hold the third spot. Müller was sixth.
Jörg Müller pitted the No. 56 M3 GT on lap 63 for fuel and new Dunlop tires. He remained in the car for a second stint. Summerton pitted five laps later to hand the No. 56 back to Dirk Müller. With one-and-one-half hours remaining the No. 56 held onto second, only some seven seconds behind the leader. The No. 55 moved up to fifth.
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BMW Team RLL Finishes Fourth and Eighth at Baltimore
Woodcliff Lake, N.J. — September 1, 2012 — BMW Team RLL experienced a disappointing day at the Baltimore Sports Car Challenge after a controversial call by the race steward took the lead of the race away from the No. 55 M3 GT on lap 21 with a one minute penalty for avoidable contact. Ultimately finishing in eighth place, the call ended what could have been a great day for Bill Auberlen and Jörg Müller.
The No. 56 M3 GT of Joey Hand and Dirk Müller finished fourth after starting from the rear of the field. The move was required after the team elected to change to a new set of Dunlop tires for the race. Hand started the car and by lap 15 had moved up to sixth. Pitting from fourth on lap 26 he handed off to Müller. Müller challenged for third a number of times but was unable to make it stick, finishing fourth at the checkered flag.
The first 20 laps of Jörg Müller's race were outstanding. He started the No. 55 M3 GT on the outside of the front row and made it through a first turn of spinning prototype class cars with only minor damage. He moved to second as the race went back to green and on lap nine he took the lead with a quick-thinking, inside move in turn one after the leader was held up. Twelve laps later he was forced to the pits to serve the penalty that was determined to occur in the front straight chicane.
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BMW Team RLL Wins Road America for the Third Time in Four Years
Woodcliff Lake, N.J. — August 18, 2012 — For the third time in four seasons of American Le Mans Series competition, BMW Team RLL drove a BMW M3 GT across the Road America finish line first to win the four–hour Road America Road Race Showcase.
Today it was Bill Auberlen and Jörg Müller who took the GT class victory in the No. 55 BMW M3 GT, racing past the checkered flag 2.63 seconds ahead of the No. 45 Porsche and the balance of the 13-car class. The duo completed 97 laps of the 4.048-mile circuit in the four-hour contest. Auberlen, who took the program's very first win here with Joey Hand in 2009, started the race from the fourth position. He drove the opening 21 laps before handing off to Müller just before the race's first full-course caution period. Müller cycled to the front as the balance of the field pitted and then drove 30 laps before pitting from the fifth spot to hand the No. 55 machine back to Auberlen. The Californian was forced back to the pits only one lap later to tighten the left rear wheel. He returned to the race in 11th with only the Team RLL mantra "Focus Forward" in mind as he stormed up to fourth-place in 17 laps. Auberlen pitted on lap 76 for new Dunlop tires and fuel, returning in fifth and, as luck would have it, just before the race's third full-course caution flag flew. With 38 minutes to go he cycled to the lead as the race went back to green. One more yellow flag slowed the race, but Auberlen was not to be beaten.
The No. 56 M3 GT of Dirk Müller and Jonathan Summerton ultimately finished 10th after Müller was forced off course by a competitor two laps before the finish and was unable to continue. The incident dashed team hopes for a 1-2 BMW finish as the cars had been running in that order near the closing stage of the race.
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BMW Team RLL Finishes Third and Fifth at Mid-Ohio;
No. 55 BMW M3 GT wins Michelin Green X Challenge
Woodcliff Lake, NJ - August 4, 2012 — Bill Auberlen and Jörg Müller drove the No. 55 BMW Team RLL M3 GT to a third-place GT class finish in today's 2.45-hour American Le Mans Series Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge after starting the race from the pole position. The finish also netted the No. 55 M3 GT its second Michelin Green X Challenge trophy of the season. BMW Team RLL teammates Joey Hand and Dirk Müller finished fifth in the No. 56 M3 GT after starting from seventh.
The team's fourth podium finish of the season keeps BMW second in Manufacturer points, 20 points behind Chevrolet. Hand and Müller, the 2011 class driver co-champions, move back to second in Driver points. Auberlen and Jörg Müller hold onto sixth place.
"With all the restrictions the series has placed upon us, and the freedoms they have given to the competition, we are just not fast enough, "said Bobby Rahal, Team Principal. "There is an obvious imbalance evident in the last few races and I hope that the ALMS will do the right thing. When you know you don't have the pace you have to rely on strategy and luck. This week the Corvette had an incident and we got lucky again. We need to get back to fair and equal footing and give these guys a run for their money."
