BMW M Team RLL and its BMW M Hybrid V8 racing cars are well-prepared for the third endurance race of the 2023 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship as the summer racing season starts in earnest this weekend at Watkins Glen International with the Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen.
Prior to this year's switch to the GTP class, BMW Team RLL posted six podium finishes at the Watkins Glen Six Hour race with BMW's GT class cars, including a victory in 2017. Last year, the Six Hour victory with the BMW M4 GT3 was taken away after the checkered flag, by a drive-time rule, which has since been changed by IMSA.
This year the team has scored two runner-up podium finishes with the No. 25 car (Sebring and Long Beach) in the first four events of the new GTP era. BMW stands fourth in GTP class manufacturer points. No. 25 drivers Connor De Phillippi and Nick Yelloly stand fifth in GTP driver points. 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.
'I think everyone knows what I think of Watkins Glen,' said Bobby Rahal, Team Principal. 'It is one of those historic, challenging circuits that separates the veterans from the rookies. In fact, I had my first Formula One race there in 1978. Our BMW team has had reasonably good success there. We won in 2017 and again in 2022, only to have that victory taken away for the way the rules were interpreted. This year, with the GTP cars, it should be a very exciting weekend for the fans.'
Connor De Phillippi, driver No. 25 BMW M Hybrid V8: 'Watkins Glen is one of my top favorites on our IMSA calendar. The combination of speed and grip allows us to really unleash the potential of these GTP cars. With that said it's typically the hottest and most physical track on the schedule so all of us will need to bring our A-game for the six-hour event. I'm excited to get on track and feel we have what it takes to battle for our first victory.'
Philipp Eng, driver No. 24 BMW M Hybrid V8: 'I'm really looking forward to Watkins Glen. It's a track that demands everything from a driver. We were there recently for testing, and we're on a very good path. The car felt great and driving the BMW M Hybrid V8 on this track is incredibly enjoyable. The team has done a fantastic job, and I hope we can secure another podium for the team, as well as the first one of the season for Augusto and myself.'
Augusto Farfus, driver No. 24 BMW M Hybrid V8: 'Our test at Watkins Glen went very well. The high speed and high grip of the circuit suits our BMW M Hybrid V8.'
In the GT Daytona and GT Daytona Pro classes, BMW will have three BMW M4 GT3 entries. Bryan Sellers and Madison Snow continue to lead the GTD class points in the No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3. Turner Motorsport brings their GTD class No. 96 LIQUI-MOLY BMW for Michael Dinan, Robby Foley, and Patrick Gallagher; and the No. 97 McIntosh BMW GTD Pro entry for Bill Auberlen, Chandler Hull, and John Edwards. In the last IMSA endurance race, the Twelve Hours of Sebring, the two BMW GTD entries of Paul Miller Racing and Turner Motorsport finished 1-2 respectively.
Practice and qualifying for the Six Hour weekend begins Thursday, June 22. The Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen gets started at 10:40 a.m. Sunday, June 25. The race will be streamed live on Peacock Premium with the final three hours broadcast live on USA Network.
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 32nd 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.
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.
Photo credit: BMW
posted on conceptcarz.com
A recent, two-day test with both cars and all four drivers at the classic 3.4-mile, 11-turn circuit, resulted in the engineering staff and drivers eager to return for the six-hour race, confident that their first GTP class victory is right around the corner. Two DiL (Driver in Loop) test sessions have also been completed. Last week, the crew finished their preparations with pit stop practice at RLL's new headquarters in Zionsville, Indiana.
Nick Yelloly, driver No. 25 BMW M Hybrid V8: 'Back at another USA classic event! Looking forward to getting in again at Watkins Glen, having had my first experience of the track a few weeks ago I can see what the hype was about. The high-speed flowing nature of the track is a joy to drive.'
posted on conceptcarz.com
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