With consecutive podium finishes (P3 – Road America and P2 – VIR) in the last two 2020 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship races BMW Team RLL has now amassed a total of 80 podium finishes since beginning its BMW racing program in 2009.The team is hoping to add a second season’s win at the six-hour Tirerack.com Grand Prix at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, in Braselton Ga. On Sept. 5th. BMW Team RLL triumphed at this year’s Rolex 24 At Daytona in January, the only event of 2020 not affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. The six-hour race at Road Atlanta replaces the six-hour race at Watkins Glen International.
Connor De Phillippi and Bruno Spengler celebrated their first podium of the season at VIR two weeks ago and the co-drivers of the No. 25 BMW M8 GTE now stand sixth in GTLM class driver points. No. 24 BMW M8 GTE co-drivers John Edwards and Jesse Krohn, third-place finishers at Road America and two of the four BMW Team RLL quartet that won the 2020 Rolex 24 At Daytona, stand fifth in driver points. In GTLM manufacturer points BMW stands second.
“Endurance races have changed quite a bit in recent years,” said Bobby Rahal, Team Principal. “There was a time when the cars were not robust enough and the drivers would effectively cruise around until the final hours. Today, every race is segmented into short, flat out sprint stints so the key is staying out of trouble and not making mistakes.”
At VIR, Bill Auberlen and Robby Foley drove the No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M6 GT3 to the GTD class victory, giving Auberlen the lead in all-time IMSA victories with 61. The duo now stands fifth in GTD class driver points and will be looking for a second consecutive win at Road Atlanta where Turner Motorsport won the 2019 edition of the Petit Le Mans.
John Edwards, Driver No. 24 BMW M8 GTE: “Road Atlanta is a track that requires big commitment to go fast. Our M8 is always good there and we have a lot of podiums there as a team. After some issues in the last race at VIR, it’s time for Jesse and me to win some races and get ourselves back in the championship fight.”
Jesse Krohn, driver No. 24 BMW M8 GTE: “By the time I got in the car at VIR it had broken and been repaired so we were eliminated from a competitive result. However, the M8 felt extremely good so I am expecting a good race at Road Atlanta.”
Connor De Phillippi, driver No. 25 BMW M8 GTE: “We are going into the Road Atlanta race weekend with podium momentum and it is typically a good track for our M8 GTLM car. The conditions will be hotter than they typically are in comparison to Petit Le Mans in October, so this will make it interesting to see how this will impact the pace of the race. Our focus will continue to be getting Bruno laps early in the weekend, so he feels ready for six hours of battle.”
Bruno Spengler, driver No. 25 BMW M8 GTE: “Road Atlanta is another new track for me so another weekend of discovery. I am looking forward to it as well as driving a longer distance. Connor and I will be looking for another good result.”
Source. BMW
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