BMW TEAM RLL: BALTIMORE GRAND PRIX PREVIEW

Woodcliff Lake, N.J. – August 30, 2011… This Labor Day Weekend, GT class leading BMW Team RLL travels to the inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix for the second street race of the 2011 American Le Mans Series season.  The long established race on the streets of Long Beach, California has been part of the series for years, but the newly constructed temporary 2.0-mile circuit winding through the streets of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor area will be brand new to teams, drivers and fans alike.

The No. 56 BMW Team RLL M3 GT of Joey Hand and Dirk Mϋller won this April’s Long Beach race from the pole – the victory part of a three race win streak to start off the nine-race season. With two fourth place finishes and a return to the podium at the most recent race at Road America, the duo continues to lead the GT driver standings by a margin of 22 points.

Teammates Bill Auberlen and Dirk Werner stand third in GT driver standings – only 6 points from second – after a run of three consecutive podium finishes in the No. 55 M3 GT.

With two-thirds of the season now complete, BMW Team RLL stands at the top of every GT championship category and looks to add the driver title to the Manufacturer and Team championships won in 2010.

 “We have three races left in the season and there are some very good cars and great drivers that are trying to knock BMW Team RLL out of the top spot in the standings. We have to be ready to deal with the best efforts that these teams have to offer, because time is running short,” said Bobby Rahal, Team Principal. “Baltimore is the only wild card left on the schedule, and we will all be starting from scratch on this new road-course layout. We are expecting a good turnout and great support from the fans in the Maryland/Washington D.C. area and we hope to give all the BMW fans a reason to cheer on Saturday.”

Bill Auberlen, driver No. 55 M3 GT – “We have all looked at the track sketches for the new circuit and prepared as best we can, but at the end of the day it’s a mystery for all of us. Our advantage will be BMW Team RLL’s ability to analyze the first data collected and make the right changes fast. Dirk and I are gaining in points every race so we’ll keep our heads down and try to gain more.”

Dirk Werner, driver No. 55 M3 GT – “I hope that the upward trend we had at the last races – especially with our car – will continue. After three consecutive podiums we are heading in a good direction in the championship. We are close to the second place in the overall classification. And we aim to get this second position with a good result at Baltimore. The track itself is new for everyone. So it will be crucial who can adapt quickest to the new conditions. We already raced on a street course this year, at Long Beach. There, our car was fast, and that makes me confident that this will be the case at Baltimore as well.”

Joey Hand, driver No. 56 M3 GT – “This new race in Baltimore comes at a great time for us. We’re leading the championship, we’re on top of our game and ready for a new challenge.  I have always been an outspoken lover of a street race. The limits are tighter. The margins are inches, not feet. I’m looking forward to the same success we had at Long Beach. In Baltimore everything will be new except how BMW Team RLL prepares. Top to bottom this is the talent a driver wants behind him. From the gear stacks to set ups they get it right faster. This race will be about who is the quickest - the quickest. We will be those guys.”

Dirk Müller, driver No. 56 M3 GT - “I am still smiling about the great weekend BMW Team RLL had at Road America. At this stage of the season we do not necessarily need to win every race, but we need to try and get good points. And what happened in that four hour race – that was motor racing at its best. I am glad to be a part of it. Now I am really looking forward to Baltimore, as I like the challenge of new tracks and am a big fan of street racing. Baltimore combines both. There are not many possibilities to prepare for this race, but the team gave us drawings of the track which I studied intensely. At first sight, the track looks quite easy, but there can be tricky blind corners. As this circuit does not exist anywhere, you cannot drive it in a simulator. I am really optimistic about this weekend. Joey, me and the whole team are absolutely on our toes. We have one target - to extend our lead in the championship.”

Practice and qualifying for the Baltimore Grand Prix will be held on Friday, Sept. 2. The two-hour race is scheduled to take the green flag at 4:30 p.m. ET Saturday, Sept. 3. The race will be broadcast live on ESPN3.com and rebroadcast on ABC at 4:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, Sept 4.

About BMW Team RLL:

BMW Group In America

BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975.  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 and X3 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 and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 138 BMW motorcycle retailers, 105 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.

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing

BMW’s partner, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, based in Hilliard, Ohio and co-owned by three-time IndyCar Champion and 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal, Mi-Jack co-owner Mike Lanigan and CBS LATE SHOW host David Letterman, has been competing for nearly two decades, compiling 22 victories, 31 poles and two series championships (1992, 2010) as well as claiming an Indianapolis 500 victory (Buddy Rice in 2004). In 2009 the team joined BMW of North America to campaign the new BMW M3 in the American Le Mans Series and in 2010 won both the Manufacturer and Team Championships in the GT category.

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Journalist note:

Information about the BMW and its products is available to journalists on-line at www.bmwusanews.com.  

Video interviews and on-board clips are available at www.youtube.com/BMWNAMotorsport.

Follow BMW Team RLL on Twitter at @ BMWNA_Racing and on Facebook at BMWUSA.

Information about Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing is available via at: www.rahal.com.

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