Woodcliff Lake, N.J. – Sept. 16, 2013 . . . BMW Team RLL will face the 3.4-miles and 20 turns of the Circuit of the Americas (COTA), in Austin, Texas, for the first time this weekend in Round 8 of the 2013 American Le Mans Series. Completed in 2012, the track is notable for being the current home of the Formula 1 US Grand Prix.
Most recently, BMW Team RLL finished third and fourth at the Grand Prix of Baltimore to keep BMW Motorsport driver Dirk Müller in the GT class title hunt. The podium finish by Müller and Joey Hand sees Müller standing only eight points from the leaders.
This weekend’s race will run 2.45-hours long and for the first time since the 2009 season see Bill Auberlen and Joey Hand share a BMW Team RLL BMW. Hand will substitute for Maxime Martin in the No. 55 Z4 GTE as Martin races for the Blancpain Endurance Series championship with the MarcVDS team at the Nurburgring. Müller will co-drive the No. 56 Z4 GTE with John Edwards.
Auberlen and Edwards have experience at COTA, having both competed in the GRAND-AM event there earlier this year. Auberlen co-drove to both the Rolex GT and Continental Grand Sport victories with Paul Dalla Lana in Turner Motorsport M3s.
“We’re looking forward to racing at Circuit of the Americas,” said Bobby Rahal, Team Principal. “It’s a new circuit for us and it looks fantastic from what I have seen. I’m not quite sure what to expect; it’s a fast track. There are a lot of fast, sweeping corners which is good for our BMW Z4 GTE but there is also a long straightaway, which isn’t so good for us. It will be interesting having Joey join Bill. Obviously John and Dirk have shown that they are a good pairing so it made the most sense to keep them together for this race.”
Bill Auberlen, driver No. 55 Z4 GTE – “I’ve already won twice in Austin and I’d love to make it three. Earlier in the year I raced both the GRAND-AM GS and GT races on the same day and managed to win them both, so Austin has been great to me. I am counting the days down until I get to race the BMW Z4 GTE with my old teammate and friend Joey Hand. I think the two of us together again should make for a winning combination.”
Joey Hand, driver No. 55 Z4 GTE – “This was a race I had planned to miss because it falls in between two DTM events, but Maxime (Martin) has a chance at a championship with MarcVDS and I’m happy to support him and BMW Team RLL at COTA. John (Edwards) will substitute for me in the No. 56 car and I’ll join Bill (Auberlen) in the 55 machine. I’ve never driven there, but I’ll fly back from Europe on Monday and make the Tuesday test. I’m sure that testing time and Bill’s experience will get me right up to speed.”
John Edwards, driver No. 56 Z4 GTE – “I’m excited to get back in the Z4 at Austin. COTA is a world class track and should provide great racing in the GTE class. There are some tight sections as well as lots of quick changes of direction through the esses which should benefit the handling of the Z4. This will be a crucial round for the No. 56 car as we’ve dropped behind a little bit in points. Dirk and I will be pushing hard for the win, but it is most important for us to beat the Corvettes and get Dirk and the No. 56 car solidly in the fight for the championship. I’m looking forward to working with BMW Team RLL again after watching the Baltimore round from the outside.”
Dirk Müller, driver No. 56 Z4 GTE – “I am really thrilled to race at COTA as it will be a new race track for me and I love like this kind of challenge. I have heard a lot of good things about the circuit and I watched the F1 and Grand Am races to get to know the place. I can’t wait to get our BMW Team RLL Z4 GTE out on the track. It’s going to be a great race week.”
Qualifying and live streaming of the race can be found on ESPN3.com at 2:40 p.m. ET Friday, Sept. 20 and Saturday, Sept. 21 at 3:45 p.m. respectively. Follow BMW Team RLL on Twitter at @BMWUSARacing for “from-the-pit-box” updates all weekend. The race is scheduled to be broadcast on ESPN2 television at 1:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, Sept. 22nd. ALMS.com will stream in-car footage throughout the race and the full live feed for international views. More information on the program can be found at www.bmwusa.com and www.alms.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 338 BMW passenger car and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 139 BMW motorcycle retailers, 119 MINI passenger car dealers, and 34 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.
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