BMW Team RLL - Mosport ALMS Preview

Woodcliff Lake, N.J. – July 17, 2012… Round five of the ten race 2012 American Le Mans Series will be held at Mosport International Raceway on July 22 at the newly renovated Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, in Bowmansville Ontario, Canada. Mosport is a very fast 2.459-mile, 10-turn circuit that has challenged drivers since 1961 and has only given up two third place finishes to BMW Team RLL in the previous three seasons of ALMS competition.

Following a streak of three consecutive podium finishes in the first three races of the season, including a win at the 12 Hours of Sebring, BMW Team RLL had a difficult day at the most recent race at Lime Rock Park. With only a fifth and sixth place finish, BMW stands second in manufacturer points, trailing Chevrolet by 10 points. BMW Team RLL is second in ALMS team points. Joey Hand and Dirk Müller are third in driver points. Teammates Bill Auberlen and Jörg Müller stand sixth.

“Mosport has been one of our most challenging races every year in terms of getting the results we have been capable of,” said Bobby Rahal, Team Principal. “We have qualified well but haven’t earned the finishes we deserved. Last year we were in the lead with 15 minutes to go and we made contact with a competitor.  As a result we were given a drive through penalty which ended our chances for a victory. Hopefully this year we won’t make those kinds of mistakes.”

Commenting on the challenges ahead in the second half of the season Rahal continued, “The ALMS made a number of changes to the specifications of our competition even as recently as the last race.  As a result, our car has suffered in terms of the performance it had at one point. The Corvettes are very strong.  The Ferrari’s have been given bigger restrictors at the last race which will have much more of an effect at Mosport than it would at Lime Rock Park so that will be a difficult challenge for us.  Porsche has always run well there and they have been given a number of upgrades over the course of this year so I think it will be a tough race for us given all of that. All we can do is do our best. Frankly, we really seem to be competing against Corvette at this point in time in terms of the championship.  However, having said that, Porsche won the last race and I don’t think we can take our eyes off of them either.”

Bill Auberlen, driver No. 55 M3 GT – “I finished third at Mosport in the past two seasons, but we should have been higher up on the podium. Mosport always offers many challenges, but every real driver accepts them because to race hard and finish well there is something that does not happen often.”

J ö rg M ü ller, driver No. 55 M3 GT – “Mosport is the fastest track on our calendar and aerodynamics is the most important thing there. All the corners are quick and this should suit our BMW M3 GT. I'm really looking forward to come back to Canada. JJ Lehto and I finished second in 2000 in the V12 LMR and won there in 2001 in our BMW M3 GTR.”

Joey Hand, driver No. 56 M3 GT – “In previous years we’ve had the speed at Mosport, but, for a host of reasons, not the success. This year because of the strength our tire partner Dunlop has demonstrated at races like Sebring and Long Beach, I think we can add one more ingredient to the mix that may change things in our favor. These races are so competitive that having a tire that we can push longer in a stint or know that we can splash-and-go towards the end of the race without changing tires may just make the difference we need.”

Dirk M ü ller, driver No. 56 M3 GT – “I always enjoy racing at Mosport. We have been quick there and over the last three years I have been twice on pole. This race is a tough one and we need to work together to achieve a good result. The really important time in the championship has started and we need to score every point we can.”

The 2.45-hour Grand Prix of Mosport race is the fifth round of the 2012 ALMS championship. The race will take the green flag at 12:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 22. ESPN2 will air the race same-day beginning at 1:00 p.m. ET. Live streaming coverage is available starting at 11:45 a.m. ET on ESPN3.com.

The Series’ website offers additional content such as live in-car cameras, and timing and scoring for all users around the world. Viewers outside the U.S. can watch all ALMS races live on ALMS.com.

About BMW Team RLL:

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 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, 139 BMW motorcycle retailers, 113 MINI passenger car dealers, and 32 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. In 2010 the team won both the Manufacturer and Team Championships in the GT category. In 2011 the team swept all three GT titles - Manufacturer, Team and Driver.

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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 @BMWUSARacing and on Facebook at BMWUSA.

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

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