(FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE)
TURNER MOTORSPORT CLAIMS HISTORIC VICTORY AND CHAMPIONSHIP FINISH AT PETIT LE MANS; DRIVER BILL AUBERLEN CLINCHES 60th WIN.
Amesbury, MA. -- October 14th, 2019 -- Turner Motorsport claims a historic win at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta in the 10-hour Petit Le Mans with drivers Bill Auberlen, Robby Foley and Dillon Machavern. The win secures second place in the 2019 WeatherTech SportsCar points Championship.
The Turner trio drove a storybook race starting from the back of the grid all the way to the front after suffering a puzzling and catastrophic brake rotor failure in Friday’s qualifying on the 2.54-mile 12- corner circuit.
Robby Foley took the green flag to carve his way through the GTD field working his way up to the fourth position before handing the car over to Dillon Machavern. Dillon pushed to battle the GTD front runners completing an impressive double stint making his way up and into the lead of GTD before handing the No. 96 LIQUI Moly BMW over to Bill Auberlen.
Auberlen continued to hold the lead for his entire opening stint before giving the car back to Robby Foley.
All three drivers continued on rotating through their order to carefully execute the team strategy and hope to be up front at the end of the grueling ten hours.
Bill Auberlen said, “Robby worked it up and Dillon worked us up the rest of the way. Then we ran most of the race from the front end the whole day. We had a little issue getting bumped off the track by the No. 33 Mercedes, so we had to change strategy. We were not going to make it to the end on fuel unless we had a yellow.”
With just over two hours to go, Robby Foley was forced off track in turn 2 by the No. 33 Mercedes who was entering from pit lane on cold tires. Foley had to dive into pit lane to clean debris out of the radiator and complete a full service stop.
The stop threw the No. 96 BMW M6 GT3 off strategy requiring one more stop that planned to make it to the end of the race.
“We had such a solid race going up until this point, said Robby Foley. “ Bill, Dillon and I were all able to click of consistent laps and stints to keep us on strategy to have a chance to fight for the win at the end. It seemed it was all going our way until having to make this emergency stop.”
Foley was able to reclaim position after making a career highlight double pass on the front running Mercedes and Audi going into turn ten. With the car in the lead, the final stop and driver change was made to get Auberlen behind the wheel.
“We started this fuel-saving strategy – thinking we weren’t going to make it to the end of the race and then the yellow came so it was game on,” said Bill Auberlen. “We ran down the 33 Mercedes which had some issue on the last lap, so we passed him and it was a great day for all of us.”
“The reliability of our BMW M6 GT3 is just amazing,” added Auberlen. “This car takes a huge beating for ten hours straight and just keeps going. Our BMW combined with Foley and Machavern is just the perfect receipe for success. These guys are flawless all the time.”
In the final laps of the race Auberlen pushed to gain ground on the leading Mercedes finally making a pass through turns four and five with the No. 29 Audi on his heels, ultimately crossing the finish line in first to mark his 60th career sports car win.
Auberlen’s 60th professional sport car win of his career ties him with Scott Pruett for the most winning IMSA driver of all time.
“This was one of those races you couldn’t make up, said Dillon Mahavern. “We all drove our hearts out to be in the mix at the end of the ten hours and despite all the hurdles thrown our way, we were there in the end to make the pass and get the win. I can’t say enough about the team and my co-drivers. Bill got his 60th win, the team clinched a huge win and second in the Championship. Amazing to be a part of such a historic day.”
The race win marks the second win on the season for the Turner Motorsport team, narrowly missing a third win at Watkins Glen in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen. The race also marks the team’s biggest endurance win in team history.
“We won Petit Le Mans, Bill (Auberlen) tied the all-time win record AND we finished second in the Championship” said Will Turner. “This has been one of those races that we have been so close to winning in the past but always managed to let it slip through our fingers. These drivers and team deserve this more than anything with all the effort and work put in all season long. We can’t thank all our sponsors, supporters, friends and family enough for supporting us all along the way. This one will certainly make history, what an amazing race. Congratulations to Bill and BMW for tieing the all-time win record at 60.”
With the 2019 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship complete, the team looks to 2020 plans to expand their programs in both GT3 and GT4 and is actively seeking team members to join the seven time championship winning team.
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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.
