BMW Customer Racing Teams Headline IMSA Mid-Ohio Weekend With 1-2 BMW M4 GT3 Finish in GTD; Auberlen Scores Record 65th IMSA Victory.

Woodcliff Lake, N.J. – May 15, 2022 . . . BMW Customer Racing teams Turner Motorsport and Paul Miller Racing delivered the first 1-2 finish for the all-new BMW M4 GT3 today at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. At the checkered flag, Bill Auberlen and Robby Foley finished second in the No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 to improve on their third-place finish at Laguna Seca and score the duos best result of the season.  Madison Snow and Bryan Sellers finished third in the No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 from Snow’s second pole position qualifying effort of the season. Two races ago, at Long Beach, the pair scored the very first IMSA victory for the BMW M4 GT3. Both BMWs led a combined 53 laps of the110 laps completed around the 2.258-mile, 13-turn natural terrain circuit in the two-hour-and-forty-minute contest, finishing less than one second behind the class winning No. 70 McLaren 720S GT3.

STOP PRESS - Hours after the race ended, the McLaren failed post-race technical inspection for being underweight and the BMW M4 GT3 recorded its second victory of the 2022 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season. The unexpected turn of events means in his 507^th race in a BMW, Bill Auberlen adds another IMSA victory win to make it a record 65 for the all-time victory leader.

Bill Auberlen, Turner Motorsport (P1) – “I’ve lost a win like this too. I’ve had them come and take the trophies away and I’ve had them give the trophies to me. I’ve already had a call from Bryan Sellers. He’s like, ‘Where’s my second-place trophy?’ I’m like, ‘Wait a minute, I need the first-place trophy!”

Bryan Sellers, Paul Miller Racing (P3) - “Today was a very strong day for us. Our BMW showed a ton of pace all weekend and the relationship between BMW and Paul Miller Racing continues to get stronger. A win and today’s podium in only our fourth race with the BMW M4 GT3 is something we can all be very proud of.”

In Saturday’s two-hour IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Mid-Ohio 120 Stephen Cameron Racing and Turner Motorsport lined up their three BMW M4 GT4 racing cars under a threat of rain and possible thunderstorms. Two long caution periods did indeed slow the first hour of the race, the first one slowing the progress of the No. 43 Stephen Cameron Racing BMW M4 GT4 of Gregory Liefooghe and Sean Quinlan, the 2020/21 BMW M Sports Trophy Driver’s Champion. The pair stayed out of trouble to improve from their 19^th starting position and finish 11^th at the checkered flag. Turner Motorsport drivers Vin Barletta and Robby Foley finished a BMW-best eighth after starting 18^th. Turner teammates Bill Auberlen and Dillon Machavern ran a strong race. Their strategy was on point as Machavern pitted from the lead for the driver change one hour into the contest. A fueling miscue delayed Auberlen’s exit and he rejoined the field in eighth place. The veteran ran a strong final stint, but ultimately finished 21^st after falling two laps short on fuel.

The next race for the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship GTD teams is the Detroit Grand Prix on June 3-4. The Michelin Pilot Challenge teams will be back in action during the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen weekend, at Watkins Glen International, on June 23 – 26.

BMW M Sports Trophy -

The BMW M Sports Trophy supports private drivers and teams that represent the BMW brand in various series and at renowned racing events around the world. Every top-ten result with a BMW racing car at selected events scores points towards the overall standings. The top 25 drivers and the 10 best-placed teams receive attractive prize money. 

In 2020/21, Sean Quinlan won the Drivers Competition with the BMW M4 GT4. He enjoyed many successes in GT4 America, GT America, the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge and the Intercontinental GT Challenge. FK Performance won the Team Competition with the BMW M2 CS Racing and the BMW 330i in successful races in the DTM Trophy, the NLS, the BMW M2 CS Racing Cup NLS and the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring.

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. 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, 105 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.

Journalist note: Information about BMW Group and its products in the USA is available to journalists on-line at www.bmwusanews.com and www.press.bmwgroup.com/usa. 

#      #      #