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		<title>BMW CCA - Racing News</title>
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		<description>BMW racing news</description>
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			<title>BMW CCA - Racing News</title>
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			<title>Auberlen and Milner keep BMW in the ALMS title hunt with a third at Mosport</title>
			<link>http://bmwcca.org/forum/showthread.php?t=7999&amp;goto=newpost</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 30 Aug 2010 16:11:02 GMT</pubDate>
			<description>Car #92 finishes third in GT in a crash-shortened race

Tommy Milner and Bill Auberlen finished third in the GT class in the American Le Mans Series...</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><font color="Blue">Car #92 finishes third in GT in a crash-shortened race</font><br />
<br />
Tommy Milner and Bill Auberlen finished third in the GT class in the American Le Mans Series race at Mosport, behind the Flying Lizard Porsche of Patrick Long/Jörg Bergmeister and the Risi Ferrari of Gianmaria Bruni/Toni Vilander. Their finish, the team’s eighth trip to the podium in eight races so far this season, drops BMW and BMW Rahal-Letterman Racing to second in the GT manufacturers’ and team championships, just one point behind Porsche and Flying Lizard with one race to go. <br />
<br />
The race, scheduled for 2 ¾ hours, was red flagged with 29 minutes remaining after GTC Porsche racer Luke Hines was hit by Johnny Cocker’s prototype. The Porsche crashed heavily, moving an Armco barrier. The ALMS officials determined that the extensive repairs required would have taken three hours, so the cars were restarted after sitting in the pits for almost an hour and paraded around the circuit behind the pace car to take the checkered flag. <br />
[FLOATLEFT]<a href="http://bmwcca.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=2833" target="_blank">Attachment 2833</a> <font color="Blue"><font size="2"><i>Bill Auberlen and Tommy Milner kept BMW in the race for the title with their podium finish at Mosport.</i></font></font> [/FLOATLEFT]<br />
Not long before the race was stopped, Tommy Milner was leading in the #92 M3, rebuilt after the Road America crash. The M3’s tires were going away, and the Porsche and the Ferrari got by just before Milner made a planned out-of-sequence stop. The red flag came out soon after he returned to the circuit. <br />
<br />
The #90 M3 had crashed out just over an hour into the race in an incident that also involved the Robertson Racing Ford GT. The incident occurred after Dirk Müller had taken over from Joey Hand. <br />
<br />
Bill Auberlen, racing with a broken rib sustained in the Road America crash (unknown to him until the Mosport weekend) said, "The team had to go straight home to Columbus [Ohio], build up a bare chassis in two days, then go straight to Mosport. We pitted out of sequence, which would have worked out really well had the race not been red-flagged. Because of the shortened race, we didn't get to battle, but we finished on the podium and we led a lot of the race. I want to thank the Rahal Letterman guys for all their hard work, and Dunlop Tires.”<br />
<br />
The overall win went to the Porsche RS Spyder prototype of Klaus Graf/Romain Dumas. <br />
<br />
The ALMS GT team, manufacturers’, and drivers’ titles will be decided at the Petit Le Mans enduro at Road Atlanta on October 2<i>.—Brian S. Morgan, motorsports editor, bmwcca.org</i></div>


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			<category domain="http://bmwcca.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=170">Racing News</category>
			<dc:creator>Roundel</dc:creator>
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			<title>Pruett and Rojas clinch the Daytona Prototype team title for Ganassi</title>
			<link>http://bmwcca.org/forum/showthread.php?t=7988&amp;goto=newpost</link>
			<pubDate>Sun, 29 Aug 2010 01:40:14 GMT</pubDate>
			<description>The Ganassi Riley-BMW team secures the 2010 Grand-Am championship at Montreal 

Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas in their Riley-BMW Daytona Prototype won...</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><font color="Blue">The Ganassi Riley-BMW team secures the 2010 Grand-Am championship at Montreal </font><br />
<br />
Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas in their Riley-BMW Daytona Prototype won the Grand-Am Montreal 200 on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, scoring a series record breaking eighth win of the season and securing the team title for Ganassi Racing. <br />
<br />
Pruett led more than half of the race in the Dinan-BMW V8 powered prototype, warding off the challenge of the pole winning Gainsco Riley Chevrolet of Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty.<br />
[FLOATLEFT]<a href="http://bmwcca.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=2796" target="_blank">Attachment 2796</a> <font color="blue"><font size="2"><i>Pruett and Rojas won their eighth race of the season in Montreal. (Grand-Am photo) </i></font></font>[/FLOATLEFT]<br />
To secure the drivers’ title, Pruett and Rojas each have to drive thirty minutes in the season finale at Miller Motorsports Park in September. If only one of the two drives thirty minutes at Miller, that driver will win the title. <br />
<br />
SunTrust Racing’s Max Angelelli and Ricky Taylor, the Ganassi drivers’ closest competitors, can possibly tie them on points at Miller. But even if they do, Pruett and Rojas would win the title because the tiebreaker is the number of wins in the season. <br />
<br />
Ryan Dalziel, who was second in points going into Montreal, did not get into the Starworks Riley-BMW during the race, as the car, with Mike Forest at the controls, exited after just eight laps with a broken ring and pinion.<br />
<br />
The series’ season finale will run at Miller Motorsports Park on September 11<i>.—Brian S. Morgan, motorsports editor, bmwcca.org</i></div>


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			<category domain="http://bmwcca.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=170">Racing News</category>
			<dc:creator>Roundel</dc:creator>
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			<title>Club Racing announces new stock class rules</title>
			<link>http://bmwcca.org/forum/showthread.php?t=7965&amp;goto=newpost</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 24 Aug 2010 17:08:16 GMT</pubDate>
			<description>The Tire Rack BMW CCA Club Racing series stock classes will change in 2011

The Tire Rack BMW CCA Club Racing has announced a revision of the rules...</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><font color="Blue">The Tire Rack BMW CCA Club Racing series stock classes will change in 2011</font><br />
<br />
The Tire Rack BMW CCA Club Racing has announced a revision of the rules for its stock classes. The new rules will take effect in 2011.<br />
<br />
In a release on the changes, Club Racing chairman Gary Davis says that “the rules are intended to revitalize our outdated Stock class.” Entries in the stock classes have declined in recent seasons. The declines have been most notable in the E30 M3-dominated J-Stock class, once one of the largest classes in the series.<br />
[FLOATLEFT]<a href="http://bmwcca.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=2756" target="_blank">Attachment 2756</a> <font color="blue"><i><font size="2">The rules for stock-class cars like Dave Allaway's E30 M3 will change in 2011. (Brian Morgan photo)</font></i></font> [/FLOATLEFT]<br />
Davis goes on to say, “I created a Rules Task Force, consisting of James Clay, Billy Maher, Scott Smith, Brett Strom, and myself – a geographically diverse group of guys who are all intimately familiar with BMWs across a wide range of models, detailed technical aspects of these cars, and the industry of performance cars and parts as a whole. Over a span of several months, these individuals worked to produce a unanimously accepted outline for an updated rules set, which will more accurately reflect the entry level class in our racing, as well as provide a more level to transition between classes and build a car that more competitively races in both our race series as well as with other groups.”<br />
<br />
<br />
<font color="Blue">Weight, suspension, and diff specs will change</font><br />
<br />
Highlights of the changes described in the release are:<br />
<br />
<b>“Name –</b> This is no longer a “Stock” car, although it does represent a typical entry-level expenditure with a stock appearance. We suggest the name be changed to Super Stock (SS), Limited (L), or similar. <br />
<br />
<b>“Weight –</b> Car weights will reflect existing Prepared weights, with similar preparation. Removing weight is initially the cheapest way to go faster and typical track-prepped cars are stripped to this level. This also aid in having a fun car which is more capable in crossover classes with other organizations. <br />
<br />
<b>“Engine – </b>Pure stock engine as currently listed with no internal modifications. Stock exhaust manifolds retained with catalysts removal allowed on newer model cars. <br />
<br />
<b>“Suspension – </b>Allow as Prepared, including height-adjustable coilovers and camber plates. Non-remote reservoir, double adjustable dampers are already allowed and existing in Stock class. <br />
<br />
<b>“Differential –</b> Gear changes are allowed to increase competitive ability of poorly-geared models and allow factory-based limited slip units to allow newer models without factory limited slip a non-open option. <br />
<br />
<b>“Body –</b> No rear spoilers or front splitters unless equipped as factory standard (not dealer-installed options)."<br />
<br />
Details of the rules that are described as “smaller items (that are) generally a matter of housekeeping to ensure our rules are stable and consistent for years to come,” will be posted on the Club Racing site, <a href="http://www.bmwccaclubracing.com" target="_blank">www.bmwccaclubracing.com</a>, as soon as they are completed and approved. Current rules and other information on the series are posted on the site. <i>—Brian S. Morgan, motorsports editor, bmwcca.org</i></div>


