CALIFORNIA SPEEDWAY, FONTANA, CA - November 3, 2004 - The Turner Motorsport Grand Am Cup team concluded their inaugural endurance season this past weekend with a tenth place result at California Speedway. The tenth place sealed second place in the overall ST class championship for Will Turner and Don Salama.

This was the first time Turner Motorsport has done a full season of professional endurance racing. Traditionally, the team has competed in 50-minute sprint races in the SPEED World Challenge Touring Car series, winning the 2003 and 2004 Driver’s and Manufacturer’s Championships.

A Turner Motorsport BMW was at the front of the Grand Am Cup standings since the third race of the season. Will Turner and Don Salama combined in the #95 Turner Motorsport BMW 330i for a top ten finish in every race and seven top five finishes. They ended the season just three points shy of winning the Driver’s Championship.

During this last round at the high-speed California Speedway outside Los Angeles, team-owner Will Turner put the 330i onto the pole, led at several points during the race, and scored the second-fastest lap. After driving for more than two hours, he handed the car over to Don Salama, a seasoned Grand Am Cup driver. Just a few laps from the end, a lapped car crashed into the back of Salama and caused major damage to the rear suspension. The Turner Motorsport crew attempted repairs of the car, and Salama valiantly tried to finish, but the damage was too severe.

Team owner and pilot, #95 Turner Motorsport BMW 330i:
“This was a tough pill to swallow. For the whole race we were right where we wanted to be. We didn’t even need to win the race to win the championship. But not everything goes your way and our first exposure to endurance racing was a tremendous success. We had an amazing year: the World Challenge Touring Car Championship, BMW won the Touring Car Manufacturer’s Championship, Touring Car Rookie of the Year, and second place in the Grand Am Cup ST Championship and second in the ST-class Manufacturer’s standings. I think that makes us one of the most successful BMW race teams for 2004. That’s quite an accomplishment!”

Tim Pappas, in an identical Turner Motorsport 330i, raced well during the season but had to sit out the last round due to car damage sustained in the previous race. The Turner Motorsport crew attempted to repair the #97 330i but the damage was too extensive. He finished the season in seventh place in the overall championship with one win, six top fives, and seven top ten results.

The Grand Am Cup race from California Speedway will be aired on The SPEED Channel this coming Sunday, November 7, 2004 at 5:00pm ET.

Click here to see this session's official results

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