Bret Curtis and Jens Klingmann drove the #96 Turner Motorsport M6 GT3 to a fifth-in-class finish in the two-hour IMSA WeatherTech series PC/GTD race at California's Laguna Seca Raceway. Klingmann was headed for a podium finish until the last lap of the race, when two cars managed to pass him in traffic.
The second Turner M6 GT3, driven by Markus Palttala and Michael Marsal, finished twelfth in class. The GTD class win went to Dominic Farnbacher and Alex Riberas in the #23 Porsche 911 GT3 R. The Porsche led the entire race, holding off the second place Ferrari 488 GT3 driven by Alessandro Balzan and Christina Nielsen.
The #96 Turner car’s finish was the best for BMW in the two IMSA races on Sunday; the BMW Team RLL M6 GTLMs struggled with setup on the new Michelin tires, finishing ninth and tenth in GTLM in their two-hour race on Sunday afternoon. Bill Auberlen and Dirk Werner were ninth in car #25 while John Edwards and Lucas Luhr were tenth. Richard Westbrook and Ryan Briscoe won the GTLM class in the #67 Chip Ganassi Racing Ford GT; it was the first win for the Ford GT.
Team RLL Principal Bobby Rahal said, “The race was really disappointing for everyone. We were searching for the set up for this new tire, but we couldn’t find it in the time we had. Everybody deserved better, but now we have two tests at Watkins Glen, so we can take this tire and actually start understanding it so we are more competitive at the next race there.”
The GTLM cars return to competition in the six-hour race at Watkins Glen on July 3. Before the race at the Glen the GTD cars will race on the Belle Isle circuit in Detroit on June 4.—Brian S. Morgan
