Cookie Consent by Free Privacy Policy website BMW Team RLL finishes fifth and tenth in Long Beach – Pole position for Auberlen and Werner in qualifying.
aprile 18, 2016 - BMW Motorsport

BMW Team RLL finishes fifth and tenth in Long Beach – Pole position for Auberlen and Werner in qualifying.

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Munich (DE), 17th April 2016. #bmwteamrll had a difficult debut of the #bmw #m6gtlm at #longbeach (US), finishing fifth and tenth in the Bubba Burger Sports Car Grand Prix, the third round of the 2016 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IWSC).

The 100-minute race started with great promise as the number 25 car of Bill Auberlen (US), starting from the class pole, led the opening 13 laps of the race. A drive through penalty Auberlen served on lap 28 after contact with a Prototype Challenge car on lap 24 dropped the number 25 car down to sixth. Dirk Werner (DE) got into the car on lap 31 and rejoined the race in seventh. He raced hard, but was unable to regain any considerable ground. At the restart on lap 55 Werner was hit in the right rear by a Prototype Challenge car in the hairpin and was forced to the pits to change the cut Michelin tyre. In the end he finished the race in fifth. Victory went to Porsche.

John Edwards (US) and Lucas Luhr (DE) were unlucky again in #longbeach. Luhr started the race from sixth, but was quickly into the pits on lap four with an electrical issue. He rejoined the race in ninth. Edwards took over on lap 49 and moved up to eighth. On the lap 55 restart contact with a competitor caused damage that was quickly realised by both Edwards and the crew. Before the team could call him into the pits Edwards was into the wall and out of the race. Finally the car was classified in tenth.

Bobby Rahal (Team Principal #bmw Team RLL):

“Today was certainly not one of our finer races. With penalties and damage on both cars, you can’t have a very good race. It was a shame as the 25 car was leading and obviously was a much more competitive proposition. The 100 car had a technical issue early on, and that took us out of the fight in the race. It is just a shame, but fifth place was a little bit of a salvage for the 25 car. Now on to the next one.”

Bill Auberlen (Number 25 #bmw M6 GTLM5th place):

“We knew the Porsches were going to be strong. They made a good move and they got me all in the same pass. Then the same old story, you catch a PC car and then they drive away, you catch them up and they drive away and that keeps happening. So I took a little higher risk and got to the guy and I shot under, for sure he doesn’t see me turns in and spins. I get a drive through penalty. The race is in trouble at that point. We get a yellow flag, catch up and have the opportunity to do it again. Then a PC car hits Dirk in the rear, flattens the tyre and that ends our day, as we have to then pit to put another tyre on. It should have been a better day.”

Dirk Werner (Number 25 #bmw M6 GTLM5th place):

“That was a tough race with no good end for us, mainly because I was hit twice. The first time I was nearly spun round in the fountain turn, but we were still in the race.  However, after the yellow at the restart another car drove into me and cut my tyre, so I had to go into the pits and change it. Then we were just hanging in there in the race, got fifth and some points. For sure it was a disappointing result but these #racing incidents happen, and we have to get over it. We have a good car and can be happy with the work we did. I am now just looking forward to the next race.”

John Edwards (Number 100 #bmw #m6gtlm, 10th place):

“The whole race was tough for us. We had a technical issue early on and lost a lap with the pit stop. Then we were on the back foot. At the restart I had new tyres, while everyone else was on old. At that point I was going to try to go through the field to get back onto the lead lap and hope for a yellow. Unfortunately that ended before I could get started with a hit from a PC car at the restart that bent the car. At turn one I went off and had a pretty hard hit. I think we could have made up some places with all that was going on so that was a shame.”

Lucas Luhr (Number 100 #bmw #m6gtlm, 10th place):

“That was a very tough challenging day for all of us – the 25 as well as the 100 car. You have to realise that the #bmw M6 GT3 is still a brand new car and it is the first time we have run it round a street circuit. Especially here in #longbeach, with all the bumps and the changing of concrete to asphalt, it brings its own challenges. But that is #racing, you don’t learn so much from a win, you learn a lot more from negative days, which that definitely was. We have a lot of things to look at, a lot of things to learn from that and I am sure we will come back stronger.”