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			<title>BMW wins at Road America</title>
			<link>http://bmwcca.org/forum/showthread.php?t=7956&amp;goto=newpost</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 23 Aug 2010 03:34:03 GMT</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Hand and Müller score BMW Rahal Letterman Racing's first win of the season
 
Joey Hand and Dirk Müller piloted their BMW Rahal Letterman Racing M3 to...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><font color="blue">Hand and Müller score BMW Rahal Letterman Racing's first win of the season</font><br />
 <br />
Joey Hand and Dirk Müller piloted their BMW Rahal Letterman Racing M3 to a convincing GT class win in the American Le Mans Series race at Road America. It was the team’s first class win of the season, its seventh straight podium finish, and a reprise of its 2009 ALMS win on the historic Wisconsin circuit.<br />
 <br />
Hand, who had qualified the #90 M3 fourth, took the lead early in the race, demonstrating that the M3 could outrun the rest of the cars in the competitive GT class. The car fell back as the pack was shuffled during pit stops and yellow flag periods, but when the track went green with about an hour left in the race, Müller took the lead from the Flying Lizard Porsche of Patrick Long/Jörg Bergmeister and motored away, holding onto a lead that varied from two to four seconds for the balance of the race. In the end, the M3 won, the Porsche was second, and the Corvette of Oliver Gavin/Olivier Beretta finished third. You can watch a post-race interview with Hand and Müller <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hmEjDqt32I" target="_blank">here</a>. <br />
[floatleft]<a href="http://bmwcca.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=2751" target="_blank">Attachment 2751</a> <font color="blue"><i><font size="2">Car #90 won at Road America. (Jon Van Woerden photo) </font></i></font>[/floatleft]<br />
<font color="blue">Car #92 is taken out early</font><br />
 <br />
The day ended early for the #92 M3 of Bill Auberlen/Tommy Milner. Just twenty minutes into the race Auberlen was taken out when he was hit from the rear after he was caught behind a slowing LMPC prototype. The M3 went into a concrete barrier at high speed. Auberlen emerged without injury, but the car sustained damage that took it out of the race. The crew of #92 was on its way back to the shop before the race ended to repair the car in time for Friday practice at Mosport. <br />
[floatright]<a href="http://bmwcca.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=2752" target="_blank">Attachment 2752</a> <font color="blue"><i><font size="2">Car #92 was taken out in a crash just twenty minutes into the race. (Jon Van Woerden photo) </font></i></font>[/floatright]<br />
With just next weekend’s race at Mosport and the October 2 Petit Le Mans race at Road Atlanta left in the season, BMW leads the manufacturers’ championship, while Hand and Muller are tied for second in drivers’ points with Ferrari’s Gianmaria Bruni and Jaime Melo. Porsche’s Long and Bergmeister lead the drivers’ championship. Auberlen and his co-driver Tommy Milner, who did not get into the car during the Road America race, are fourth in drivers’ points<i>.—Brian S. Morgan, motorsports editor, bmwcca.org</i></div>


