BMW Customer Team Results/Press from Rolex 24 At Daytona

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( * For BMW Team RLL see here: http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1083680 )

TURNER MOTORSPORT

TURNER WITH RESILIENT COMEBACK IN ROLEX 24 AT DAYTONA; TEAM CAPTURES VALUABLE CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS WITH P12 FINISH.



With the 2015 Rolex 24 at Daytona in the rear view mirror, the defending GTD Champions have once again shown championship-caliber determination and perseverance with a hard fought P12 finish. After capturing valuable points the team sets their sights on the second round of the 2015 Tudor United SportsCar Championship season, the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida.

Markus Palttala took the green flag for the start of the 53rd running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Palttala quickly settled into a rhythm with consistent lap times keeping the blue and yellow BMW out of trouble to hand the car over to co-driver Michael Marsal.

Soon after Marsal began his opening stint, the IHG® Rewards Club No. 97 BMW Z4 was forced into the garage with gearbox issues. The team worked feverishly to repair the gearbox but it ultimately it cost the team valuable track position early on into the 24 hour contest, forcing the No. 97 BMW to fall ninety laps back from the GTD leaders.

“The gearbox failure was a huge surprise to us, as it was a fresh rebuild from the manufacturer. We did everything we could to make sure all the components on our BMW were going to last the 24 hours but there was no way we could have foreseen this issue ,” commented Will Turner.

“Our crew did an incredible job to get the necessary components switched out to get the car back out. Having such a debilitating failure so early on in the race is not easy - with the car now so many laps down – our focus is now on capturing as many points as possible.,” explained Turner.

Back on track with a replaced gearbox , Marsal worked hard throughout an impressive double stint to hand the car over to co-driver Andy Priaulx. Priaulx set the fastest race lap for the No. 97 in his opening stint pushing hard to make up any position possible before handing the driving duty over to Boris Said.

“It was disappointing to head for the garage so early in the race but the entire team did a remarkable job keeping us in the race,” commented Michael Marsal. “My co-drivers and our crew put their heads down and did what they had to do to keep our BMW Z4 on track and running smoothly. It was a team effort and I can’t say enough about everyone involved.”

The team battled through the thirteen hours of darkness with flawless pit stops and strong driver stints to make up several positions from P19 to P14. As attrition set in, the team was able to gain two more valuable positions in the final hours of the race to finish P12.

“I have to thank Markus, Andy and Boris for their determination, it was a great experience to push to fight back to finish just outside the top-ten,” explained Michael Marsal. “Each of us did what we had to do to keep our IHG® Rewards Club BMW Z4 out of trouble and finish the race.”

As the 24th hour came to a close the No. 97 BMW Z4 GTD crossed the line in P12 with Boris Said behind the wheel.

“Thank you to the entire team for all the determination and hard work. I am sure I speak for everyone involved that we look forward to Sebring. It is great to come away from this race with valuable points and momentum to carry into round 2,” explained Will Turner. “Daytona is one of the most difficult endurance races in the world , I am not happy we didn’t compete for the win , but I am glad we are headed to Sebring with some solid points.”

Turner Motorsport will return to the race track for the Mobil 1 Twelve Hour of Sebring on March 21st, 2015 with high hopes in securing even more Championship points.



FALL-LINE MOTORSPORTS

- Fall-Line Motorsports finished just one position off the podium last weekend at Daytona International Raceway as Trent Hindman and Ashley Freiberg took the checkered flag in fourth place in GS for the BMW Performance 200. Teammates Corey Lewis and Al Carter were unable to start the race after a crash in the morning warm-up that left their racecar with significant damage that couldn’t repaired in time for the race.

The defending Continental Tire SportsCar (CTSC) Champion (Hindman) and defending Daytona race winner (Freiberg) had a solid run in the race after they started in 6th position. Freiberg started the race and drove all the way up to second before pitting for a driver change. Hindman turned the third fastest lap in the closing laps in the 2.5-hour race.



Trent Hindman: “I thought it was a solid run, I’m a little bit angry at myself because I knew we could have caught Lawson (Aschenbach) at the end. It was still a great fight. I knew we had the car in the infield to catch him but those things (Camaros) are just monsters coming off the corners. That definitely made it difficult to pass. At the end of the day, everyone did an incredible job. For us to get the lone BMW in the field up into the top-five, I think that’s a great accomplishment. A huge thanks to Mark Boden, Michael Harvey, and everyone at Fall-Line for giving us a great racecar and flawless pit stops all day. Thank you to Trim-Tex and IHG Rewards Club for making this possible today.”

