(FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE)
SOLID SIXTH PLACE FINISH FOR TURNER BMW IN RECORD BREAKING ROLEX 24 AT DAYTONA.
Amesbury, MA. -- January 28th, 2020 -- The No. 96 LIQUI Moly BMW M6 GT3 of Turner Motorsport finished sixth in the 58th running of the Rolex 24 At DAYTONA to match the team’s all-time best finish in the grueling endurance test.
The team entered the weekend and the start of the 2020 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship focused on building off of the success from the 2019 Petit Le Mans victory and second place GTD class finish for the 2019 season.
The seven-time championship-winning BMW race team started from fourth position on Saturday to mark the team’s strongest qualifying result in the eleven years of competing in the Rolex 24 At DAYTONA.
Completing 764 laps in the red, white and blue LIQUI Moly BMW, drivers Bill Auberlen, Robby Foley, Jens Klingmann and Dillon Machavern teamed up to put together a picture-perfect performance around the 3.56-mile, 12-turn road course at Daytona.
The record-breaking 24 hour event included the longest period of green flag racing ever run in the 58 years since the inaugural Rolex 24. The race ran green for a total of 22 hours and 16 minutes allowing the Turner BMW to cover 2,719 miles.
Robby Foley took the green flag to quickly find himself running in second just seconds off the GTD leader. Foley was able to complete his first double stint with faultless execution.
“We really had a solid car here at Daytona,” said Robby Foley. “The team has put in a ton of work to get us to where we are with this BMW M6 GT3. It has been a solid package from balance, to braking to reliability. We ran the entire race with good pace and not one mechanical issue which I think speaks to the level of preparation and experience of the Turner Motorsport team.”
The Turner team executed 28 pit stops and 16 driver changes to consume 28 sets of Michelin Tires to travel all 2,719 miles with zero mechanical issues with the BMW M6 GT3.
All four drivers were able to match the pace of the GTD leaders for most of the race to run consistently inside the top five of the GTD class.
Despite the strong pace and flawless running of the BMW M6 GT3, the team lost a lap to the eventual podium finishers due to the inopportune, but necessary front brake change. With just six cautions throughout the entire race, the team was not able to get back on the lead lap.
Will Turner commented, “What a race, it was amazing that it went green for as long as it did. I want to thank my crew for preparing such a reliable car. We had zero mechanical issues…. We did swap some body work during the pit stops - at one point we thought they were coming loose but it didn’t cost us any time. What kept us off the lead lap was a combination of limited fuel capacity (mandated by the issued BOP) and a needed brake change under green. The other teams took a risk and changed theirs at an early yellow…. This is the toughest race to win but we will come back and try again next year.”
Team Strategist Don Salama added, "Unfortunately IMSA overlooked calibrating Balance of Performance (BoP) on fuel capacity for this race. Primarily Lamborghini, Porsche and Audi got a significant competitive advantage by being able to run about 2-3 laps longer than us on a tank of fuel (per IMSA's allowance). This allowed those teams do shorter pit stops or alternatively run longer than us, which all race long put us behind regardless of our speed on track. Not surprisingly the top 5 finishers all had this unfair competitive advantage"
On Friday, Turner ran two BMW M4 GT4s in the BMW Endurance Challenge At DAYTONA for the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge series to mark the first race running two entries in the GS class since 2013.
Drivers Connor Bloum and Billy Johnson ran the No. 95 Turner BMW in the four-hour endurance race alongside the No. 96 BMW M4 GT4 of Bill Auberlen, Robby Foley and Vin Barletta. After a strong start for both Turner BMWs, both entries were forced into the pits for repeated punctures to the right rear tire. The team worked with Michelin to try identify the cause of the punctures during the race but was unable to locate the issue. . The team will investigate the matter further when the cars return to the shop.
The two Turner BMWs finished twenty-eighth and thirty-first in class respectively.
With a strong performance from the entire Turner Motorsport organization in both the GS and GTD classes, the team is looking ahead and beginning to prepare for the second round of the 2020 IMSA season at Sebring International Raceway, March 18 – 21.
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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 395 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.
2020 Weathertech SportsCar Championship Schedule
| Race Date |
Series |
Race Info & Location |
Results |
TV |
| January 22-26 |
 |
ROLEX 24 AT DAYTONA
Daytona International Speedway
Daytona Beach, FL
HOW TO WATCH
|
Results |
|
| March 18-21 |
|
MOBIL 1 TWELVE HOURS OF SEBRING
Sebring International Raceway
Sebring, FL
HOW TO WATCH
|
Results |
|
| April 17-18 |
|
ACURA GRAND PRIX OF LONG BEACH
Long Beach Street Circuit (P, PC and GTLM only)
Long Beach, CA
HOW TO WATCH
|
Results |
|
| May 01-03 |
|
ACURA SPORTS CAR CHALLENGE AT MID-OHIO
Mid Ohio
Lexington, OH
HOW TO WATCH
|
Results |
|
| May 29 - 30 |
|
DETROIT BELLE ISLE PARK
The Raceway at Belle Isle (P, PC and GTD only)
Detroit, MI
HOW TO WATCH
|
Results |
|
| June 25-28 |
|
SAHLEN'S SIX HOURS OF THE GLEN
Watkins Glen International (Long Course)
Watkins Glen, NY
HOW TO WATCH
|
Results |
|
| July 3-5 |
|
MOBIL 1 SPORTSCAR GRAND PRIX PRESENTED BY ACURA
Canadian Tire Motorsport Park
Bowmanville, ON, Canada
HOW TO WATCH
|
Results |
|
| July 17-18 |
|
LIME ROCK PARK
Lime Rock Park (PC, GTLM, GTD only)
Lakeville, CT
HOW TO WATCH
|
Results |
|
| JULY - 31 August 02 |
|
ROAD AMERICA
Road America
Elkhart Lake, WI
HOW TO WATCH
|
Results |
|
| August 21-23 |
|
MICHELIN GT CHALLENGE AT VIR
Virginia International Raceway
Alton, VA
HOW TO WATCH
|
Results |
|
| September 11-13 |
|
WEATHERTECH RACEWAY LAGUNA SECA
WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
Salinas, CA
HOW TO WATCH
|
Results |
|
| October 7-10 |
|
PETIT LE MANS ROAD ATLANTA
Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta
Braselton, GA
HOW TO WATCH
|
Results |
|
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
