Daytona Beach, FL. January 22nd, 2014 -- More than 25 years after beginning his motorsport career Bill Auberlen is at the top of his game. The fragmentation of sports car racing series in North America in recent years has not clearly shown how dominant the 45 year-old has been since his start co-driving with his father in 1987 to becoming synonymous with BMW's racing efforts for much of the past two decades.
Auberlen has driven BMW cars in more races than any other driver in the world. Through the 2013 season, 287 of his 443 professional races have been in the Ultimate Driving Machine. The tally? 6 professional auto-racing championships, 83 race victories - 174 podium finishes - 55 pole positions (41 record) - 75 fastest race laps (50 record) - 105 records.
With the start of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship this weekend at the 52nd annual Rolex 24 at Daytona the recombination of the record books to include all endurance racing series has Auberlen right where he has always been - at the top.
Take a look at page 55 of the 2014 TUSCC media guide. Titled "Drivers", the page has only one picture - Bill's. He leads the pack with a record 40 endurance sports car racing pole positions (24 IMSA GT, 10 Rolex Series, 3 ALMS, 3 USRRC). With a total of 53 victories, he currently stands second in all-time sports car endurance racing victories (27 Rolex Series, 5 ALMS, 19 IMSA GT and 2 SCCA USRRC). Scott Pruett leads with 56 victories.
Not included in this count are Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge records. With 14 overall victories to his credit, the record books show him second, but his value to Turner Motorsport and his many co-drivers over the years is profound. The Amesbury, Mass. based team leads the CTSCC Team records with 21 overall wins and class pole positions (31).
This weekend Auberlen will again race for Turner Motorsport in the CTSCC in the No. 96 GS class M3 with Paul Dalla Lana.
"I have been very fortunate to have driven many great racing cars for many great teams over the years," said Auberlen. "Certainly racing for BMW has been a privilege that I am very grateful for. It is very humbling to be in such illustrious company in the record books and everyone knows how hard I'll race to get those next four wins."
The opening round of the 2014 CTSCC, the BMW Performance 200, takes the green flag at 1:45 p.m. Friday, January, 24th. The 52nd annual Rolex 24 at Daytona starts at 2:10 p.m. Saturday, January, 25th.
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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 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship Schedule
Jan. 25-26 Rolex 24 at Daytona
March 15 Twelve Hours of Sebring
April 12 Long Beach (Prototype and GTLM only)
May 4 Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
May 31 Detroit Belle Isle (P, PC and GTD only)
June 29 Six Hours of The Glen
July 13 Canadian Tire Motorsport Park
July 25 Indianapolis Motor Speedway
August 10 Road America
August 24 Virginia International Raceway (GTLM/GTD race; PC race)
September 20 Circuit of The Americas
October 4 Petit Le Mans
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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
Intercity Lines - America's Premier Enclosed Automotive Transport
Escort - Radar Detectors & Laser Detectors
TUDOR United SportsCar Championship Homepage
