BMW M Team RLL had a very disappointing day at Road America. Both of the team's BMW M Hybrid V8 cars failed to see the checkered flag at the finish of the two-hour-and-forty-minute IMSA SportsCar Weekend race, earning ninth and tenth place GTP class finishes.
In the GT Daytona class, Bryan Sellers and Madison Snow added a fourth win for the No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3. The pair has wins at Sebring, Long Beach, CTMP, and now Road America (from the pole position) this season to extend their lead in the GTD class championship points. The No. 97 Turner Motorsport McIntosh BMW M4 GT3, of Bill Auberlen and Chandler Hull, finished sixth. The No. 96 Turner Motorsport LIQUI-MOLY BMW, of Robby Foley and Patrick Gallagher, ran out of fuel on the final lap and finished 12th.
Bryan Sellers, driver No. 1 BMW M4 GT3 (P1): 'This weekend, a large challenge was the (newly resurfaced) racetrack. After qualifying, we felt that we should not ask too much or push so hard that we would put ourselves in a position where the track had less grip. There was a lot of time to be lost in traffic and careful management was important.'
Madison Snow, driver No. 1 BMW M4 GT3 (P1): 'We came out of the gate very strong. The BMW was handling as good as it gets in qualifying. Once I had the GTD PRO class cars get past me I focused on getting a gap and staying out front.'
Round eight for the GTP class, the two-hour-and-forty-minute TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks will be held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, on Sept. 17. The race will be broadcast on NBC beginning at 1:00 p.m. ET. The GTD class will be in action Aug. 27 at the Michelin GT Challenge at VIR. That race will be broadcast on USA beginning at 2:00 p.m. ET.
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 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.
Photo credit: BMW
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Augusto Farfus and Philipp Eng finished ninth in the No. 24 BMW M Hybrid V8, completing 55 laps before a suspected electrical issue brought Eng into the pits and, ultimately, put him out of the race. A good result for the No. 25 BMW M Hybrid V8 met an early end with starting driver Conner De Phillippi out on the second lap after scraping the wall just before turn 11 to effectively end the day. The car was brought to the garage for lengthy repairs. Nick Yelloly rejoined the race 58 laps down to the leaders and some 33 minutes left in the race. The car only made three laps before stopping on track, ending its day.
BMW Group in America
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