BMW M Team RLL Qualifies Seventh and Eighth at Laguna Seca. BMW M4 GT4 Machines to Start P5, P7 and P12 in GT Daytona.

Woodcliff Lake, N.J. – May 13, 2023 . . . BMW M Team RLL will start tomorrow’s IMSA MOTUL Course de Monterey from the seventh and eighth GTP class positions. With a qualifying time of 1:15.648 minutes around the 2.238-mile, 11-turn Laguna Seca circuit, Connor De Phillippi will start the No. 25 BMW M Hybrid V8 seventh. He will co-drive with Nick Yelloly, the duo looking for a third consecutive podium finish. Philipp Eng qualified the No. 24 BMW M Hybrid V8 in the eighth position after a 1:15.747-minute lap. He will co-drive with Augusto Farfus. Both BMWs qualified within one-second of the pole-sitting Porsche 963.

Yesterday Michelin released a video with a fascinating interview with Michael Scully, BMW M Head of Design, as he speaks of his vision for the BMW M Hybrid V8. It is well worth the time to view. Our thanks to our friends at Michelin.

YouTube: https://youtu.be/NmIsVbHZ2yo

In the thirteen years (2009-2022) that BMW M Team RLL raced BMWs in IMSA’s GT classes, the team has finished on the podium eleven times. BMW M Team RLL has scored three GT class victories (2015, 2017, and 2018), five second-place finishes (2010, 2011, 2014, 2015, and 2019), and three third-place finishes (2012, 2013, and 2022) at the 2.238-mile, 11-turn Laguna Seca circuit.

This year, the team has made the switch to the GTP class with the BMW M Hybrid V8 and has scored two runner-up finishes (Sebring and Long Beach) in the first three events. That effort has BMW standing second in GTP class manufacturer points. By benefit of two second-place finishes with the No. 25 car, drivers Connor De Phillippi and Nick Yelloly stand fourth in GTP driver points, only one point from third. Augusto Farfus and Philipp Eng stand seventh in driver points, with a season’s-best fourth-place finish (Long Beach) in the No. 24 car.

Connor De Phillippi, driver No. 25 BMW M Hybrid V8 (P7): "We were still learning a lot after FP2 and into qualifying. We tried a few new items on our set-up sheet which improved our overall balance. I think we made the most of what we had in qualifying and with a few more tweaks we'll be able to fight for another podium tomorrow."

Madison Snow qualified the No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 in the fifth GT Daytona starting position. Snow and co-drive Bryan Sellers currently lead the class championship after wins at both Sebring and Long Beach. The No. 96 LIQUI-MOLY BMW of Robby Foley and Patrick Gallagher will start from the seventh spot and the No. 97 McIntosh BMW M4 GT4 of Bill Auberlen and Chandler Hull will roll off from P12.

The two-hour-and-forty-minute MOTUL Course De Monterey race takes the green flag at 12:10 p.m. local time and will be broadcast on NBC beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET.

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; a technology office in Silicon Valley 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 as well as the BMW XM. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 350 BMW passenger car and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers,146 BMW motorcycle retailers, 104 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 Zionsville, Indiana 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 three decades. Prior to the start of their 32^nd season of competition in 2023 and their 15th with BMW, the team had compiled 54 victories, 67 poles, 225 podium finishes, three series championships (1992, 2010, 2011), claimed two Indianapolis 500 victories (Buddy Rice in 2004, Takuma Sato in 2020) and two Rolex 24 at Daytona victories. 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. From 2014 to 2021, BMW Team RLL competed in the GTLM class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with a two-car program. In 2022, BMW M Team RLL competed in the GTD PRO class in

IMSA while simultaneously ramping up for a two-car program in the much-anticipated GTP class in IMSA for 2023. In total, the team has earned 22 wins – including the 2019 and 2020 Rolex 24 at Daytona endurance races, 30 poles and 96 podium finishes prior to the start of the 2023 season. BMW M Team RLL highlights also include second-place finishes in the Manufacturer, Team, and Driver championships in 2015 and 2017 and being named the 2020 Michelin North American Endurance Champions.

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