BMW Team RLL IMSA Motul Petit Le Mans Preview

Woodcliff Lake, N.J. – Oct. 14, 2020 . . . BMW Team RLL will welcome back Augusto Farfus and Colton Herta for this Saturday’s Motul Petit Le Mans. Farfus will line up with John Edwards and Jesse Krohn in the No 24 MOTUL BMW  M8 GTE and Herta will support Connor De Phillippi and Bruno Spengler in the No. 25 MOTUL BMW M8 GTE.

A GT car specialist, Augusto Farfus has enjoyed a very successful career as a BMW Motorsport driver for many years, most importantly to this story, he co-drove to the Rolex 24 At Daytona victory with BMW Team RLL in both 2019 and 2020. Colton Herta joined BMW Team RLL as a reserve driver in 2017 and spent two seasons absorbing the disciplines of sports car racing. Demonstrating the lessons he learned in his very first sports car race, Colton set the fastest race lap and co-drove as part of the 2019 Rolex 24 At Daytona-winning M8 GTE team.

While taking place as usual on the second weekend of October, this year’s Motul Petit Le Mans will see IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship teams arrive at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta for a second time this season. A six-hour race was held on Labor Day weekend to replace the Covid-19 cancelled race at Watkins Glen. The race proved to be an excellent tune-up for the ten-hour Petit Le Mans for BMW Team RLL, finishing first and third in the GTLM class.

BMW Team RLL has scored consecutive podium finishes at Road America (P3), Virginia International Raceway (P2), Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta (P1, P3), Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (P2), and with P2 and P3 at Charlotte last Saturday night. BMW remains in a strong second in GTLM class manufacturer points standings. No 25 MOTUL BMW M8 GTE co-drivers Connor De Phillippi and Bruno Spengler stand third in driver points with teammates John Edwards and Jesse Krohn, co-drivers of the No. 24 MOTUL BMW M8 GTE, stand fourth.

Bill Auberlen and Robby Foley, co-drivers of the No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M6 GT3, recorded their second win of the season with the victory in the GTD class at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval. The victory is Auberlen’s 62 IMSA  career win. Dillon Machavern will rejoin as a third co-driver. The trio won the Petit Le Mans last season.

Saturday’s Motul Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta is scheduled to take the green flag at 12:40 p.m. and will feature a live broadcast on NBCSN in two segments; 12:30 – 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. Follow us on Twitter @BMWUSARacing for news from the pit box and get live scoring and in-car camera views at IMSA.com.

John Edwards, driver No. 24 BMW M8 GTE : “Road Atlanta has been good to us as a team, so I am always excited to go back! It will be great to have Augusto back with us in the 24 car as we get back to our longer endurance events here and at Sebring. He’s a BMW legend and hopefully will bring us some extra luck to get on the top step like we did together back in Daytona!”

Jesse Krohn, driver No. 24 BMW M8 GTE: “We had a great car at the recent six-hour race so I see no reason we should not be able to challenge for a 1-2 finish at Petit.”

Augusto Farfus, driver No. 24 BMW M8 GTE: “I am very much looking forward to helping BMW Team RLL again. It has been a few years since I drove at Road Atlanta, but I know John and Jesse will help me get up to speed quickly.”

Connor De Phillippi, driver No. 25 BMW M8 GTE : “Petit is one of my top two events of the year! Just several weeks ago we won the 6-hour at Road Atlanta in hot conditions so we will return with a great baseline setup and confidence. The team has been performing at our best and we look forward to welcoming back our young superstar Colton Herta to the 25 car.”

Bruno Spengler, driver No. 25 BMW M8 GTE: “I welcome a return to Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta because it will be one of the few tracks that won’t be new to me this year. And, Connor and I have an undefeated record there so far following our win at the six-hour. With what we’ve learned I hope we can look forward to a step up in performance.”

Colton Herta, driver No. 25 BMW M8 GTE: “I am excited to finally be back with my BMW friends. 2020 has definitely thrown everyone into a whirlwind, and I haven’t been able to drive the M8 GTE in months. I’m ready to be back this weekend, at one of my favorite tracks, with one of my favorite cars to drive. The M8 seems to be extremely competitive lately so it should be a great weekend for me and BMW Team RLL.”

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; technology offices in Silicon Valley and Chicago, 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. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 349 BMW passenger car and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 146 BMW motorcycle retailers, 117 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 Hilliard, Ohio 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 almost three decades. Prior to the start of their 29^th season of competition in 2020, the team had compiled 51 victories, 62 poles, 189 podium finishes, three series championships (1992, 2010, 2011) and claimed 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. 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. Since 2014, BMW Team RLL has competed in the GTLM class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with a two-car program and has brought their total to 21 wins – including the 2019 and 2020 Rolex 24 At Daytona endurance races, 28 poles and 79 podium finishes as well as a second place finish in the Manufacturer, Team and Driver championships in 2015 and 2017.

#      #      #

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.