BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team on One Fast Road Trip

Woodcliff Lake, N.J. – August 18, 2010… When the BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team transporters leave their Hilliard Ohio headquarters on August 18th, it will be for two races on back-to-back weekends at two of the longest and fastest road courses in North America. First is Road America on August 20 -22. The 4.0-mile, 14-turn circuit in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin was the site of the team’s first 2009 victory.  Only three days later, testing begins for the August 27 – 29 Grand Prix of Mosport in Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada. The Mosport round is the only ALMS race north of the border this season.

Each classic circuit represents the essence of sports car racing in North America and their respective configurations remain largely unchanged since the first green flags flew in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

Both races will be televised live on SPEED, beginning at 3 p.m. ET, on August 22 (Road America) and August 29 (Mosport).

The BMW M3 GT is the only competitor in the ultra-competitive GT class to have reached the podium in all six races this season and thus stands tied for the lead in Manufacturer and Team points.

No. 92 M3 GT drivers Bill Auberlen and Tommy Milner stand third in Driver points. The duo has only failed to reach the podium once in the first six races of the season. Joey Hand and Dirk Müller, in the No. 90 M3 GT, are fourth in Driver points, with three podium finishes to-date.

Team Statements

“Last year, we dominated at Road America,” said Martin Birkmann, BMW of North America Motorsport Manager. “It will be impossible to do any better but we’ll certainly look to continue our string of podiums. A repeat visit to the top step of the podium is naturally the most desirable outcome. The lower drag of the new aerodynamic body kit will hopefully prove its worth on the long straights and high-speed sweeper turns at both circuits. The competition is at an incredible level and I believe the team that makes the fewest mistakes will come away victorious.”

"These two races are obviously vital to our team and our championship hopes and we are expecting to make a good showing in both events," said Bobby Rahal, Team Principal. "There is very little room for error and we need to position ourselves well for the season finale at Road Atlanta, since it pays more points than a standard race weekend."

Bill Auberlen, Driver, No. 92 M3 GT: “Returning to the site of our first team victory is exciting.  I can't wait to try out the new bodywork, the new Dunlop tires, and all the little tweaks that the guys at the shop have come up with over the past year.  I must say my hopes of being on the top step of the podium are at an all time high.”

Tommy Milner, Driver, No. 92 M3 GT: “The next two races are huge for our team. The championship is as close as you can get and we need a win to break out. Anything can happen by the time we get to the Petit Le Mans, so we need to put ourselves in the best position at every race.”

Joey Hand, Driver, No. 90 M3 GT: “This part of the season has my four favorite tracks in a row, Lime Rock, Mid Ohio, Road America, and Mosport.  It’s a stretch of great tracks that suit our BMW M3 GT. Road America is one of my personal favorites.  It’s a special and rare kind of track- long straights and high speed corners. Like Mosport, handling is the key. I am really excited about the next few weeks. It will be our best opportunity for a win.”

Dirk Müller, Driver, No. 90 M3 GT: “I am very much looking forward to Road America. This track comes closest to my favorite track, the Nürburgring Nordschleife. We had a very glamorous race at Road America last year and I believe that our BMW M3 GT suits this track very well. We are all pushing hard and with another great team effort we will able to finish up high.”

About BMW Rahal Letterman Racing:

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, 336 BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 143 BMW motorcycle retailers, 99 MINI passenger car dealers, and 31 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.

BMW’s partner, 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 joined BMW of North America to campaign the BMW M3 as BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team in the American Le Mans Series.

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Journalist note: Information about the BMW Group and its products is available to journalists on-line at www.bmwusanews.com.  Information about Rahal Letterman Racing is available via the Internet at: www.rahal.com

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