The entire BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team is now at Road Atlanta addressing final details in preparation for this Saturday’s Petit Le Mans endurance classic. The overall race distance will be 1000 miles or ten hours (whichever comes first), and GT2 class leaders normally complete about 900 miles.
Last weekend, BMW of North America drivers Bill Auberlen, Joey Hand, Dirk Mül ler and Tommy Milner tested both BMW M3 GT2 race cars at Road Atlanta. Test time was limited
by torrential rains, but the team was able to gather data, bed brake pads, and properly aim each M3’s xenon headlights. On Tuesday, BMW Motorsport drivers Andy Priaulx and Jörg
Müller arrived at the track.
The Petit Le Mans will be one of the toughest challenges the team has faced in its inaugural American Le Mans season, but having proven able to win at a circuit like Road America, the BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team is ready to take on Road Atlanta.
Bill Auberlen, driver, No. 90 M3:
“The weekend test went well. I have been part of several BMW efforts at Petit Le Mans and I feel we are ready. The key to winning the Petit is to stay clean and fast.”
Joey Hand, driver, No. 90 M3:
“Petit Le Mans is driven like a sprint. We will need to go full tilt the whole time because the competition is closely matched. Last weekend’s testing showed how far we have come as a team. The engineers and mechanics and drivers work well together. We get better with every lap.”
Andy Priaulx, driver, No. 90 M3:
“This will be my first race in the US so I am very excited to do it in a BMW. I haven’t driven this car since testing here nine months ago, but I don’t believe that to be an issue. What I will have to learn quickly are the specific rules regarding caution flags and pit stops, while getting a handle on race pace.”
Tommy Milner, driver, No. 92 M3:
“The rain this weekend limited the amount of track time, but the team was still able to accomplish enough that we can now focus on the race itself. In the ALMS you can’t win just by staying out of trouble. We will have to be both fast and reliable. I am excited that our Number 92 M3 will carry Need for Speed SHIFT logo for this race. It’s a thrill to see the M3 on the box cover, and a great connection to real-life motorsport.”
Dirk Mül ler, driver, No. 92 M3:
“During testing I learned that Atlanta can be much like Malaysia with the amount of rain coming down. I did get in some dry laps and it feels like the M3 suits the track nicely. We checked all the systems and we are prepared for the race. I have raced Petit Le Mans four or five times and it is more like a long sprint race than an endurance race. Jörg will be a
good addition, and his last name begins with an M. Three M’s in our M3!”
Jörg Müller, driver , No. 92 M3:
“I have very good memories of Petit Le Mans and I am happy that I can come here again to support BMW in North America. I have led the race in past years, but a GT2 class win is high on my list of things yet to do.”
The Petit Le Mans Powered by Mazda 6 is scheduled to start at 11:15 a.m. ET Saturday, Sept. 26 and will be broadcast live on SPEED television.
Author: Horatiu B.
Source: http://www.bmwblog.com/2009/09/24/bmw-r ... t-le-mans/