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PressClub USA · Article.
BMW M8 GTE Completes Inaugural North American Season With Third and Fourth Place Finishes at Motul Petit Le Mans
Mon Oct 15 21:14:30 CEST 2018 Press Release
Aged
Woodcliff Lake, N.J. – Oct. 13, 2018… BMW Team RLL closed the inaugural North American season of competition for the BMW M8 GTE with third and fourth place GTLM class finishes at the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Motul Petit Le Mans. John Edwards, Jesse Krohn and Chaz Mostert finished third in the No. 24 BMW M8 GTE, completing 419 laps of the 2.54-mile, 12-turn Road Atlanta circuit in the ten hour race after starting from the pole position. Bill Auberlen, Connor De Phillippi and Alexander Sims finished fourth in the No. 25 BMW M8 GTE, only 1.755 seconds behind their sister car after taking the green flag from the seventh spot. The race was won by the No. 911 Porsche 911 RSR.
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Edwards, Krohn, Mostert - P3, Auberlen, De Phillippi, Sims - P4.
Woodcliff Lake, N.J. – Oct. 13, 2018… BMW Team RLL
closed the inaugural North American season of competition for the BMW
M8 GTE with third and fourth place GTLM class finishes at the IMSA
WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Motul Petit Le Mans. John Edwards,
Jesse Krohn and Chaz Mostert finished third in the No. 24 BMW M8 GTE,
completing 419 laps of the 2.54-mile, 12-turn Road Atlanta circuit in
the ten hour race after starting from the pole position. Bill
Auberlen, Connor De Phillippi and Alexander Sims finished fourth in
the No. 25 BMW M8 GTE, only 1.755 seconds behind their sister car
after taking the green flag from the seventh spot. The race was won by
the No. 911 Porsche 911 RSR.
Today’s race saw BMW Team RLL execute flawlessly through ten hours
of ever-changing strategy to keep both BMW’s on a podium pace, only
the 25 machine falling from the lead lap for a few hours, but fighting
to get it back. In addition to finishing only 1.755 seconds apart
after 10 hours, the BMW’s fastest laps were even closer - only .08
seconds apart. Edwards set the fast lap for the No. 24 M8 (1:18.185
minutes) on lap five and De Phillippi set the quick time for the No.
25 M8 (1:18.105 minutes) on lap 268.
By every account the 2018 season can be considered a great success.
BMW’s newest racing cars scored two victories (VIR, Laguna Seca), two
runner-up finishes (Sebring, Mid-Ohio), two third place finish (VIR,
Road Atlanta) and three pole positions (Sebring, Mid-Ohio, Road
Atlanta). Drivers De Phillippi and Sims finished sixth in GTLM Driver
points. Edwards and Krohn finished eighth. The No. 25 and 24 BMW M8
GTE finished sixth and eighth respectively in the GTLM Team standings.
BMW finished fourth in GTLM Manufacturer points. This weekend also saw
BMW Team RLL complete its 10th season of racing with BMW. Through four
models, the BMW M3, BMW Z4, BMW M6 and BMW M8 the team has totaled 74
podium finishes, including 19 victories since 2009.
Developed along parallel tracks with the racing BMW M8 GTE,
deliveries of the first new 2019 BMW 8 Series road car, the BMW M850i
xDrive Coupe, is on the horizon.
“Both crews did great job today,” commented Bobby Rahal,
Team Principal. “In the end we did not have quite enough
for a win, but P3 and P4 is an excellent result. Our enthusiasm for
this M8 continues to grow every race.”
On the 10 year partnership with BMW, “How fortunate we are to have
earned BMW's trust and faith 10 years ago. In racing terms 10 years is
a very long time. I think it's been a great partnership all the way
around. We look forward to another 10 years and we certainly hope our
relationship with BMW goes even beyond that.”
John Edwards, driver No. 24 BMW M8 GTE (P3): “A
podium is a great way to end the season. I thought this was going to
be our first win of the season and my first win at Petit.” On the M8
GTE, “The team has done a great job. We've really started to figure
out the car. Our results speak to all the work that went into the car
this time last year by the guys back at the shop. All that work really
started to pay off towards the end of this year and I’m sure that will
continue next year.”
