(FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE)
IMPRESSIVE DRIVE BY AUBERLEN AND FOLEY IN DETROIT DESPITE ADVERSITY
Amesbury, MA. -- June 3rd, 2019 -- Optimism was the word of the weekend for Turner Motorsport as they entered round four of the 2019 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship this past week in Detroit, Michigan.
The team entered the weekend with sights set on success on the 2.35-mile 14-turn street course of Detroit’s Belle Isle for the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix Presented by Lear.
Both Bill Auberlen and Robby Foley displayed a quick pace in both practice sessions on Friday followed by an impressive qualifying session by Foley to put the No. 96 Turner BMW on the pole at the top of the 12-car GTD field. This marks Robby Foley's first pole in the GTD class after starting 10 races with Turner Motorport.
Despite the strong effort in qualifying, the No. 96 BMW of Auberlen and Foley took the green flag for the 100-minute race from the twelfth position after Foley’s impressive qualifying results were disqualified due to a technical infraction for camber. The Turner BMW was found to be over the maxiumum allowable negative camber by .2 of a degree.
Foley took the green flag from the rear of the GTD field to fight his way up to seventh position before handing the car to Auberlen following a strategy call to make a shortened pit stop for fuel and driver change only.
Auberlen continued to work his way up to fourth position with just two minutes remaining when a gearbox failure forced Auberlen and the No. 96 Turner BMW to exit the track to ultimately finish tenth.
“We came into this weekend motivated to put together a strong performance,” said Will Turner. “It would be an understatement to say this season has been difficult for us but I am very proud of our entire team for putting their heads down and pushing through each day and fighting through the adversity.”
Bill Auberlen added, “Our BMW was hooked up all weekend here in Detroit. Our guys here at Turner gave us such a strong and competitive car that we could really push around this challenging track. Robby (Foley) did an amazing job in qualifying and in the beginning of the race to fight his way through the pack. We had all the ingredients for the perfect weekend but in the end it just did not come together.”
“I can’t say enough about our team and the guys we have who put so much into giving us a competitive car every single weekend,” said Robby Foley. “Bill and I had a solid BMW this weekend and it really showed in qualifying and the race. We have definitely faced our share of adversity, so I hope that makes a solid result that much sweeter. Looking forward to Watkins Glen later this month for another shot at redemption.”
The Turner Motorsport team will have a short break before heading to Watkins Glen International for the Six Hours of the Glen June 28th-30th.
Last year, the No. 96 Turner BMW of Markus Palttala, Dillon Machavern and Don Yount captured a win with an impressive performance to mark the team’s last win.
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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 380 professional races, winning seven professional racing championships in four different series since 2003. The most recent being the 2014 Team Championship in the GTD-class of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. 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.
2019 Weathertech SportsCar Championship Schedule
June 28-30 Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen
Watkins Glen, New York DPi/LMP2/GTLM/GTD
6 hours
NBCSN
July 5-7 Canadian Tire Motorsport Park
Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada DPi/LMP2/GTLM/GTD
2 hours, 40 minutes
NBC
July 19-20 Northeast Grand Prix
Lakeville, Connecticut GTLM/GTD
2 hours, 40 minutes
NBCSN
Aug. 2-4 Road America
Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin DPi/LMP2/GTLM/GTD
2 hours, 40 minutes
NBCSN
Aug. 23-25 VIRginia International Raceway
Danville, Virginia GTLM/GTD
2 hours, 40 minutes
NBCSN
Sept. 13-15 WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
Monterey, California DPi/LMP2/GTLM/GTD
2 hours, 40 minutes
NBC
Oct. 10-12 Petit Le Mans
Braselton, Georgia DPi/LMP2/GTLM/GTD
10 hours
NBC/NBCSN
Links
LIQUI MOLY - A German Lubricant Company and Official lubricant of Turner Motorsport
TurnerMotorsport.com - Parts, Performance & Service Parts for BMWs
TurnerService.com - Service, Performance & Maintenance for BMWs
IHG Rewards Club - The World's Largest Hotel Loyalty Program
H&R Springs - Premium Quality Suspension Components
PAGID - Motorsport and High Performance Brake Products
1620 Workwear - American Made Workwear and Gear
Weathertech SportsCar Championship Homepage
Press Inquires please Contact
Jay Baier
Director of Marketing
email: [email protected]
phone: 978-388-7769 ext. 630