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BMW Team RLL – Finish Fourth and Eighth at Grand Prix of Mosport
July 22, 2012 — BMW Team RLL persevered through today's 2.45-hour American Le Mans Series Grand Prix of Mosport to finish fourth and eighth in the GT class. Limited by technical regulations that have reduced the M3 GT's top speed, the fans that lined Mosport's 2.459 miles were unable to watch the 2010 and 2011 GT class champions in their familiar positions at the front of the field.
Joey Hand and Dirk Müller were fourth at the checkered flag in the No. 56 M3 GT to stay third in the GT driver standings. Müller started the car from the sixth position and ran as high as third before pitting on lap 30 for fuel and tires. On lap 62 he pitted to turn the car over to Joey Hand. Hand pitted once more for tires and fuel in the final 49 laps of the race, but was unable to move up to a podium finishing position for the third consecutive race.
Bill Auberlen and Jörg Müller finished eighth in the No. 55 M3 GT. Auberlen started the car from the third spot and took advantage of the race's first caution period to pit for fuel and tires on lap 14. Running as high as second he was only seven seconds behind the class leader at the one hour mark. Forced to the pits under green on lap 51 for new tires he handed off to Jörg Müller who returned to the race in the ninth spot one lap down to the leaders. Müller moved up to sixth before needing new tires just before the two-hour mark. He rejoined the race in the eight spot, holding that position to the checkered flag. Auberlen and Müller remain sixth in GT driver points.
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BMW Team RLL – Lime Rock Park ALMS Preview;
Bill Auberlen Set to Make 100th ALMS Start
July 2, 2012 — BMW Team RLL will bring a streak of three consecutive podium finishes in the first three races of the 2012 season, including a win at the 12 Hours of Sebring, to the July 7th American Le Mans Series Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park, in Lakeville, Conn. Since the team's 2009 season debut at least one BMW Team RLL M3 has finished on the podium at BMW of North America's home track. A third place finish in 2009 led to a double podium 2-3 result in 2010. Last year's eventual GT driver co-champions Joey Hand and Dirk Müller won the race after starting from the pole and leading every lap.
Often described as a "bull ring," Lime Rock Park's 1.5 miles is a fast ride through just seven corners. Only turn three is left-handed. In fact, it will take longer to read this release than Joey Hand's record setting pole time last year of 50.925 seconds.
Hand and Müller currently stand second in GT driver points following a win (with Jonathan Summerton) at Sebring, a second place finish at Long Beach and a fourth place finish at Laguna Seca in the No. 56 BMW Team RLL M3.
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BMW Victories in Daytona Prototype, GT and
Street Tuner Highlight First Half of 2012 Grand-Am Season
June 26, 2012 — With seven races of the 13 race 2102 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series complete, BMW Power is back on top of the Daytona Prototype class. It is familiar territory for 2010 and 2011 class champion Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS) drivers Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas, but this season has been very different than the domination shown in previous years where the duo won 14 of 24 races.
A myriad of rules changes combined with new designs introduced by the competition had held the No. 01 BMW Riley to four podium finishes (two-seconds, two-thirds) in the first six races of the year, but the team broke through at the Road America 250 on June 23rd for their first victory of the year. Pruett and Rojas now hold a five point lead in the driver point standings and CGRFS leads the team points by an equal amount.
CGRFS recently announced the entry of a second BMW Powered Daytona Prototype for the inaugural Grand-Am race at the storied Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 27th. The No. 02 Chevron sponsored entry will be driven by 2000 Indy 500 winner Juan Pablo Montoya and 2012 Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 winner Jamie McMurray.
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BMW Team RLL Finish Third and Fourth at Laguna Seca
May 12, 2012 — Although both BMW Team RLL M3 GTs led the GT class for a significant part of the six-hour American Le Mans Monterey race, they ultimately finished in the third and fourth positions.
Bill Auberlen and Jörg Müller completed 232 laps of the 2.238-mile, 11-turn Laguna Seca circuit bringing the No. 55 BMW M3 GT home in third place, scoring their first podium together and delivering the team's third consecutive podium of the season.
Joey Hand and Dirk Müller finished just behind their teammates in fourth place. Both drivers were on the receiving end of aggressive contact by competitors during the race, with Hand getting the worst of it while leading. Rear ended by the second place Corvette just past the mid-race mark, the No. 56 M3 GT would ultimately lose the rear fascia and diffuser affecting the car's aerodynamic balance for the remainder of the race.
