Munich. BMW Team RLL heads to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca (USA)
for the penultimate round of the 2017 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar
Championship (IWSC). The 2.238-mile, 11-turn circuit on the Monterey
Peninsula has hosted sportscar races since 1957 and is a favourite
of BMW Team RLL principal Bobby Rahal (USA). Rahal scored four
consecutive Champ Car victories at Laguna Seca, beginning in 1984,
and in his honour, the straight between turns six and seven was
named the “Rahal Straight”.
BMW Team RLL has also found success at Mazda Raceway, capturing
one win, four seconds and two thirds since 2009, the team’s first
season racing for BMW. The victory came in 2015 with John Edwards
(USA) and Lucas Luhr (GER) driving the number 24 BMW Z4 GTLM. The car
raced that season in a distinctive black livery and, beginning at
Laguna Seca, the number 24 BMW M6 GTLM will race in black for the
final two races of the 2017 season.
This year, a mid-season run of six podium finishes by the team,
including two wins by Bill Auberlen (USA) and Alexander Sims (GBR),
has BMW standing third in GTLM Manufacturer points. Despite losing
almost certain victory in the closing minutes at VIR due to a
punctured tyre, Auberlen and Sims stand second in the Driver points,
16 points from first. Teammates John Edwards and Martin Tomczyk (GER)
stand seventh in the Driver points.
Bobby Rahal (Team Principal, BMW Team RLL): “We are
very much looking forward to returning to Laguna Seca, one of my
favourite circuits. As a driver and team owner, we have had a
tremendous amount of success there over the years whether it was
IndyCar racing, sportscar racing, Can Am or you name it. As recently
as 2015, when John Edwards did a great job in traffic to really cap it
off and win the race with a 1-2 finish, we’ve had success there. This
year has obviously been a competitive year for us so we are optimistic
of bringing home a good finish. We have been on the podium almost
every year BMW Team RLL has raced there so we have a good track record
we want to maintain. Certainly our VIR results did not help our
championship hopes but there are two races coming up that should play
to our strengths with Laguna Seca and Petit Le Mans.”
Bill Auberlen (Number 25 BMW M6 GTLM): “We have been
in position to win the last two races, but haven’t for one reason or
another. We’re still second in the points but we could be leading so
that’s a little frustrating.”
Alexander Sims (Number 25 BMW M6 GTLM): “As with
every race so far this year I am thoroughly looking forward to
learning a new circuit and driving our BMW M6 GTLM through the famous
corkscrew. We had excellent pace at the last round in Virginia and
hope we can carry some of that over to Laguna. I know the Rahal team
has been working very hard to keep improving and give us the best
possible chance to fight at the front.”
John Edwards (Number 24 BMW M6 GTLM): “We’re back in
black this weekend, so I’m reminded that the last time I drove a black
BMW at Laguna Seca, we were on top of the podium in a BMW 1-2!
Hopefully we can repeat that feat this weekend. The track is probably
the most picturesque that we go to and the elevation there does not
disappoint. It’s been a long break since VIR so I’m ready to get back
to racing.”
Martin Tomczyk (Number 24 BMW M6 GTLM): “Laguna Seca
will be great to drive for me. As a kid I was always driving this
track on my Playstation, knowing that I would drive it someday. Now
it’s time to race there together with John, BMW Team RLL and the BMW
M6 GTLM. I hope we will be as successful as I was on the console years ago.”