Turner’s “great eight” includes a roster of 24-hour race winners
Turner Motorsport will contest the Rolex 24 with a stellar lineup of drivers that includes BMW Motorsport pilots Dirk Müller, Jörg Müller, and Dirk Werner along with Turner regulars Bill Auberlen (a BMW works driver himself), Paul Dalla Lana, and Michael Marsal. Boris Said and Billy Johnson, both of whom drove selected races for Turner in 2011, will also be on board at Daytona.
The 24-hour race wins scored by these drivers include:
- Class wins for Auberlen and Said in PTG M3s in the Rolex 24 in both 1997 and 1998.
- Multiple wins in the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring, including a 2005 victory for Said, a 2004 win for Dirk Müller and Jörg Müller, co-driving with Hans Stuck, and a 2010 win for Jörg Müller as part of the BMW Team Schnitzer effort.
- Three 24 hour wins for Dirk Werner in Z4s, including the Silverstone 24 in 2007 and the Dubai 24 in 2007 and 2008.(Text continues after photo)
Speaking of his driver lineup, which he dubs the “great eight”, Turner says, "For the 50th Rolex 24 at Daytona I wanted to assemble the strongest BMW driver lineup I could. I think the Turner Motorsport roster stands on its own as one of the strongest ever. I want to thank BMW Motorsport for their support and assistance. Last year we ran strong in the opening hours of the race before gearbox problems set us back. This year we return with two M3s on the back of a very successful 2011 Grand-Am season that included two GT victories. With luck we will add the team's biggest win to date."
The Roar Before the 24, the pre-race practice session for Daytona, will be run on January 6-8, and the Rolex 24 will run on January 28-29.—Brian S. Morgan, motorsports editor, bmwcca.org
