(FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE)
TURNER MOTORSPORT LOOKS FOR STRONG FINISH TO 2019 SEASON AT PETIT LE MANS.
Amesbury, MA. -- October 10th, 2019 -- Turner Motorsport returns to racing action just two weeks since a win at Road America in the Blancpain GT World Challenge America with the No. 96 BMW M6 GT3.
Drivers Naoto Takeda and Takuya Shirasaka claimed their third podium on the 2019 season in their third race appearance in the Turner BMW in the Blancpain GT World Challenge.
The team now switches gears to focus on the 2019 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship finale this Saturday.
The 21st running of the 10-hour Petit Le Mans will conclude the 2019 season on the 2.54-mile 12-corner Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta with drivers Bill Auberlen, Robby Foley and Dillon Machavern piloting the red, white and blue LIQUI Moly BMW M6 GT3.
This will be the first time the trio joins forces since the strong second place finish at Watkins Glen International in July.
“We are excited to be back together following our strong performance as a team at Watkins Glen for the Sahlen’s Six Hours,” said Robby Foley. “This season has been exciting and going into the final race sitting third in the Championship points is something we are proud of. I am looking forward to pushing our BMW M6 GT3 for some more strong results to finish out the season.”
The race will mark the end of the 21st professional racing season for Turner Motorsport and the 21st consecutive season with at least one victory in professional racing series.
"It's amazing that the 2019 season is already coming to an end," said Bill Auberlen. "We have made so much progress with our BMW since the first race of 2019 in Daytona. The guys have not missed a beat the entire season so I am hopeful we have an oppoutunity to show our stuff here this weekend."
In 2016, Markus Palttala, Michael Marsal and Cameron Lawrence clinched a third place finish in their blue and yellow BMW M6 GT3. Last year, the trio of Markus Palttala, Dillon Machavern and Don Yount had unfortunately luck with an early incident which took them out of the race.
“It’s a shame last year’s race ended so early but we are back and better than ever,” said Dillon Machavern. This year has had a lot of success and challenges but I know the entire team is ready to put together a strong weekend for our sponsors, fans and friends so looking forward to it.”
In addition to the busy GTD-class race weekend ahead, the Turner Motorsport team will field their M4 GT4 in the Michelin Pilot Challenge GS-class on Friday.
Drivers Robby Foley and Vin Barletta will join forces following their first outing together at Virginia International Raceway earlier in the season. Barletta also joined Foley and Auberlen at Watkins Glen for the four hour endurance challenge.
Racing action will begin on Thursday with both the Michelin Pilot Challenge and the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship starting practice. Qualifying will begin at 4:55pm ET for the GS Class of the Michelin Pilot Challenge.
Friday will see the two hour Fox Factory 120 for the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge followed by the GTD class qualifying at 3:55pm ET.
The ten hour Petit Le Mans will take the green flag at 12:05pm ET and will be televised LIVE for the first three hours on NBC network television from 12:00pm ET to 3:00pm ET. The remainder of the race will be LIVE on NBC Sports App and the NBC Sports Network.
#TacoTaco
2019 Partners:
Stay connected. Follow us on Facebook & Twitter to get up to the minute updates from the race track.
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.
