BMW Team RLL: Rolex 24 at Daytona Six Hour Report

Woodcliff Lake, N.J. – January 24, 2015… With six hours complete in the 2015 Rolex 24 at Daytona darkness has taken a firm hold over the Daytona International Speedway and BMW Team RLL stands sixth and eighth in the GLTM class.

Bill Auberlen, Bruno Spengler and Dirk Werner have each completed two stints in the No. 25 BMW Z4 GTLM. Augusto Farfus is behind the wheel, on the lead lap.

John Edwards, Lucas Luhr and Graham Rahal have done the same in the No. 24 BMW Z4 GTLM. Jens Klingmann drives the car now. On lap 134 the car suffered a right rear damper problem and lost three laps during the replacement.

In his own words, Bruno Spengler: http://youtu.be/InBKz-qD9Ro

Hour                No. 24 Lap      No.25  Lap

1                      P5       32        P4       32

2                      P2       60        P8       59       

3                      P5       92        P7       92

4                      P5       122     P2       123

5                      P8       153     P3       156

6                      P8       184     P6       186

Bill Auberlen, driver No. 25 BMW Z4 GTLM - "The first stint was fine and we were exactly where we wanted to be. The second stint was fine right up until the end."

Bruno Spengler, driver No. 25 BMW Z4 GTLM - "I love it. My first experience in a 24 hour race. It was a good stint because I started in the sun light, then the sun went down and I went into the night. It was a lot of fun out there, but there is a lot of traffic, of course, so it was not so easy. I think we have a little damage to the rear of the car, but hopefully it will hold until the end of the race. Otherwise it went smoothly, I had not contact in my stint, I tried to be as consistent as I could and I think it worked. Now I am going to cheer for my teammates until I drive again."

Dirk Werner, driver No. 25 BMW Z4 GTLM - "I had a nice time out on the track and a good experience of how crazy it is sometimes out there, fighting with the LMP cars and just trying to stay out there and not get into trouble, which is difficult enough in the night. In the end we were in the lead, and the car is running well with good lap times. Right now I think we can be happy and just continue doing what we have done so far."

John Edwards, driver No. 24 BMW Z4 GTLM - "It seemed like a very eventful start to the race. We have a 24 hour race and it felt like I was the only one in an endurance race and everyone else was in a sprint race. I was able to avoid contact and stay in the lead pack and that is all we are trying to do at this point in the race."

Lucas Luhr, driver No. 24 BMW Z4 GTLM - "It was very entertaining. I always knew that GTLM racing was very tough, but this is just awesome and I love it. It was very, very good. Our car is fine, so at the moment I and happy with it. We can stay with the others. It is just mega and I am already looking forward to my next stint."

Graham Rahal, driver No. 24 BMW Z4 GTLM - "We had a really good run there.  The car was fast, but unfortunately the right rear had a damper bolt come out, so we had to come in and lose three laps. I think we are almost back to the lead lap now, and we got two back during my stint. I think Jens will like the car and I hope he can go forward."

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 339 BMW passenger car and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 147 BMW motorcycle retailers, 122 MINI passenger car dealers, and 35 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, Mi-Jack co-owner Mike Lanigan and CBS LATE SHOW host David Letterman, has been competing for over two decades, compiling 28 victories, 42 poles and three series championships (1992, 2010, 2011) as well as claiming 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. In 2010 the team won both the Manufacturer and Team Championships in the GT category. In 2011 the team swept all three GT titles - Manufacturer, Team and Driver.

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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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