Racing News Article #530 | Turner Motorsport

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Racing News Article #530

Turner BMWs Finish 1-2 in Sahlen’s 120 at The Glen.

Sahlen’s Six Hour – Win on Saturday, Don’t Win on Sunday.

Newton, NH --- June 26, 2023 ---

For a second time in the 2023 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season Turner Motorsport finished with a BMW M4 GT4 Grand Sport class 1-2. Sebring, in March, was the first 1-2 and Saturday’s Sahlen’s 120 at The Glen was the second. Two serious, old school circuits and two consummate performances by the entire Turner Motorsport team in both two-hour races.

In fact, Saturday’s victory was the third consecutive Michelin Pilot Challenge win for a Turner BMW at Watkins Glen International. In both 2021 and 2022 it was Bill Auberlen and Dillon Machavern with the victory.

Team veterans Robby Foley took the victory in the No. 96 BMW M4 GT4, finishing .680 seconds in front of the No. 95 BMW M4 GT4 of Cameron Lawrence and Robert Megennis.

Barletta and Foley move up to stand second in Grand Sport driver points. Lawrence and Megennis now stand sixth. Turner has BMW standing second in GS Manufacturer points.

"I’m speechless…to have a 1-2 Sebring is a dream as a team owner, and now to have 2 in one year is surreal. It’s a testament to our Turner team and these great new cars BMW’s built” said Will Turner. “I’m not sure if we are just lucky at Watkins Glen, but I’m pretty sure the circuit suits Turner Motorsport and BMW. The 1-2 really means a lot because everyone has worked so hard to develop these new cars. Obviously a win means tacos. (Rumor has it that roughly 95-96 tacos were consumed by the team on Saturday night - No cheese, on corn of course)

The morning after Saturday night’s celebration it was back to work for the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen. Unfortunately, Sunday did not go as planned and our podium steak in the 6-hour comes to an end. The pace of both the GTD class LIQUI-MOLY BMW M4 GT3, of Michael Dinan, Robby Foley, and Patrick Gallagher; and GTD PRO McIntosh BMW M4 GT3, of Bill Auberlen, John Edwards, and Chandler Hull, was solid – really close to the top-3 – but not winning pace. Great strategy and driving allowed both Turner cars to run in top-five contention. The No. 96 even lead GTD at the halfway mark. In the last hour, the only yellow flag was caused by a spectacular roll-over crash by Bill Auberlen in the No. 95 McIntosh BMW that effectively ended the contest. Bill did not see the checkered flag, but was credited with a seventh-place GTD PRO result. Robby Foley did see the checkered flag, finishing P13 in the LIQUI-MOLY machine.

Will continued, “Today was a race in which we had to take some chances with our strategy.

The ball did not bounce our way and Watkins Glen did not reward us like it did yesterday with the IMPC 1-2, but fifty percent certainly gets you in the Hall of Fame.”

Up next for Turner Motorsport is up North for the July 7 - 9 weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, in Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada. The CTMP 120 for the Michelin Pilot Challenge takes the green flag at 4:00 p.m. Saturday, July 8. The two-hour race will be streamed live on Peacock. Sunday’s Chevrolet Grand Prix is scheduled to start at 12:05 p.m. Sunday, July 9. The two-hour-and-forty-minute race will be broadcast live on NBC beginning at 12:00 p.m. ET.

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