(FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE)
Turner Motorsport Celebrates 400 Races With BMW At Rolex 24 At Daytona To Open 2021 IMSA Season; Auberlen Anchors Stellar Driver Squad For 59th Annual Rolex 24 At Daytona.
Amesbury, Mass. Jan. 8, 2021 ---
Amesbury, Massachusetts based Turner Motorsport will celebrate the milestone of competing in 400 races with BMW during this year’s 59th annual Rolex 24 At Daytona weekend on Jan. 29 – 31, 2021. Second only to the legendary Schnitzer Motorsport in races with BMW, Turner will enter a strong lineup of drivers and BMWs in the Michelin Pilot Challenge Grand Sport (GS) class and WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GT Daytona (GTD) class.
“Our lineup for 2021 is stellar,” said Will Turner, Team Principal. “Bill Auberlen and Robby Foley have become quite the dynamic duo over the past few seasons, and I could not be happier to have them return for another season. We welcome Aidan Read to the team for the Michelin Endurance Cup rounds and look forward to seeing what he can add to our effort. For the Rolex 24 BMW NA facilitated Colton Herta signing on and his addition cannot be underestimated. Sometimes it feels like the last two decades have been a whirlwind, but I don’t want to miss the chance to thank BMW for their belief in the team and support to help Turner Motorsport reach 400 races , and seven championships, with The Ultimate Driving Machine®. I am also pleased to announce that Turner Motorsport has renewed our partnership with Liqui Moly for another year. Liqui Moly is "everywhere" and has posted record sales numbers recently. I can't think of a better partner to be with for 2021"
Rolex 24 At Daytona weekend lineup -
IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship
Rolex 24 At Daytona, 24 hours
No. 96 Liqui Moly / Turner Motorsport BMW M6 GT3
Drivers – Bill Auberlen, Robby Foley, Aiden Read, and Colton Herta
The BMW M6 GT3 drivers –
Bill Auberlen, is well known to most every sports car racing fan in the world, but for the purposes of this media release he can be summarized with one number – 62. 62 is the number of wins the 52-year-old Californian has in IMSA competition making him the leader in all-time North American victories.
Auberlen - “I been very lucky over the years to share my races at Daytona with some exceptionally good co-drivers. This year the lineup will be as good as it has ever been and promises a very good weekend. In fact, all the Turner Motorsport engineers and crew are returning in 2021 so we are starting from a particularly good foundation.”
Robby Foley, 24, will reprise his role as season-long co-driver of the Turner Motorsport No. 96 BMW M3 GT3 with Bill Auberlen. Joining Turner Motorsport in 2018, Robby has been on a tear in the GTD class. He finished second in 2019 GTD driver points with Auberlen, winning his first and second career IMSA races.
Foley - "I’m really excited to be back with Turner Motorsport in GTD and GS in 2021. We had a great 2020 season with 5 wins across both classes, so we're looking to build on that momentum and fight for some championships, and my hobby of #ZebraSpotting has taught me focus. In GTD, it's great to be back with Bill full-time. We've built a great working relationship and to be paired with such a legend is a fun experience. We'll be joined by Aidan Read for the endurance races and Colton Herta for Daytona, so we'll have a really strong lineup. We know the BMW M6 GT3 very well, so we need to execute, and finish races and we'll have a chance at the championship come October. In GS, I'm excited to continue working with Vin. His improvement over the last few years has been amazing to see. We had two podiums and got our first win together last year, so again something to build on in 2021.
Aidan Read will join the team for the four endurance races that make up the Michelin Endurance Cup; Daytona, Sebring, Watkins Glen and Petit Le Mans. While the Rolex 24 At Daytona will be his first race in North America the 21-year-old Australian-American has much experience racing a BMW M6 GT3 in the ADAC GT Masters Championship , finishing in the runner up position in the junior category in 2019.
Read - “I have really enjoyed my time in ADAC GT Masters, it’s been a valuable career step for me. Two seasons of racing GT3 in Europe, in what was a super-competitive championship, combined with my programs in Prototype endurance events has made me a stronger overall driver and this is definitely something that will aid me in my move to the USA and the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup. The difference in approach to the race weekend between Sprint and Endurance competition is significant.The former is focused on very short moments like qualifying, the latter about strong average performance over long distance. With my talented teammates, combined with Turner Motorsport’s experience in series and the BMW M6, I look forward to the new season with confidence. I have watched the Rolex 24 for many years, so to compete there - and also at other iconic US tracks such as Sebring, Watkins Glen and Road Atlanta - will be a great opportunity and also a challenge. I can’t wait to get started in Daytona!”
Colton Herta is a 20-year-old IndyCar phenomenon, scoring four poles and three wins in his first two years in the sport. He finished third in the 2020 IndyCar standings. His sports car racing career began with BMW in 2018 as a member of BMW’s Junior program, serving as test and reserve driver for BMW Team RLL. His first race with BMW occurred at the 2019 Rolex 24 At Daytona, codriving the No. 25 BMW M8 GTE to the victory in the GTLM class and setting the fastest GTLM race lap.
Herta - “I’m excited to be staying with BMW this year, and I appreciate the opportunity to drive the Turner Motorsport BMW M6 GT3. It’s going to be a new challenge for me racing in the GTD class, but I’m very much looking forward to cracking on with everyone.”
The BMW M4 GT4 drivers –
IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge
BMW Endurance Challenge At Daytona, 4 hours
No. 95 BMW M4 GT4
Drivers – Bill Auberlen and Dillon Machavern
No. 96 BMW M4 GT4
Drivers – Vin Barletta and Robby Foley
Vin Barletta and Dillon Machavern will join Auberlen and Foley respectively in the two Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT4 racing cars this season. Dillon Machavern, who helped lead the Turner GTD team to two victories (Watkins Glen in 2018 and Petit Le Mans in 2019) has experience with the M4 GT4 and the Turner team. Once again, the Turner team is starting on a great foundation for success.
First up is "The Roar before the 24" on January 22-24 which includes a, new for 2021, qualifying race which will set the grid for the Rolex 24 at Daytona on Jan. 29 – 31, 2021.
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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.