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			<category domain="http://bmwcca.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=170">Racing News</category>
			<dc:creator>Roundel</dc:creator>
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			<title>BMW and Mini win at Trois-Rivieres</title>
			<link>http://bmwcca.org/forum/showthread.php?t=7908&amp;goto=newpost</link>
			<pubDate>Sun, 15 Aug 2010 02:12:22 GMT</pubDate>
			<description>BMW drivers close in on titles with one race remaining

The Rum Bum E92 M3 scored its second win of the season in the Continental Tire Sports Car...</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><font color="Blue">BMW drivers close in on titles with one race remaining</font><br />
<br />
The Rum Bum E92 M3 scored its second win of the season in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Grand Sport race on Friday night at Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, and then the RSR Mini won its second consecutive Street Turner race on Saturday morning. In both races, BMW teams and drivers running not far behind the winners consolidated their first-place positions in points going into the final event of the season at Miller Motorsports Park in September. <br />
<br />
<font color="blue">Plumb takes over early and moves up to score Rum Bum’s second win of the season</font><br />
<br />
Rum-Bum made a strategy call just five minutes into Friday night’s Grand Sport race; it turned out to be a winning move. Porsche racer Keith Carroll crashed just a minute into the race, tagging Paul Dalla Lana in the Turner Motorsport #96 M3 and bringing out the first full-course yellow. Rum Bum brought Nick Longhi in on the third lap for a driver change, giving the car to Matt Plumb. Meanwhile, Jack Roush, Jr. in the leading Mustang GT stayed out. <br />
[FLOATLEFT]<a href="http://bmwcca.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=2706" target="_blank">Attachment 2706</a> <font color="blue"><i><font size="2">The Rum Bum M3 won on Friday night at Trois-Rivieres. (Grand-Am photo) </font></i></font>[/FLOATLEFT]<br />
Plumb, who returned to the track nineteenth in the twenty car field, soon moved into the top ten, and then moved into the top five. When Roush pitted from the lead on lap 33 to hand off to Billy Johnson, Plumb took the lead, and held it for the balance of the 89 lap race. He had won for Rum Bum in the first CTSCC race of the season at Daytona, when he was paired with Gianluis Bacardi. <br />
<br />
Plumb said "This is a great win to keep building this program on and moving forward. Racing at night was a blast, and I hope it looked as good to the fans as I think it did."<br />
<br />
Commenting on the early stop, Longhi said "It was a great call. I was really nervous, but that's why they don't have me do the fuel numbers. The team executed perfectly on the strategy."<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, the race toward the series championships took place behind the Rum Bum car. Drivers’ points leaders Charles Putman and Charles Espenlaub finished fifth in their Fall-Line M3, increasing their lead over Turner Motorsport’s Joey Hand and Michael Marsal, who finished just behind them. Fall-Line’s Terry Borcheller got by Espenlaub 1 ½ hours into the 2-hour race, and finished fourth. The finish kept the title hopes of Borcheller and his co-driver Andrew Hendricks alive; they are fourth in points going into the finale.<br />
<br />
Roush, Jr. and Johnson finished second, leaving them third in the championship chase.   Matt Bell and Jeff Bucknum, not contenders for the drivers’ title, finished third in the race in their Camaro. <br />
<br />
<font color="blue">An early start works for Mini as Trinkler and Smalley score another win</font><br />
[FLOATRIGHT]<a href="http://bmwcca.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=2707" target="_blank">Attachment 2707</a> <font color="blue"><i><font size="2"> RSR's Owen Trinkler and Randy Smalley won the Saturday morning Street Tuner race. (Grand-Am photo)</font></i></font> [/FLOATRIGHT]<br />
Strategically, the Saturday morning ST race began much like Friday night’s GS race. There was an early yellow, brought out when BimmerWorld’s Dave White collided with the Honda Civic Si of Zach Lutz just after the start. In a reprise of Rum Bum’s Friday night call, RSR brought car #198 in under yellow on lap three, when team owner Randy Smalley handed over to Owen Trinkler. Trinkler proceeded to carve his way through the pack, moving up to fifth in about 30 minutes.<br />
<br />
At the 1 ¼ hour mark, everything changed. The leaders, with Trinkler among them, pitted under yellow. Trinkler’s Mini took on both fuel and tires. When the race went back to green, the MX-5s of Andrew Carbonell and Tom Long led. Within two minutes, RSR’s VJ Mirzayan, struggling with brake problems in the Mini that he shared with Sarah Cattaneo, locked up and made contact with Carbonell, spinning him off course. Both cars continued, but Long assumed the lead with Trinkler on his tail. Trinkler soon got by, and motored away to win by a 4.766 second margin. Long and Carbonell finished second and third.<br />
<br />
Trinkler, whose lead at Trois-Rivieres had evaporated in 2009 when a seat broke in his Mini, said "We've worked so hard over the past four years and I felt like this track owed us one. Tom (Long) was really quick and if I didn't have those tires it would have been a tougher fight." <br />
<br />
Once again the battle for the championship took shape just behind the race leaders. Seth Thomas and Bill Heumann finished fourth in their BimmerWorld E90 328i, extending their lead over Honda’s Lawson Aschenbach and David Thilenius, who finished twelfth after a stop for brake pads. The BMW and the Honda are the only remaining contenders for the ST drivers’ title going into Miller in September<i>.—Brian S. Morgan, motorsports editor, bmwcca.org</i></div>


