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BMW Team RLL – Sahlen’s Six Hour of the Glen Preview.

Woodcliff Lake, N.J. – June 23, 2015… Following an eight week break in TUDOR United SportsCar Championship action for teams participating in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, BMW Team RLL will restart their season at Watkins Glen International, in Watkins Glen, NY, on June 28th with the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen.

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2016 M6 GT3 and M235i Racing Cars to Make First North American Public Appearances.

 

Woodcliff Lake, N.J. – June 23, 2015… Following an eight week break in TUDOR United SportsCar Championship action for teams participating in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, BMW Team RLL will restart their season at Watkins Glen International, in Watkins Glen, NY, on June 28th with the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen.

Watkins Glen International this weekend will also be the site of the North American public reveal of the new BMW M6 GT3 and BMW M235i Racing cars. The M6 GT3 is BMW Motorsport's replacement of the Z4 GT3 that has seen so much professional and privateer success worldwide in recent years. The BMW M6 GT3 is currently in the testing phase and is expected to make its racing debut in 2016. The M235i Racing is planned to be made available to North American enthusiasts next year. Both cars will be on display at the BMWUSA Classic display along with the No. 25 3.0 CSL that gave BMW its first motorsport victory at Sebring in 1975 and the BMW of North America sponsored McLaren F1 GTR that raced at Le Mans in 1996.

With two wins (Long Beach-No. 25; Laguna Seca-No. 24) and an additional two runner-up finishes (Daytona-No. 25, Laguna Seca-No.25) in the first four races of the ten-event season, BMW Team RLL sits at the top of the GTLM class Manufacturer points standings by two markers over Chevrolet. The team stands second (No. 25) and third (No. 24) in Team points with co-drivers Bill Auberlen and Dirk Werner (No. 25) and John Edwards and Lucas Luhr (No. 24) second and third in Driver points respectively.

The team shoehorned in a productive two-day test on May 20-21 at Watkins Glen just days before many of the crew joined the RLL IndyCar team for the Indianapolis 500. Auberlen, Edwards and Luhr attended the test. More than 200 laps were run on the 3.4-mile, 11-turn circuit that hosted the United States Grand Prix from 1961 to 1980.

Last year, Andy Priaulx qualified the No. 55 Z4 on the class pole for the six-hour contest, but the team struggled with pace over the longer stints in the race - finishing sixth and tenth.

“Interestingly enough, I wasn’t confident about our abilities at Laguna Seca and yet obviously we had a pretty good result,” said Bobby Rahal, Team Principal. “Watkins Glen is a faster circuit than Laguna but it’s still all about handling so I actually feel somewhat better about our chances. Last year we qualified on pole at Watkins Glen but it was a difficult race for us, we had all kinds of issues with one car and we didn’t finish very well. I think it will be a tough, competitive race but I’m optimistic that if we minimize mistakes we can capture another podium.”

Bill Auberlen, driver, No. 25 BMW Z4 GTLM: “Testing at the Glen is a very important component to success in the Six Hour. The circuit is so long and challenging, with complicated corners like turn five and the Carousel that lead you onto the long straights, you need to understand exactly how to be your best. We have received some balance of performance upgrades this season that have benefited us and we must ensure we make proper use of them at the Glen.”

 

Dirk Werner, driver, No. 25 BMW Z4 GTLM: “I am very excited to drive at Watkins Glen in our next USCC race. I have some experience there with a win the GT class in the 2009 Grand Am race. I think I will need to get back in the rhythm a bit after not being in the car since Laguna Seca. But then I will, for sure, enjoy this great track. It has a good flow and some nice quick corners. But most important: We will keep pushing for good results!”

John Edwards, driver, No. 24 BMW Z4 GTLM: “Certainly the 1-2 finish at Laguna Seca was an important one for the team, possibly even more so than the win at Long Beach because it showed the performance of the Z4 is now more of a complete package. Watkins Glen is the acid test because we struggled there last season. We have to be solid in every stint and continue to post strong results.”

Lucas Luhr, driver, No. 24 BMW Z4 GTLM: “The Six Hour is always an excellent event - lots of fans and people camping along the circuit. I enjoy racing at the Glen. The team has continued to improve with every race. John and I got our first victory of the season at Laguna Seca and we are working hard for another.”

The Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen takes the green flag at 10:00 a.m. ET Sunday, June 28 and will be broadcast live on FOX Sports 1 from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. ET and FOX Sports 2 from 2:00 - 4:30 p.m. Follow BMW Team RLL on Twitter at @BMWUSARacing for “from-the-pit-box” updates all weekend.

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; Designworks, a strategic design consultancy based 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 and X4 Sports Activity Coupes.  The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 339 BMW passenger car and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 148 BMW motorcycle retailers, 123 MINI passenger car dealers, and 36 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.

The BMW Group

With its three brands, BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce, the BMW Group is the world’s leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles and also provides premium financial and mobility services.  As a global company, the BMW Group operates 30 production and assembly facilities in 14 countries and has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.

In 2014, the BMW Group sold approximately 2.118 million cars and 123,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax for the financial year 2013 was euro 7.91 billion on revenues amounting to approximately euro 76.06 billion. As of 31 December 2013, the BMW Group had a workforce of 110,351 employees.

The success of the BMW Group has always been built on long-term thinking and responsible action. The company has therefore established ecological and social sustainability throughout the value chain, comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to conserving resources as an integral part of its strategy.

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, CBS Late Show host David Letterman and Mi-Jack co-owner Mike Lanigan, has been competing for over two decades. Prior to the start of the 2015 season, the team had compiled 30 victories, 47 poles, 130 podium finishes, three series championships (1992, 2010, 2011) and claimed 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. The following year, the team won both the Manufacturer and Team Championships in the GT category and swept all three GT titles - Manufacturer, Team and Driver – in 2011. In 2012 the team finished second in the Team Championship and third in the Manufacturer Championship and in 2013, the team finished second in the Driver, Team and Manufacturer Championship. The 2014 season brought a new challenge with the creation of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship and the team finished on the podium six times including four second-place finishes. In 2015, the team will attempt to add to their 10 wins and 49 sports car podium finishes.

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Journalist note: Information about BMW Group and its products in the USA is available to journalists on-line at www.bmwgroupusanews.com and www.press.bmwna.com.

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