Double M6 GTLM Podium Finish for BMW Team RLL at COTA; Auberlen/Sims P2, Edwards/Tomczyk P3

Woodcliff Lake, N.J. – May 6, 2017…  A double-podium finish for BMW Team RLL in today’s IMSA Advance Auto Parts SportsCar Showdown at the Circuit of the Americas, in Austin, Texas, was a well-deserved reward for every team member who had worked so hard to regain the competitiveness of the BMW M6 GTLM this season.

Bill Auberlen and Alexander Sims drove the No. 25 M6 to second place in the two-hour-and-forty-minute contest, completing 71 laps of the 3.4-mile, 20-turn track and finishing 2.498 behind the winning No. 3 Corvette. John Edwards and Martin Tomczyk, driving the No. 24 M6, finished in third place, after a strong run from the pole position.

With the benefit of the pole position, Edwards led the field from the green flag into the first turn and Sims, from the third starting spot, moved up one position to follow his teammate at the front of the field. A scrum developed at the back of the GTLM field and multiple contacts among  five competitors effectively reduced the race to a four-car event.

Sims relinquished the second position 34 minutes into the race to the No. 911 Porsche after a 14-lap battle. Edwards continued to lead, opening up a 3.2 second gap. Passed for the lead on lap 22 by the Porsche, the second yellow flag of the race waved to close up the field with Edwards P2 and Sims P3. Pit stops began on lap 26 as the field circulated behind the safety car with the Porsche and both BMWs coming in. Quick service by the No. 24 M6 crew got Tomczyk out ahead of the Porsche with Auberlen, now in the No. 25 M6, right behind. Unfortunately, a pair of rare miscues saw Auberlen leave the pits before the fuel man had finished and the Californian was forced back to the pits for a drive-through penalty. Tomczyk and two other competitors, missed the illuminated pit exit lights and had to return to serve a stop plus 60-second penalty. The No. 3 Corvette had pitted earlier and inherited the GTLM lead with Auberlen now P2 and Tomczyk now P4 to begin their stint.

The second set of stops was completed under the green flag on laps 44 and 45 with Sims back in the No. 25 M6 and Edwards back in the No. 24 M6 to finish the final hour of the race. The third and final caution flag of the race flew with less than ten minutes remaining for a burning prototype car. The track was quickly cleared and the race restarted with some four minutes to go. Sims gave chase, but there was not enough to catch the Corvette. Ultimately, the result was Sims second and Edwards third and the first two BMW Team RLL podium finishes of the season.

“We knew it was going to be a hard race this afternoon with the high track temperatures, but the BMW M6 performed well with low degradation of the tires,” said Neil Fife, BMW Team RLL Race Engineer. “We are happy we got a podium finish with P2 and P3 but some mistakes costs us the victory. We have to keep on pushing because BMW Team RLL is working really hard to get that deserved win. We were in the fight for the win last race, we were in the fight for the win this race and we’ll be in the fight for the win the next race as well.”

Bill Auberlen, driver No. 25 BMW M6 GTLM (P2): “It is a long time coming for this game and this car. We have to be very happy for that but the weird thing is that BMW Team RLL is so geared to win, that is the most important goal. When you get second you still want to be on top. However, we have to smile and hold our heads high. We covered two-thirds of the podium just not the top step this weekend.”

Alexander Sims, driver No. 25 BMW M6 GTLM (P2): “I was happy we were able to come out of turn one P1 and P2, but I had quite a bit of a lock-up and that compromised my first stint quite a bit with a lot of vibration in the front tire but the car continued to work well. Then there was a little bit of a misunderstanding with the pit release and we got a drive through penalty. We were catching the Corvette at the end, but needed a little bit more of time.  In the end, we are happy to have gotten second place and it was great to be standing on the podium for the first time in the U.S.”

John Edwards, driver No. 24 BMW M6 GTLM (P3): “We’ve been competitive every lap this weekend. It was just a mistake - for each car - that cost us in the race. I am excited for the rest of the season, to race at  tracks such as Watkins Glen and Mosport. These two circuits are great for the M6 and two of my favorite tracks in North America.”

Martin Tomczyk, driver No. 24 BMW M6 GTLM (P3): “The result could’ve been better, but I made a mistake. I left the pit lane when the exit light was red. I was fighting with the Porsche and he also did not see the red light. But that shouldn’t be an excuse. It’s was my fault. In the end I think we did the best we could by finishing third, with the sister car in second.”

Following the traditional hiatus to allow teams to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, IMSA will return to series action in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen on Sunday, July 2 at Watkins Glen International, in Watkins Glen, NY. 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 31 production and assembly facilities in 14 countries and has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.

In 2016, the BMW Group sold approximately 2.367 million cars and 145,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax was approximately € 9.67 billion on revenues amounting to € 94.16 billion. As of 31 December 2016, the BMW Group had a workforce of 124,729 employees.

The success of the BMW Group has always been based 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.

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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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