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			<category domain="http://bmwcca.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=170">Racing News</category>
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			<title>Pruett and Rojas take win number seven at Watkins Glen</title>
			<link>http://bmwcca.org/forum/showthread.php?t=7867&amp;goto=newpost</link>
			<pubDate>Sun, 08 Aug 2010 03:06:23 GMT</pubDate>
			<description>Ganassi Riley-BMW extends Rolex Series points lead

Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas won the Grand-Am Rolex Series race on the short course at Watkins...</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><font color="Blue">Ganassi Riley-BMW extends Rolex Series points lead</font><br />
<br />
Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas won the Grand-Am Rolex Series race on the short course at Watkins Glen in the Ganassi Racing Riley-BMW—their seventh win of the season, tying the series record set by Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty in a Riley-Pontiac in 2007.<br />
<br />
Rojas started from the pole, leading until he was caught in traffic and passed by Ricky Taylor in the Suntrust Dallara-Ford. The Dallara would prove to be the Ganassi car’s only serious competition in the two-hour Saturday-night race. <br />
[FLOATLEFT]<a href="http://bmwcca.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=2699" target="_blank">Attachment 2699</a> <font color="Blue"><i><font size="2">Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas won the Grand-Am Rolex Series race at Watkins Glen. (Grand-Am photo) </font></i></font>[/FLOATLEFT]<br />
Pruett took over from Rojas when the car made its first pit stop. He soon regained the lead, holding off Max Angelelli, Taylor’s co-driver, for the rest of the race. "Overall, the car was solid," Pruett said after the race. "We just seem to have a good setup for the Glen. The traffic was tough, and you could lose two seconds a lap, easily. We just tried to cut our way through traffic the best we could, run smart and run clean."<br />
<br />
Another Dinan-BMW powered Riley, the Starworks prototype of Ryan Dalziel/Mike Forest, finished fourth, behind the Riley-Chevrolet of Gurney and Fogarty. The fourth-place finish kept Dalziel second in drivers’ points behind Pruett and Rojas.<br />
<br />
Both the Ganassi and Starworks cars still carried the extra 75 pounds added to Dinan-V8-powered prototoypes earlier in the season. Because of adjustments to the engines that will be applied for the next race in Montreal, the weight will be removed for that race. <br />
<br />
<font color="blue">Turner to run M6 in finale, will run M3 in 2011</font><br />
<br />
Turner Motorsport did not run its GT-class M6 at Watkins Glen, and will sit out the next race at Montreal as well. Two of the team’s drivers, Bill Auberlen and Joey Hand, were at Mid-Ohio for the ALMS race on Saturday; they will have another conflict when the Grand-Am series runs in Montreal.<br />
<br />
Will Turner says that the M6 will return for the season finale in Utah in September. He also says that the team is building a GT class M3 for 2011 Rolex Series competition<i>—Brian S. Morgan, motorsports editor, bmwcca.org</i></div>