Jesse Krohn, driver No. 24 BMW M8 GTE (P3): “Overall
a really amazing job from the team all weekend. I don't know what more
we could have done to secure the win today.”
On the M8 GTE, “It's really a different beast now from what it was
in the beginning of the year. The development of this car has been
nothing short of incredible, the two race wins speak for themselves.
It's been a close to perfect year in a progression sense and I'm
really looking forward to next year.”
Chaz Mostert, driver No. 24 BMW M8 GTE (P3): “I
really didn't expect this kind of weekend. I just wanted to get in the
car and do a good job. Not knowing a lot about this series I didn't
know how the races really unfolded but with this being an endurance
race anything can happen. When you think you're out of it you can get
right back into it. I got carried today by John and Jesse, those guys
are superstars. I was just along for the ride. I'm very grateful to
BMW Motorsport and RLL for giving me the opportunity to be a part of
this race.”
Bill Auberlen, driver No. 25 BMW M8 GTE (P4): “You
can't fault this team for trying so hard. BMW produced a great car. It
was competitive all day long from the front to the back and back
towards the front again. Today saw a great effort by everyone. You
can't win every race, but we did the absolute best we could.”
On the M8 GTE - “Any new car is a very challenging situation but to
come out with two wins, two seconds, and now two thirds in the first
season is a fabulous start.”
Connor De Phillippi, driver No. 25 BMW M8 GTE (P4):
“We had a tough start but we really pushed hard all race. We treated
the last five hours as a sprint race. I’m really happy for the team -
especially the 24 car. We all earned it today.”
On the M8 GTE, “In the beginning we had a lot to learn and a lot to
develop. We have to be very proud of two wins and both cars being on
the podium twice. I'm really happy to be part of BMW and I think we
can have nothing but a positive outlook on 2019.”
Alexander Sims, driver No. 25 BMW M8 GTE (P4): “What
a finish. That was a really exciting end to the race. The start was
very difficult and to claw our way back into the race, be able to push
hard and have good pace was really great. The team has worked hard all
year and I think it's a credit to the engineers, mechanics, and BMW to
get this car to where it is now. It's working better and better and
the results show that.”
On the M8 GTE, “Inevitably with a new car we have had a lot of
learning to do, and we've done that during the year. Obviously we had
an up and down start to the season, but in the second half to be
consistently fast was really enjoyable.”
BMW Customer Racing at Petit Le Mans -
The No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M6 GT3, of Dillon Machavern,
Markus Palttala and Don Yount, - the winners at the Six Hours of The
Glen this season - were the innocent bystanders in a multi car crash
that caromed Machavern into the turn one wall, eliminating the car
from the race on lap 68.
On Friday, BimmerWorld Racing finished the Continental Tire
SportsCar Challenge Fox Factory 120 on quite a high. Drivers Devon
Jones and Nick Galante captured the Street Tuner class Driver’s
Championship with a third place finish in their No. 81 BMW 328i. The
duo paired for four victories this season to also secure BimmerWorld
Racing the ST Team championship. To make the day even sweeter,
BimmerWorld owner James Clay and Tyler Cooke captured the first
North American overall race win for the BMW M4 GT4, winning the
two-hour race in the Grand Sport class No. 82 machine.
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 Rolls-Royce Motor Cars; Designworks, a strategic design
consultancy based in California; technology offices in Silicon
Valley and Chicago, and various other operations throughout the
country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is the BMW
Group global center of competence for BMW X models and
manufactures the X3, X4, X5, and X6 Sports Activity Vehicles. The
BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through
networks of 346 BMW passenger car and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle
centers, 153 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.
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 almost three decades. Prior to the start of their
27th season of competition in 2018, the team had compiled 42
victories, 53 poles, 162 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. Since 2014,
BMW Team RLL has competed in the GTLM class of the IMSA
WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with a two car program and
has brought their total to 17 wins, 23 poles and 68 podium
finishes as well as a second place finish in the Manufacturer,
Team and Driver championships in 2015 and 2017.
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its products in the USA is available to journalists on-line at www.bmwgroupusanews.com
and www.press.bmwna.com.
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