MILNER AND MÜLLER RACE NO. 92 BMW RAHAL LETTERMAN RACING TEAM M3 TO SECOND IN GT2 AT ST. PETE

St. Petersburg, Fla. – April 4, 2009… Tommy Milner and Dirk Müller raced the No. 92 BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team M3 to a second place GT2 class finish today at the Acura Sports Car Challenge of St. Petersburg. The duo completed 86 laps in the one-hour-and-fifty-five minute race. The podium finish was the first for the Milner/Müller duo and for the new BMW of North America M3 racing program.
The race began under bright Florida sunshine with Bill Auberlen starting the No. 90 M3 from third and Tommy Milner behind the wheel of the No. 92 M3, fourth on the grid. Both M3s settled into the fourth and fifth spots as the race passed the 30-minute mark. Auberlen was the first to pit on lap 28. After a quick pit stop for tires and fuel, Joey Hand attempted to pull away, but the car would not fire. The crew performed some quick diagnostics, but unfortunately the No. 90 M3 was retired.
Milner had moved the No. 92 M3 into third before pitting on lap 35. Müller returned to the race in fourth, but was soon back in a podium position as the race slowed for the only caution period of the day just before the one hour mark.
One lap before the restart, Müller ducked into the pits to tighten a loosening suspension bolt. The stop dropped No. 92 back to fourth, 10 seconds behind third. With 20 minutes remaining Müller charged up to the rear bumper of the car in third. Two minutes later he took over third and set his sights on the car in second place, only one second ahead. On lap 70, Müller raced into second place, holding the position for BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team’s first podium finish.
Round Three of the 2009 American Le Mans Series, the Grand Prix of Long Beach, will take place on April 17 – 18.
Tommy Milner, driver No. 92 BMW M3 (second):
“It is wonderful to show what the M3 is capable of. Our car was almost perfect the entire race. Only one little hiccup with something loose in the front. The tires were awesome. Dunlop is really behind us. This podium feels great after our rough start at Sebring.”

Dirk Mueller, driver No. 92 BMW M3 (second):
“What a thrilling day to realize the first podium for BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team! Tommy did a great first stint. He was driving like a machine, with a great machine below him. We had to make a safety check and dropped to P4 or 5. It was a great fight back to second. I enjoyed racing my last year’s teammate. It was as if I could read his mind at every moment and that was an advantage. Dunlop gave me a perfect tire. It was a different compound than Tommy was using because of the heat we had on the track. It was absolutely awesome, so the corners were really so much fun. Congratulations to the team for a well-deserved second place.”

Bobby Rahal, team principal:

“I am very pleased for BMW and the team. All the hard work from BMW Motorsport, BMW of North America, and Dunlop really paid off today. While we are disappointed that the No. 90 didn’t finish, we look forward to Long Beach and our continuing improvement.”

Martin Birkmann, BMW of North America, LLC Motorsports Manager:

“Expectations are very high for this program and it’s a great morale boost to see we have the car, the team and the tires. I want to thank our partners in Dunlop. They completed very strategic testing and a development plan that has born fruit today. We were very strong on both sets of tires in the 92 car and ultimately that has helped us in securing our first podium. We know we have the ingredients and in two weeks at Long Beach we will fight for the podium again. Unfortunately the No. 90 car did not finish today. I am disappointed for Bill and Joey, but we still are facing teething problems.”

About Rahal Letterman Racing:
Rahal Letterman Racing, based in Hilliard, Ohio and co-owned by three-time IndyCar Champion and 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal and CBS LATE SHOW host David Letterman, has been competing for more than a decade compiling 20 victories, 30 poles and one series championship (Bobby Rahal in 1992 in CART) and an Indianapolis 500 championship (Buddy Rice in 2004). In 2008 Rahal Letterman Racing again won Rookie-of-the-Year honors at the Indianapolis 500 and partnered with Andersen Racing to run two entries in the Indy Pro Series. In 2009 the team has joined BMW of North America to campaign the new BMW M3 as BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team in the American Le Mans Series and will serve as the organizers of the Formula BMW Americas championship.

BMW Group In America
BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003. The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and the Rolls-Royce brand of Motor Cars; DesignworksUSA, a strategic design consultancy in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is part of BMW Group’s global manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all X5 Sports Activity Vehicles and X6 Sports Activity Coupes. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 338 BMW passenger car centers, 335 BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 142 BMW motorcycle retailers, 83 MINI passenger car dealers, and 30 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group’s sales headquarters for North America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.
Information about BMW Group products is available to consumers via the Internet at:

www.bmwgroupna.com
www.bmwusa.com
www.bmwmotorcycles.com
www.miniusa.com
www.rolls-roycemotorcars.com

Journalist note: Information about the BMW Group and its products is available to journalists on-line at the BMW Group PressClub at the following address: www.press.bmwgroup.com.