(FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE)
Race Preview: Turner Looks to VIR to Continue Championship Pace
Danville, VA. Aug. 21, 2014 Third place Turner Motorsport heads to Virginia International Raceway in hopes of clinching vital championship points as the competition heats up with just three races remaining in the 2014 Tudor United SportsCar Championship. Following the huge win at Road America the No. 94 BMW Z4 of Dane Cameron and Markus Palttala sits in contention for the Championship, just twelve points back from the leading 555 Ferrari.
The win at Road America was big for us, it put us in a good position heading into these last three races. If we can ride out that momentum from our performance at Road America we should be able to make up some more ground on the points leaders this weekend at VIR, commented Dane Cameron.
In the past the blue and yellow have experienced success at the highly acclaimed Virgina International Raceway, the complexity of the esses and roller coaster as well as the high speed straights have favored the Turner BMWs. In their last appearance in 2011 Turner drivers Paul Dalla Lana managed two podiums, one in the No. 96 GS M3 and another in the No. 94 GT M3.
Turner is no stranger to the podium at VIR as the team has managed two wins, three second place finishes, four third place and twelve top-five results since 2005.
In the Tudor Championship, Dane Cameron and Markus Palttala will look to carry some of that success into this years Oak Tree Grand Prix behind the wheel of the wheel of their BMW Z4. This race will mark the first time on the 17-turn 3.27 mile road course with the new Z4 platform for both drivers.
I am really looking forward to getting back into the Turner BMW this weekend, this track will present many of the same advantages and disadvantages as Road America did for our Z4. Obviously the two long straights will prove to be difficult for us while the sweeping nature of the esses and roller-coaster should play to our advantage, said Dane Cameron.
On the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge front, Michael Marsal will return to VIR for the first time since his impressive third place finish in 2011 and his win as a rookie in 2010. Marsal and Tom Kimber-Smith will look to build upon their two strong top-ten finishes at Road America and Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend.
We have continued to make so much progress with our BMW M3 and I think VIR is the perfect place to show how hard we have been working. We really owe it to car ch-ief Kevin Holmes for working so hard to get the car turned around after our incident at Road America. I have had some incredible races on this track and I hope we have the BMW to get Tom and I on that podium again, said Michael Marsal.
On track action will begin on Friday, tune into LIVE timing and scoring on IMSA.com to see where the No. 97 of Marsal and Kimber Smith qualifies at 5:10 p.m. ET on Friday. The Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge race takes place Saturday, Aug. 23 at 2:05 p.m. ET.
Qualifying for the No. 94 BMW Z4 of Cameron and Palttala will take place on Saturday, Aug. 23 at 12:30 p.m. ET and the Tudor Championship Oak Tree Grand Prix will be televised LIVE on Fox Sports 1 Sunday, Aug. 24 at 4:05 p.m. ET.
Turner BMW Line-Up for Virginia International Raceway:
Turner No. 94 GTD BMW Z4
Dane Cameron
Markus Palttala
Turner No. 97 GS BMW M3
Michael Marsal
Tom Kimber-Smith
Race Information:
Name: Oak Tree Grand Prix at Virginia International Raceway
Date: Aug. 24, 2014 Time: 4:00 p.m. EDT for two hours and 45 minutes
Track: Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Va., 3.27-mile circuit
TV Broadcast: FOX Sports 1 at 4:00 p.m. EDT
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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
August 24 Virginia International Raceway (GTLM/GTD race; PC race) Watch LIVE on Fox Sports 1 at 4:00 p.m. EDT
September 20 Circuit of The Americas
October 4 Petit Le Mans
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Please click here to check your local listings for both Fox Sports 1 and Fox Sports 2.
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Links
The Austin Hatcher Foundation - Charity Foundation for Pediactric Cancer
Kyle Markes Corner - Kyle's Corner Care to raise awareness of The Bone Marrow Registry
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
TUDOR United SportsCar Championship Homepage
