BMW TEAM RLL FINISHES 2ND AND 6TH AT LONG BEACH; BMW REMAINS AT THE FRONT OF THE GTLM DRIVER AND TEAM POINTS STANDINGS

Woodcliff Lake, N.J. – April 12, 2014 . . . Third race, third podium: BMW Team RLL raced to a third consecutive podium in the 2014 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, finishing second and sixth in today's Sports Car Showcase at Long Beach.

Bill Auberlen and Andy Priaulx had a disappointing finish to an excellent start, finishing sixth in the No. 55 Z4 GTLM. Priaulx started the race from the second position, dropping behind Edwards on the first lap. The teammates ran nose-to-tail for 40 minutes before Edwards pitted on lap 31. As Priaulx entered the pit lane on lap 32 he nicked the wall and knocked off the right side mirror. Auberlen had to wait an extra 15 seconds for the crew to replace the door, rejoining the race in eighth place. The defending race winner put his head down, passing the No. 62 Ferrari on lap 35 and the No. 91 Viper 16 laps later. The remaining 24 laps were not enough to make up one more position, with Auberlen finishing off the podium for the first race this season in sixth, but with enough points to retain the lead in the driver points standings.

'Second was a good finish for us today,' said Bobby Rahal, Team Principal. 'We got held up in the beginning by one of the prototypes, and that really was the difference. It was unfortunate that Andy just touched the wall when he came in and took the mirror off. By the time they replaced the door they had lost valuable time. I was disappointed for the 55 car, but they scored points and kept the championship lead.'

Gordon McDonnell, BMWNA Motorsport Manager added, 'Overall, I believe we can consider this a good weekend for BMW. Fulfilling our objective of leaving Long Beach with the championship lead is important, as well as continuing our streak of podium finishes. Congratulations to Dirk and John and the No. 56 crew.'

John Edwards, driver No. 56 Z4 GTLM – 'This is my first podium of the year and my first podium at Long Beach. It was a really hard fight, especially with the prototype at the beginning when we lost too much ground, and with no yellows throughout the race we could never make it up. I am happy with second considering all the variables, but I really think we had the pace to pressure Magnussen and Garcia if we hadn't been delayed at the beginning.'

Bill Auberlen, driver No. 55 Z4 GTLM – 'That was certainly not the finish we wanted! All you can ask for is to have a car capable of winning. We had that today, but a bit of bad luck cost us. Fortunately, we did not lose the lead in the championship. If that was our bad luck for the year we'll take it.'

Andy Priaulx, driver No. 55 Z4 GTLM – 'From the moment the Z4 left the pits to the moment I jumped out of it I felt really strong. Unfortunately, I had some bad luck. I got delayed by the prototypes and that cost us some seconds on the way into the pits. I lost the mirror and that cost us some more time. Unfortunately in a short race like this you can't have that happen. There were no yellows and we just needed one to be back up there. It is just disappointing we are not where we wanted to be, but we are still leading the championship.'

Round Four of the 2014 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, the Monterey Grand Prix, will take place at Laguna Seca Raceway, in Monterey, Calif., on Sunday, May 4th. The race will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 1 beginning at 5:30 p.m. ET. Follow BMW Team RLL on Twitter at @BMWUSARacing for 'from-the-pit-box' updates all weekend. More information on the program can be found at www.bmwusa.com and www.imsa.com.

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 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, 139 BMW motorcycle retailers, 119 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.

Information about BMW Group products is available to consumers via the Internet at: www.bmwgroupna.com

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.

Photo credit: BMW
posted on conceptcarz.com

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