Ashley Freiberg: “I am pretty proud of our race. We are looking at this with a long term view which is to win the Championship, so fourth place is good for points. The team did a great job with pit stops, and Trent drove well. The car was handling really well, we just don’t have the straight line speed due to all of last season’s BOP adjustments, which is kind of frustrating, but I think we gave it everything we could. I have to give huge thank you to IHG Rewards Club, BMW of North America, Trim-Tex, and Fall-Line Motorsports for their support and for a solid start to the 2015 season. I am looking forward to what Sebring will bring us!”

Al Carter: “It was great to be united with the whole Fall-Line crew at Daytona. Our #48 BMW was stout rolling off the truck. We qualified strong and though the racing gods didn’t allow us to get the debut we had hoped for, make no doubt that Corey Lewis is an amazing young racing talent and this #48 team will shine at Sebring. A huge shout out to teammates Trent and Ashley for all their help and support and congrats for their strong race finish.”

Corey Lewis: “Daytona did not turn out as we had planned. The Fall-Line Motorsports crew did an amazing job preparing the car, and my co-driver Al Carter qualified us at P10. Unfortunately, I made an error in morning warm up causing damage to the car that could not be repaired in time for the race. My focus in now on Sebring, and getting the result I know we are capable of. A huge thank you to Amped Apparel, Monticello Motor Club, and the Nila Agency.”

Michael Harvey, Team Manager: “It was a bittersweet day for the Fall-Line Motorsports BMWs. Unfortunately, the #48 incurred damage that precluded it from racing but the #46 had a strong race to finish 4th. The result was a great way to start the year especially as the strategy, pitstops, and performance from all was flawless; 4th was better than we could have hoped for today. A big thank you goes out to IHG Rewards Club and longtime partner Trim-Tex. We are excited to move onto Sebring and continue our pursuit of a Championship for Fall-Line, BMW and all of our partners.”

Next up is Sebring International Raceway on March 20.

BIMMERWORLD RACING

BimmerWorld Takes Top-5 in Season Opener at Daytona



MW experts open their 2015 Championship account with a strong run to fifth at Daytona
Round 1 of the 2015 Continental Tire Series Championship at Daytona International Speedway almost went according to plan for the BMW aftermarket and tuning experts at BimmerWorld. The team’s new F30-based 3281 turbos were plenty fast as team owner/driver James Clay and co-driver Jason Briedis qualified second and finished fifth in the 2.5-hour endurance race piloting the No. 84 OPTIMA Batteries-sponsored entry.

The sister No. 81 BimmerWorld BMW 328i driven by Tyler Cooke and Andrie Hartanto was less fortunate, succumbing to fuel supply-related issues before the green flag waved. Daytona left Clay and the BimmerWorld program with a glimpse of the F30′s capabilities against the opposition, and a renewed sense of determination to place both cars inside the top-5 at the next race in March.

“The F30 BMWs are going to be contenders all year, and it was good to see them come out strong at Daytona,” said Clay. “I am happy that our new partners at OPTIMA Batteries had a strong finish in the No. 84 car, and personally quite satisfied with that drive, but I know we should have had the sister car right beside us, and that is disappointing. We have two months until the next round, and we won’t be resting until everything is sorted.”

QUOTEBOARD: Daytona Race
No. 81 BMW 328i: Tyler Cooke and Andrie Hartanto

Cooke: We didn’t come out of Daytona in the ideal situation but everyone has one bad race and hopefully we got that out of the way and now we can focus forward. I’m looking forward to Sebring because I have many laps on the track and the F30 proved it was fast last year. We might not have made a lot of laps at Daytona but in the laps we did, the car proved it had the speed. Sebring will be a race for us to get back in this Championship and BimmerWorld has never been a team to settle for second.

Hartanto: In the end it is racing and stuff happens, and all I want is to represent my sponsors to the best of my ability. We will have an uphill battle from now on and can’t afford any more issues. My feeling with the team is positive and I’m sure that we can bounce back. Sebring is one of the toughest tracks to learn, however, but we have more than a long break which I will use to train myself thoroughly.

No. 84 OPTIMA BMW 328i: James Clay and Jason Briedis
Clay: The track had less grip mid-corner than it had previously all weekend, and it made the corners run between gears, which was a little tough to work with. Overall though, the winter improvements in the car’s handling were evident and I am very happy with a good start to the season.