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BMW Team RLL at Long Beach; Four Years – Four Podiums
April 14, 2012 — With a second place GT class finish by the
No. 56 BMW Team RLL M3 GT in today's American Le Mans Series at Long Beach race, BMW is tied for the manufacturer's point lead. The second podium of the young ALMS season for Joey Hand and Dirk Müller solidifies their lead in the driver's standings.
The defending GT driver co-champions started the race from the class pole with Hand at the wheel of the No. 56 BMW M3 GT. Hand led the race for the opening 16 laps until a prototype ran into him causing a puncture of the right rear tire. Hand pitted for fuel and four new tires, returning to the race in the seventh position. The race's only caution period brought him back to the pits on lap 41 where Bobby Rahal made a bold strategic move to not change tires and jump the field in the pits to send the BMW Motorsport driver out in the lead. Müller lost the lead, but drove a strong stint to extend BMW Team RLL's Long Beach podium streak to four years.
Teammates Bill Auberlen and Jörg Müller, driving the No. 55 M3 GT, finished out of the points in 11th. Müller, making his first start at Long Beach, was the victim of a first lap accident that forced him to the pits for lengthy repairs to replace the radiator. He returned 13 laps down to the leaders, but put his head down, setting some of the fastest laps of that part of the race. He handed off to Auberlen during the race's only caution period and the Californian, who podiumed here in both 2009 and 2010, did not disappoint his home race fans as he circulated at a very fast pace until the checkered flag.
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BMW Team RLL — Long Beach ALMS Preview
April 9, 2012 — Following a four–week intermission after BMW Team RLL's GT class victory at the 12 Hours of Sebring American Le Mans Series curtain-raiser, the second act of the team's ALMS GT class title defense will be set in the streets of Long Beach, California on April 14.
Last year Joey Hand and Dirk Müller had starring roles as Long Beach race winners and, ultimately, GT class driver's champions. This year's story has begun much as the last with Hand and Müller sharing a second consecutive Sebring 12 Hour victory – this time supported by Jonathan Summerton, of Kissimmee, Fla., as third driver.
Only two hours long, the Long Beach race is not only the shortest of the season, but the tight confines of the 1.968–mile, 11–turn temporary street circuit set a stage for high drama and conflict.
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BMW Team RLL claims 12 Hours of Sebring GT victory for a
second consecutive year.
March 17 2012. — Sebring, March 17th 2012. BMW Team RLL had an excellent start
to the 2012 American Le Mans Series season. At the 60th running of the 12 Hours of Sebring
(US) the No. 56 BMW M3 GT claimed overall victory in the GT class after 307 laps of
the "Sebring International Raceway" and a dramatic final stage of the race. Over the
course of the thrilling marathon, Dirk Müller (DE), Joey Hand (US) and Jonathan
Summerton (US) shared the driving duties. Last year, Müller and Hand (along with
Andy Priaulx) crossed the line as winners in the BMW M3 GT at the season opener.
The sister BMW M3 GT, Number 155, was driven by Jörg Müller (DE), Bill Auberlen
(US) and Uwe Alzen (DE). The trio finished the race, which saw a combined field of
ALMS GT cars and FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) GTE entries, in fifth
overall and scored fourth place points in ALMS GT class.
Summerton experienced a perfect debut in sports car racing by making it to the top
step of the podium. With today's win, a BMW M3 has now emerged victorious in the
GT class of this event for the fourth time: 1997, 1998, 2011 and 2012. BMW
claimed overall victory in 1975 with the BMW 3.0 CSL, as well as with the BMW V12
LMR in 1999. With BMW M celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, this historic win
comes as the perfect present.
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BMW Team RLL kicks off the 2012 ALMS season in Sebring
Mar 12, 2012 — Munich, March 12th 2012. BMW Team RLL launches the defense of its titles in the GT class of the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) at the 12 Hours of Sebring (US) this Saturday. The "Sebring International Raceway" is the oldest circuit in North America and this year hosts the spectacular endurance race for the 60th time.
This is not the only important anniversary this year: BMW M is celebrating its 40th birthday in 2012. A BMW M3 has triumphed in the GT class at Sebring on four occasions — 1997, 1998, 2001 and 2011. BMW also has two overall victories to its name. In 1975 the BMW 3.0 CSL won in Florida, while the BMW V12 LMR prototype crossed the line first after 12 hours in 1999.
Joey Hand (US) and Dirk Müller (DE) return to the ALMS as reigning GT champions. This year they will once again alternate behind the wheel of the No. 56 BMW M3 GT. Twenty-three year old Jonathan Summerton (US) will join them as the third driver in Sebring, and will also line up at a further three races over the course of the season.
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