(FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE)
P8 FINISH FOR TURNER's RETURN TO 2020 RACING ACTION AT DAYTONA.
Amesbury, MA. -- July 6th, 2020-- Turner Motorsport returned to racing action this past weekend at Daytona International Speedway to end the five-month hiatus from on-track competition.
Displaying a red, white, and blue LIQUI Moly Livery with a Fourth of July theme, the No. 96 BMW M6 GT3 competed in the two-hour and 40-minute IMSA WeatherTech 240 At DAYTONA on Saturday night, July 4th.
Drivers Bill Auberlen and Robby Foley started from second position and maintained position in the front of the GTD field for most of the race. Robby Foley completed an impressive opening stint before pitting at the 45-minute mark for a driver change to Bill Auberlen.
“Our M6 felt strong here at Daytona,” said Robby Foley. “It was almost surreal being back inside of a real racecar after doing so much sim racing the last couple months. The mixed conditions (damp track) made it a little crazy at the start – the guys that started on rains moved up quickly but as the track dried out I was able to get back ahead of them”
Auberlen continued to run inside the top three on the 3.56-mile, 12-turn road course until being forced into the pit when one of his tires picked up a puncture. This unscheduled stop put Auberlen at the end of the lead lap.
“Robby (Foley) did a great job kicking this one off …starting from the front row after a very strong qualifying result,” said Bill Auberlen. “He gave me the car in a great position, I was able to continue on to run inside the top three for much of my first stint until we got the flat tire” “It felt so good to be back racing behind the wheel of a BMW, the Turner guys did not miss a beat after such a long time away from the track., said Auberlen.
Despite the strong performance by both Foley and Auberlen behind the wheel of the No. 96 Turner BMW, the duo finished the race in 8th place.
“It felt great getting back to racing. Our BMW M6 ran strong all weekend, Robby’s qualifying effort was spot on and Auberlen did what Auberlen does … put together amazing race laps! Unfortunately, we were one of the two cars that had to stop three times for fuel when all the other teams could do it in two stops. Once again, IMSA got out fuel capacity wrong, but they have assured me they will figure it out for the next race…Ultimately though the tire puncture is what kept us from challenging the leaders in the end.” Said team boss, Will Turner.
With round two of the 2020 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in the books, the focus turns to round three, the Cadillac Grand Prix of Sebring, next weekend July 16th-18th.
Both the Turner GS-class BMW M4s will join the Liqui Moly BMW M6 in racing action on Sebring International Raceway’s famed 3.74 mile, 17-corner road course in central Florida. The 95 GS car will be piloted by Robby Foley and Bill Auberlen and the 96 will be piloted by Vin Barletta and Robby Foley. Yes, you read that right - Robby foley will be doing triple duty, racing in two GS cars and the GTD car. #tacopower
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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.
