Munich (DE), 17th April 2016. BMW Team RLL had a difficult debut of
the BMW M6 GTLM at Long Beach (US), finishing fifth and tenth in the
Bubba Burger Sports Car Grand Prix, the third round of the 2016 IMSA
WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IWSC).
The 100-minute race started with great promise as the number 25 car
of Bill Auberlen (US), starting from the class pole, led the opening
13 laps of the race. A drive through penalty Auberlen served on lap 28
after contact with a Prototype Challenge car on lap 24 dropped the
number 25 car down to sixth. Dirk Werner (DE) got into the car on lap
31 and rejoined the race in seventh. He raced hard, but was unable to
regain any considerable ground. At the restart on lap 55 Werner was
hit in the right rear by a Prototype Challenge car in the hairpin and
was forced to the pits to change the cut Michelin tyre. In the end he
finished the race in fifth. Victory went to Porsche.
John Edwards (US) and Lucas Luhr (DE) were unlucky again in Long
Beach. Luhr started the race from sixth, but was quickly into the pits
on lap four with an electrical issue. He rejoined the race in ninth.
Edwards took over on lap 49 and moved up to eighth. On the lap 55
restart contact with a competitor caused damage that was quickly
realised by both Edwards and the crew. Before the team could call him
into the pits Edwards was into the wall and out of the race. Finally
the car was classified in tenth.
Bobby Rahal (Team Principal BMW Team RLL):
“Today was certainly not one of our finer races. With penalties and
damage on both cars, you can’t have a very good race. It was a shame
as the 25 car was leading and obviously was a much more competitive
proposition. The 100 car had a technical issue early on, and that took
us out of the fight in the race. It is just a shame, but fifth place
was a little bit of a salvage for the 25 car. Now on to the next one.”
Bill Auberlen (Number 25 BMW M6 GTLM, 5th place):
“We knew the Porsches were going to be strong. They made a good move
and they got me all in the same pass. Then the same old story, you
catch a PC car and then they drive away, you catch them up and they
drive away and that keeps happening. So I took a little higher risk
and got to the guy and I shot under, for sure he doesn’t see me turns
in and spins. I get a drive through penalty. The race is in trouble at
that point. We get a yellow flag, catch up and have the opportunity to
do it again. Then a PC car hits Dirk in the rear, flattens the tyre
and that ends our day, as we have to then pit to put another tyre on.
It should have been a better day.”
Dirk Werner (Number 25 BMW M6 GTLM, 5th place):
“That was a tough race with no good end for us, mainly because I was
hit twice. The first time I was nearly spun round in the fountain
turn, but we were still in the race. However, after the yellow at the
restart another car drove into me and cut my tyre, so I had to go into
the pits and change it. Then we were just hanging in there in the
race, got fifth and some points. For sure it was a disappointing
result but these racing incidents happen, and we have to get over it.
We have a good car and can be happy with the work we did. I am now
just looking forward to the next race.”
John Edwards (Number 100 BMW M6 GTLM, 10th place):
“The whole race was tough for us. We had a technical issue early on
and lost a lap with the pit stop. Then we were on the back foot. At
the restart I had new tyres, while everyone else was on old. At that
point I was going to try to go through the field to get back onto the
lead lap and hope for a yellow. Unfortunately that ended before I
could get started with a hit from a PC car at the restart that bent
the car. At turn one I went off and had a pretty hard hit. I think we
could have made up some places with all that was going on so that was
a shame.”
Lucas Luhr (Number 100 BMW M6 GTLM, 10th place):
“That was a very tough challenging day for all of us – the 25 as well
as the 100 car. You have to realise that the BMW M6 GT3 is still a
brand new car and it is the first time we have run it round a street
circuit. Especially here in Long Beach, with all the bumps and the
changing of concrete to asphalt, it brings its own challenges. But
that is racing, you don’t learn so much from a win, you learn a lot
more from negative days, which that definitely was. We have a lot of
things to look at, a lot of things to learn from that and I am sure we
will come back stronger.”