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			<title>BMW finishes on the podium at Mid-Ohio</title>
			<link>http://bmwcca.org/forum/showthread.php?t=7866&amp;goto=newpost</link>
			<pubDate>Sun, 08 Aug 2010 02:13:55 GMT</pubDate>
			<description>Win remains elusive; Auberlen, Milner finish third in ALMS GT

Bill Auberlen hung on for third place in GT at Mid-Ohio, continuing BMW’s podium...</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><font color="Blue">Win remains elusive; Auberlen, Milner finish third in ALMS GT</font><br />
<br />
Bill Auberlen hung on for third place in GT at Mid-Ohio, continuing BMW’s podium streak in ALMS competition in what had to be the closest, most dramatic race of the 2010 season to date. But once again, an overall win eluded the BMW-Rahal Letterman Racing team.<br />
<br />
Joey Hand qualified the #90 car that he shared with Dirk Müller fifth on the grid, just 0.585 seconds off the time of the pole-sitting #61 Risi Competizione Ferrari qualified by Tony Vilander. Tommy Milner qualified the #92 M3 in seventh.<br />
[FLOATLEFT]<a href="http://bmwcca.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=2697" target="_blank">Attachment 2697</a> <font color="blue"><i><font size="2">The BMW M3s finished third and sixth at Mid-Ohio.</font></i></font>[/FLOATLEFT]<br />
BMW’s competition was formidable at Mid-Ohio. The #62 Risi Ferrari of Jaime Melo and Gianmaria Bruni that qualified second was back on form at Mid-Ohio, after exiting the race early at Lime Rock; and the Corvettes, which had seemed off the pace of the other GT cars this season, clearly found additional speed in Ohio. At the beginning of the event, the two Ferraris and the #4 Corvette of Olivier Beretta and Oliver Gavin led the race, as Hand ran fourth ahead of the other 'Vette, driven by Jan Magnussen and Johnny O’Connell. Milner ran seventh in the #92 M3.<br />
<br />
<font color="Blue">Well-timed pit stop gives Auberlen the lead </font><br />
<br />
Seeing that a full-course yellow was about to come out, the BMW-RLR team quickly brought #92 into the pits, and Auberlen got into the car before the pits were closed. After the pits were reopened and the GT leaders had pitted under the yellow, Auberlen emerged as the class leader, ahead of the #62 Ferrari, the two Corvettes, and the #90 M3, which had Müller aboard. <br />
<br />
The Ferrari stumbled for a time with a fuel-pump problem, but it was able to switch to the auxiliary pump without pitting, and regained its momentum. The #3 Corvette dropped out as well, leaving Auberlen ahead of the #4 Corvette, which was leading Müller's M3 and the Flying Lizard Porsche of Patrick Long/Jörg Bergmeister. But Auberlen could not hold off the competition. Just before the 1½-hour mark, the Corvette got by, and a few minutes later, the #62 Ferrari—clearly back on form—dropped the #92 M3 to third. <br />
<br />
Meanwhile, Müller, struggling with the handling of #90, took a brief off-course excursion, and then pitted for the final time, giving the car back to Hand. Then, to add to the team’s woes, Auberlen was tagged by a GTC class Porsche and spun out. He soon brought the car to the pits.<br />
[FLOATRIGHT]<a href="http://bmwcca.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=2698" target="_blank">Attachment 2698</a> <font color="Blue"><i><font size="2"> Bill Auberlen and Tommy Milner celebrate their podium finish. </font></i></font>[/FLOATRIGHT]<br />
<font color="blue">Ferrari takes over for good </font><br />
<br />
Because the BMWs had made their pit stops, they were able to stay out when the race fell under the caution flag again. After the other GT cars pitted, the BMW were running one-two behind the pace car—ahead of the #62 Ferrari and the #4 Corvette. But once again, the edge gained by strategic pit stops was not enough; the Ferrari made a dramatic pass when the track went back to green, getting by both BMWs and retaking the lead for good. The #4 Corvette then passed to capture second, but Auberlen held on to finish third ahead of the Flying Lizard Porsche. Hand’s M3 came home sixth. <br />
<br />
BMW NA Motorsports manager Martin Birkmann said, “After our qualifying result, this podium finish is a nice improvement. This weekend we didn’t have the pace to challenge our competitors, and we congratulate them. This podium finish for BMW is exclusively attributable to excellent pit strategy and hard work by the crew of the BMW-Rahal Letterman Racing Team. Now we just need to find that top step on the GT podium.”<br />
<br />
The overall race win went to the Dyson Racing Lola-Mazda of Chris Dyson/Guy Smith, who held off the points-leading Patron-Highcroft prototype of David Brabham/Simon Pagenaud.<br />
<br />
The Mid-Ohio race marked the beginning of an intense three-race August for the ALMS, with races at Road America on August 22 and Canada's Mosport on August 29. Going into Road America, BMW is tied with Porsche for the GT points lead<i>.—Brian S. Morgan, motorsports editor, bmwcca.org</i></div>


