AMESBURY, MA. March 25th, 2014 - A little over a week since a hard fought seventh place finish in the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, Turner Motorsport has decided to explore an alternative racing series in addition to their full commitment to the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. The six-time Championship Winning BMW Team initially planned as many as four entries for the entire inaugural season of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, but following the second round, the decision was made to explore additional opportunities.
The decision was made on Wednesday that Turner Motorsport will enter Pirelli World Challenge GT class, just one week before the first round in St. Petersburg, Florida. Will Turner commented, After completing two races with the IMSA run series, our partner, NorthWest Value Properties, has given us the freedom to explore an alternative series that is more established. World Challenge has always been a great racing series for Turner, so it was decided to try the sprint racing format to see if it's something we want to pursue on a more full time basis.
Pirelli World Challenge was established in 1990 and is one of the most successful sports car racing series in North America. The series has seen huge increases in participation over the years, visiting some of the best race venues in the US and Canada. The series structure and rules are proven, allowing GT3 homologated cars to run as originally designed by manufacturers. This favors the Turner BMW Z4, as it started life as a GT3 factory built car before it was then converted to meet IMSA rules and regulations.
Beginning in 1998, Turner Motorsport campaigned their iconic blue and yellow BMWs in World Challenge, winning the 2003 and 2004 World Challenge Touring Car Championships. From 98 to 04 Turner Motorsport captured ten race wins, forty top-five finishes and seven poles.
Will Turner said that there were several factors that went into the decision for the team to run in Pirelli World Challenge. One being the teams partner NorthWest and their push to enter a more established and proven series. The Turner team is also interested in exploring a sprint series with a different race format and conceivably less operating costs compared to an endurance series.
Dane Cameron added, I am excited to race in the Pirelli World Challenge. The series visits some top notch venues around the US, including some great street courses, which I love. I am eager to get into any Turner BMW, so this will be a fun change of pace. I know that Turner began their professional race program in World Challenge, so it will be good to get the blue and yellow BMWs back into the series.
In addition to the drivers excitement to enter a new series, our race partners are equally excited with our decision to enter into the Pirelli World Challenge. Not only do they receive television time on the NBC sports network, but they also benefit from the crowds of Indy car each race weekend, which is awesome, said Will Turner.
Watch Turner Motorsport in the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, the first race of the 2014 Pirelli World Challenge season on March 28th and 29th. The race will be televised on Sunday April 6th on the NBC Sports Network at 5:30pm ET. To watch live stream coverage of both races, visit world-challengetv.com. Please be sure to tune in to see the blue and yellow BMWs make their first appearance in World Challenge since 2004.
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About Turner Motorsport
Turner Motorsport is the leading BMW tuner in North America, bringing technology and expertise from the racetrack to the street for over two decades. Since 1993 the Turner Motorsport Team has competed in over 280 professional races, winning six professional racing championships in three different series since 2003. The most recent being the 2011 Continental Sports Car Challenge. Their success is passed into every component that Turner Motorsport designs and sells through their comprehensive website and performance showroom. Our race team, R&D engineers and Sales team work together, ensuring practical knowledge and state-of-the-art engineering flow in both directions. Few companies in North America can claim such a close relationship to what they sell and what they race.
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2014 Pirelli World Challenge GT/GT-A/GTS Schedule
March 28th-29th Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
April 11th-12th Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach
April 25th-27th - Barber Motorsports Park
May 30th-June 1st Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix
June 19th-21st Road America
July 18th-20th Honda Indy Toronto
August 1st-3rd- Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio
Friday August 22nd-24th Sonoma Grand Prix
Septemeber 12th-13th Miller Motorsports Park
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Please check your local listings for NBC Sports in your area.
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Links
TurnerMotorsport.com - Parts, Performance & Service Parts for BMWs
H&R Springs - Premium Quality Suspension Components
StopTech Brakes - Experts in High Performance Brakes
Recaro -The best in high quality automotive seats.
MOTUL Lubricants - Race-proven Oil and Lubrication Products
Borla Exhaust - The World's Most Winning Exhaust
Escort - Radar Detectors & Laser Detectors
