BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team Scores Double Sebring Podium

Sebring , Fla. – March 21, 2010, 1:00 AM Eastern Time… The BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team proved JOY IS BMW with a double-podium class finish for the BMW M3 GT Coupes in yesterday’s 58th annual American Le Mans Series 12 Hours of Sebring.

Bill Auberlen, Tommy Milner and Dirk Werner co-drove the No. 92 BMW M3 GT to a second place finish (seventh overall), finishing 330 laps of the 3.7-mile, 17-turn Sebring International Raceway.

The No. 90 M3 GT co-driven by Joey Hand, Dirk Müller and Andy Priaulx completed the same number of laps to finish third (eighth overall). Hand set a new GT class race record with a 2:00.985 minute lap (lap 185) during his final stint.

Both M3s ran flawlessly for the entire race, turning some of the fastest laps in the closing hours of the race as they chased the class leader which had gained a substantial lead during the race’s second full-course caution period.

Quotations.

Bobby Rahal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MO9AYqMom00

Dirk Mϋller, No. 90: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tF92_JNCKxQ

Joey Hand, No. 90: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=im1n2bWIWJw

Andy Priaulx, No. 90: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1RUmQer9D8

Bill Auberlen, No. 92: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbZHC_Z6v74

Tommy Milner, No. 92: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hxGbvdDn9g

Dirk Werner, No. 92: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omva-FcwX_E

The Long Beach Grand Prix, the second round of the 2010 American Le Mans Series, will be held April 16-17.

About BMW Rahal Letterman Racing:

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 Sports Activity Vehicles and X6 Sports Activity Coupes.  The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 338 BMW passenger car centers, 335 BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 143 BMW motorcycle retailers, 91 MINI passenger car dealers, and 31 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.

BMW’s partner, Rahal Letterman Racing, based in Hilliard, Ohio and co-owned by three-time IndyCar Champion and 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal and CBS LATE SHOW host David Letterman, has been competing for more than a decade compiling 20 victories, 30 poles and one series championship (Bobby Rahal in 1992 in CART) and an Indianapolis 500 championship (Buddy Rice in 2004).  In 2008 Rahal Letterman Racing again won Rookie-of-the-Year honors at the Indianapolis 500 and partnered with Andersen Racing to run two entries in the Indy Pro Series. In 2009 the team joined BMW of North America to campaign the BMW M3 as BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team in the American Le Mans Series.

Information about BMW Group products is available via the Internet at:

www.bmwgroupna.com

www.press.bmw-motorsport.com

Information about Rahal Letterman Racing is available via the Internet at:

www.rahal.com

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Journalist note: Information about the BMW Group and its products is available to journalists on-line at the BMW Group PressClub at the following address: www.press.bmwna.com.  Additional information, images and video may be found at www.bmwusanews.com.  Broadcast quality video footage is available via The NewsMarket at www.thenewsmarket.com.

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