Racing News

    BMW Team RLL is looking forward to the two-hour Continental Monterey Grand Prix at Laguna Seca, hoping to rebound from a disappointing Round Three race at Long Beach as the 2016 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship finishes up its two-race West Coast swing.

    Debuting two new BMW M6 GTLM racing cars this season, the team has had its share of the expected ups and downs of a new racing car, but the sum total of the program to-date shows great promise. Bill Auberlen and Dirk Werner have piloted the #25 M6 into a tie for second in GTLM team and driver points standings based on a fifth place finish at Daytona (with Augusto Farfus and Bruno Spengler), a second at Sebring (with Farfus) and another fifth at Long Beach. Auberlen scored the pole at both Sebring and Long Beach as well as the fastest race lap at Sebring. The duo finished second to their teammates last year at Laguna Seca. 

    John Edwards, Lucas Luhr and the #100 M6 have shouldered the bulk of the team’s teething problems and bad luck this year.  A sixth place finish at Sebring has been bookended by hard crashes at Daytona and Long Beach. The pair was the winner at last year’s Laguna Seca race, mirroring the 1975 victory—almost 40 years to the day—that Hans J-Stuck took the checkered flag in a 3.0 CSL. 

    “Historically we have done well at Laguna Seca and were 1-2 last year,” said Bobby Rahal, Team Principal. “We have qualified well and have had a number of podiums over the years so Laguna Seca has always been good to us.  Because of its long wheelbase, Laguna represents more of the kind of circuit the BMW M6 likes with the long, fast, flowing corners. As we have seen all year, it is super competitive. We were pleased being on pole at Long Beach but it didn't quite work out for us. We know the pace of the car is competitive and now it's just a matter of putting a good weekend together.”

    Bill Auberlen, driver #25 BMW M6 GTLM: “Now that we are getting the hang of the BMW M6 GTLM I’m feeling better and better about what we have.  I’m coming off two consecutive poles and a track record. I feel like the next few tracks will be even better for us.  Last year we finished first and second at Laguna Seca so I feel great about the combination we are developing this year to try to repeat our victory from 2015.”

    Dirk Werner, driver #25 BMW M6 GTLM: “Laguna Seca is a track I like a lot and the layout should suit our car. Of course it will be a challenge to go there with the M6 for the first time and find a good setup. But we like these challenges and we will push for the best possible result.”

    John Edwards, driver #100 BMW M6 GTLM: “It’s been a tough start to the season for Lucas and me in the 100 car. The good news is that I don’t see any way that we could have any more bad luck the rest of the season! We are returning to the site of our last win, and the weekend in Monterey is always an enjoyable one. I think the track configuration will suit the M6 much better than the bumpy tracks at Sebring and Long Beach, so we have an opportunity to repeat our win from last year. We’ll be pushing hard for it as usual, but especially so after our unlucky start in the first 3 races.”

    Lucas Luhr, driver #100 BMW M6 GTLM: “After winning Laguna Seca last year the pressure is on. We’ll need some of that luck John and I have been missing in the first three races, but I think we can turn it around there.”

    The Continental Monterey Grand Prix takes the green flag at 11:15 a.m.  PT Sunday, May 1 with the live broadcast beginning at 2:00 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1. Follow BMW Team RLL on Twitter at @BMWUSARacing for “from-the-pit-box” updates all weekend.