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			<title>BMW—well, Mini—to re-enter World Rally Championship</title>
			<link>http://bmwcca.org/forum/showthread.php?t=7861&amp;goto=newpost</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 06 Aug 2010 22:05:22 GMT</pubDate>
			<description>Legendary Prodrive company to prepare 1.6-liter rally turbo

Minis are returning to international rallying—more than 40 years after the first Cooper...</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><font color="Blue">Legendary Prodrive company to prepare 1.6-liter rally turbo</font><br />
<br />
Minis are returning to international rallying—more than 40 years after the first Cooper S models dominated the Monte Carlo Rally, only prevented from winning four in a row by a last-minute rule change (ah, those perfidious French!).<br />
<br />
BMW says that a 4WD turbocharged coupe—based on the Countryman wagon—will begin a phased return to the World Rally Championship next year before contesting the entire championship from 2012 for "several years."[FLOATRIGHT]<a href="http://bmwcca.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=2692" target="_blank">Attachment 2692</a><font color="Blue"><font size="2"><i>They're baaaaack! Mini will return to rally competition after a 40-year absence.</i></font></font>[/FLOATRIGHT]<br />
They're baaaaack! Mini will return to rally competition after a 40-year absence.<br />
<br />
<br />
It's an eagerly anticipated return for one of rallying's most unexpected star performers. Conceived as a thrifty commuter car in the 1956 Suez fuel crisis, the Mini came to symbolize the "Swinging '60s" Britain. But it was the Cooper S victories at the Monte Carlo Rally in 1964, '65, and '67 that earned the tiny car its cult status.<br />
<br />
"The success enjoyed on the rally circuit has made a vital contribution to the image of the brand," says BMW Board member Ian Robertson. "I am convinced we will add a few more chapters to our success story in rallying."<br />
<br />
The British company Prodrive has been working with BMW since last year to create a 1.6-liter rally car based on its Countryman model. In Prodrive, BMW hired a company with a long-standing pedigree in rallying; they helped Subaru win the constructors' title three times in the 1990s, while Colin McRae won the drivers' title in 1995 and Richard Burns and Petter Solberg repeated in 2001 and 2003. Before that, Prodrive prepared E30 M3s for rally use, among other interesting rides.<br />
<br />
"This is a very exciting new motorsports program," Prodrive chairman David Richards said. "During the 1960s, Mini captured the imagination of the world when the tiny car won one of the toughest motor sport events, the 4,000-kilometer Monte Carlo Rally."<br />
<br />
BMW acquired Mini through its 1994 purchase of the Rover Group.<i>—Paul Duchene</i></div>


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