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Bill Auberlen, Alexander Sims and Kuno Wittmer finish sixth
at the Twelve Hours of Sebring. -
Number 24 BMW M6 GTLM and the Turner BMW M6 GT3 are forced
to retire early.
Sebring. In the second round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar
Championship (IWSC) in Sebring (USA), the number 25 BMW M6 GTLM,
driven by Bill Auberlen (USA), Alexander Sims (GBR) and Kuno Wittmer
(CAN), finished sixth in the GTLM class. The three BMW Team RLL
drivers completed 334 laps in the 65th running of the
endurance classic and delivered a flawless performance over the
course of the 12-hour race. However, they couldn’t match the pace of
the front-runners at a consistent level which made it impossible to
score a top result in Florida. Victory was secured by the number 3
Corvette.
John Edwards (USA), Martin Tomczyk (GER) and Nick Catsburg (NED)
experienced a disappointing race, sharing driving duties in the number
24 BMW M6 GTLM. Early in the race the trio lost several laps due to
technical issues. Later on, shortly before the halfway-mark, Catsburg
crashed into the barriers at Turn 1 of Sebring International Raceway
following another mechanical problem. This meant the race was over for
the Dutchman and his team-mates.
Once again the Turner Motorsport team delivered a strong race
performance in the GTD class. Justin Marks (USA), Jens Klingmann (GER)
and Jesse Krohn (FIN) gained several positions after starting
16th with the number 96 BMW M6 GT3. However, a damaged
suspension put an early end to the race for the crew of team boss Will
Turner (USA).
Action in the 2017 IMSA season will resume in three weeks time with
the Long Beach Grand Prix, CA.
Jens Marquardt (BMW Motorsport Director): “We are
leaving Sebring very disappointed. A look at the lap time analysis
clearly shows that the BoP adjustments after Daytona were by far not
enough to classify the BMW M6 GTLM on par with the competition again.
Most importantly I feel sorry for the team and our drivers who worked
very hard in preparation for and during the race – and weren’t
rewarded for this. Thank you to the entire team for their efforts in
the past two races. I hope that the BoP will be further adjusted for
the remainder of the season, in order to put us in a position again to
deliver exciting and hard-fought races with the BMW M6 GTLM.”
Bobby Rahal (Team Principal, BMW Team RLL): “I think
we gave it our best. We just don’t have the pace of our competitors.
You could see this clearly in the race today. It was a long day for
everybody – the crew, the drivers. We will walk on from here. Whatever
we can do, we will do it.”
Bill Auberlen (No. 25 BMW M6 GTLM, sixth place): “I
always focus on the positives: Our team once again did a fantastic job
and didn’t miss a beat. The BMW M6 GTLM ran absolutely flawless, but
unfortunately didn’t have the speed for a better finish.”
Alexander Sims (No. 25 BMW M6 GTLM, sixth place): “To
be honest, the car actually felt quite nice to drive. The balance was
good. But still we couldn’t attack. This was my first race in Sebring,
and it was a challenge with all the cars out there, the bumps and the
dark night. But it was good fun. Of course we would have preferred to
be fighting for positions at the front, but this wasn’t to be. Still
there’s a lot we can take from this race.”
Kuno Wittmer (No. 25 BMW M6 GTLM, sixth place):
“Sebring is always an emotional race – and a tough one for the team,
the drivers and the cars. Completing the 12 hours is always an
achievement. For hours we were fighting to get the lap back we had
lost early on, which is a very hard thing to do. In the end it worked
out. As a team we now need to push forward and improve further.”
Nick Catsburg (No. 24 BMW M6 GTLM, DNF): “One thing
is certain: We were not very lucky here in Sebring. Early in the race
we suffered a problem with the driveline, then Martin had a puncture.
Later on I went out following a pitstop, turned into Turn 1 and
something broke. We don’t know what it was yet, but it caused me to go
into the wall. The car was heavily damaged. We now need to keep our
heads up high and understand what went wrong.”