Sebring Sprint Race Next For BMW Team RLL

Woodcliff Lake, N.J. – July 15, 2020 . . . BMW Team RLL travels to Sebring International Raceway this weekend for Round Three of the 2020 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The two-hour-and-forty-minute Cadillac Grand Prix of Sebring is the second of two sprint races scheduled to replace events postponed or cancelled during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Following a win at the Rolex 24 At Daytona by the No. 24 BMW M8 GTE and a fourth place finish two weekends ago at Daytona by the No, 25 BMW M8 GTE, BMW stands in a tie for the GTLM class Manufacturers title. John Edwards and Jesse Krohn stand third in GTLM Driver points and Connor De Phillippi and Bruno Spengler stand fifth.

“The Sebring circuit is always a demanding test and I believe the M8 has proven to be quite reliable,” commented Bobby Rahal, Team Principal. “We have shown we have the pace and will give it our best shot.”

In the GTD class, Bill Auberlen and Robby Foley will team up in the No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M6 GT3. Auberlen tuned up for the Sebring event last weekend at VIRginia International Raceway, in Alton, VA, with three races at the GT World Challenge America weekend. Auberlen and co-driver James Walker Jr. raced the No. 82 BimmerWorld BMW M4 GT4 to two wins and one second place finish in the GT4 Sprint X Pro-Am class.

The two-hour-and-forty-minute race will take the green flag at 5:35 p.m. ET and be broadcast live on NBCSN beginning at 5:30 p.m. ET. Follow us on Twitter @BMWUSARacing for news from the pit box and get live scoring and in-car camera views at IMSA.com.

Connor De Phillippi, driver No. 25 BMW M8 GTE: “We had a very successful test at Sebring in February so I am confident we will have a good package this weekend. We did not get the result we wanted two weeks ago at Daytona despite our pace so we will have to be very smart and a bit lucky.”

Bruno Spengler, driver No. 25 BMW M8 GTE: “Sebring is one of my favorite circuits in the world. Not only is the track challenging and bumpy, this time we add the Florida summer heat.”

John Edwards, Driver No. 24 BMW M8 GTE: “It’s great to stay in the rhythm of racing with such a quick turnaround from round two at Daytona. Round three at Sebring will certainly be another challenge with limited practice and hot Florida temperatures. We’ll have to race smart to get back to a podium finish.”

Jesse Krohn, driver No. 24 BMW M8 GTE: “At Daytona it took some time for everyone to adjust to the new environment we are racing in, but at Sebring I believe we should be in a good window to begin the weekend. Our goal is to get back to the podium and continue the race for the championship.”

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, X6 and X7 Sports Activity Vehicles. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 348 BMW passenger car and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 144 BMW motorcycle retailers, 119 MINI passenger car dealers, and 38 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 29^th season of competition in 2020, the team had compiled 51 victories, 62 poles, 189 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 21 wins – including the 2019 and 2020 Rolex 24 At Daytona endurance races, 28 poles and 79 podium finishes as well as a second place finish in the Manufacturer, Team and Driver championships in 2015 and 2017.

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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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