BMW Team RLL - 12 Hours of Sebring Preview.

Woodcliff Lake, N.J. – March 14, 2017… The 65th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring will see a determined BMW Team RLL continue to work to increase the competitiveness of the BMW M6 GTLM racing car. Now in its second season of IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship competition with the M6, the team has increased its effort to address issues that have kept the car from equaling its best result, a second-place finish after qualifying 1-2 one year ago at the Sebring International Raceway.

BMW Team RLL began the season in late January at the Rolex 24 At Daytona with a best finish of eighth-place by the No. 19 M6 BMW Art Car by John Baldessari, driven by Bill Auberlen, Alexander Sims, Augusto Farfus and Bruno Spengler. With the No. 19 M6 now retired and a permanent part of the BMW Art Car Collection, it has been replaced for Sebring with a new No. 25 M6 that will be driven by Auberlen, Sims and Kuno Wittmer. The No. 24 M6 will be piloted by John Edwards, Martin Tomczyk and Nick Catsburg.

The venerable Sebring circuit and the 12-hour event set the stage for BMW’s very first GT win in the States in 1975 as well as four more GT class victories in 1997, 1998, 2011 and 2012. An overall win was scored in 1999 by the BMW V12 LMR prototype.

"We've always had a good performance at Sebring,” commented Bobby Rahal, Team Principal. “Since our relationship began with BMW, we have won the race a couple of times. Last year we had a podium with the M6 in its first year which was great.  Based on our history and based on last year I feel we can be reasonably positive about the race. Sebring is the toughest race on the schedule by far. It’s a matter of survival as much as anything else. There have been some BoP adjustments made over the field and as a result of those, we feel somewhat positive as well as hopeful for a problem-free race.  We always love going to Sebring. It really is the most historic endurance race on our schedule. Winning there, for me personally, is something that has always been very special.  We look forward to the weekend and seeing what we can do."

Bill Auberlen, driver No. 25 BMW M6 GTLM: “My memories of Sebring go back to when I was a kid, 17 years old, and crewing for my Dad’s Porsche. I built the engines for the car and did what ever had to be done as a member of the team. Dad won the 12 Hour in 1985 and I held up his sign board every lap. Ten years later I was back at Sebring - now a driver - in an Alex Job Porsche and won. That win, with my dad and mom there - on the 10th anniversary of my father’s victory - is my fondest Sebring memory and one of my favorite racing memories in my long career.  I scored two more class wins at the 12 Hour with BMW in 1997 and 1998 and have raced the 12-Hour more than 20 times now. Last season, I scored the GTLM class pole in the all-new M6. While GT cars have changed significantly in the last two decades, the Sebring circuit remains the same in almost every respect. An experienced driver with a sympathetic ear to what a racing car needs and can do there is a large component of success at Sebring.”

Alexander Sims, driver No. 25 BMW M6 GTLM: “With one US race (Daytona) now under my belt I’m feeling more accustomed to the racing environment in the States. But, I’m told Sebring can be a bit of a wildcard - no place like it anywhere. The circuit is certainly bumpy - on a par with the Nordschliefe, but I’m really looking forward to everything the 12 Hour offers.”

Kuno Wittmer, driver No. 25 BMW M6 GTLM: “I have moved over to drive with Bill and Alexander for Sebring. The seat position in the No. 24 M6 is more suited for John and Martin so I was sitting too low for my liking. Sebring magnifies everything. The bumps seem bigger, the circuit rougher and the way the competition is in the GTLM class you must stay on the lead lap, forcing you to race every lap as if this was a sprint race.”

John Edwards, driver No. 24 BMW M6 GTLM: “We had two good days of testing in February, but Sebring is always a tough race, especially because the race ends at night. Those last few hours really count. The circuit is very dark in comparison to Daytona. It’s a tough race but I’m looking forward to it.”

Martin Tomczyk, driver No. 24 BMW M6 GTLM: “This will be my first Sebring 12 Hour race. After the disappointment of Daytona I hope all of our post-race investigation and recent testing will prove the capability of the M6. This is a fabulous place to drive. It is far different than Europe’s shiny circuits.

Nick Catsburg, driver No. 24 BMW M6 GTLM: “This will be my second 12-hour race at Sebring, the first with BMW. Hopefully, we will have a better weekend than Daytona (DNF). We certainly have tested hard so I am optimistic for the race. Certainly, Sebring suits the M6 better than Daytona. With the improvements we have made I hope we can fight for a podium finish.”

The 65th 12 Hours of Sebring takes the green flag at 10:40 a.m. Saturday, March 18 with live streaming available on the FOX Sports GO app (with FOX Sports 1 authentication). FOX Sports 1 will also broadcast the race from 12:30 p.m. to 11:00 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; 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 and X4 Sports Activity Coupes.  The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 341 BMW passenger car and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 152 BMW motorcycle retailers, 127 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, former 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 their 26th season of competition in 2017, the team had compiled 38 victories, 51poles,151 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 IMSA United SportsCar Championship and the team finished on the podium six times including four second-place finishes. In 2015, the team earned three wins, two poles and a total of eight podium finishes to finish second in the Manufacturer, Team and Driver championships and added two poles and three podiums in 2016. Prior to the start of the 2017 season, BMW Team RLL had won 13 races, 22 poles and 60 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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