Photo: BMW
This year’s adventure in the realm of Motorsport for BMW will begin in the US, with the 53rd annual Rolex 24-hour race. BMW Team RLL will compete in the iconic race part of the Tudor United Sportscar Championship 2015 with two cars, both of them Z4 GTLM models.
Not only is this the first race of a long season that lies ahead but it’s also the 40th anniversary of BMW’s first race in the US. In this regard, the cars racing for Team RLL will be wearing numbers 24 and 25 in honor of the BMW 3.0CSL models that debuted in the same race four decades ago.
“We are looking forward to an exciting USCC season in 2015, in which BMW Team RLL will once again fly our flag in the GTLM class. Our mission is to return to winning ways with the BMW Z4 GTLM and strong drivers, and build on the great successes we have celebrated in North America in the past,” said BMW Motorsport Director, Jens Marquardt.
“After all, the 40th anniversary makes this a very special year for BMW of North America. We want to do everything in our power to ensure that we also have plenty of reason to celebrate from a sporting point of view,” he added.
This will also be the seventh consecutive season of sports car racing competition since their return back in 2008. The Z4 GTLM is now beginning its third season as the official car of Team RLL and this year, two new chassis have been constructed and tested extensively before being launched into battle.
Hopefully, the issues reported in the past will be gone by the time the green flag is waved on Saturday and there will be no lack of power on the track when the Z4 will go up against its traditional rivals.
The number 24 Z4 GTLM will be driven by Jens Klingmann, Graham Rahal, John Edwards and Lucas Luhr. The last two will be racing the car for the entire season in the championship.
“The two toughest races of the championship are the first two of the season. With Daytona being a 24-hour race, it certainly can end up playing a major role in how you do in the championship. The odds are probably against you to finish, let alone do well, so the first thing is that you’ve got to really do everything you can to make sure you get to the end,” said Bobby Rahal, Team Principal.
Last year, with only a couple of hours to go, the two cars of BMW Team RLL looked pretty good, with an actual chance to win the race. However, one car lost a wheel baring and the other one had to make an additional stop to replace its own wheel baring just as a precaution. In the end, the team had to settle for second and fourth place which wasn’t a too pleasant experience after showing great form for most of the race.
“We are looking forward to an exciting USCC season in 2015, in which BMW Team RLL will once again fly our flag in the GTLM class. Our mission is to return to winning ways with the BMW Z4 GTLM and strong drivers, and build on the great successes we have celebrated in North America in the past,” said BMW Motorsport Director, Jens Marquardt.
“After all, the 40th anniversary makes this a very special year for BMW of North America. We want to do everything in our power to ensure that we also have plenty of reason to celebrate from a sporting point of view,” he added.
This will also be the seventh consecutive season of sports car racing competition since their return back in 2008. The Z4 GTLM is now beginning its third season as the official car of Team RLL and this year, two new chassis have been constructed and tested extensively before being launched into battle.
Hopefully, the issues reported in the past will be gone by the time the green flag is waved on Saturday and there will be no lack of power on the track when the Z4 will go up against its traditional rivals.
The line-up
For the 24-hour race in Daytona, BMW Team RLL assembled a group of stellar drivers that includes Augusto Farfus, Bruno Spengler, Bill Auberlen and Dirk Werner. That’s the crew that will be taking the wheel of the number 25 Z4 GTLM car.The number 24 Z4 GTLM will be driven by Jens Klingmann, Graham Rahal, John Edwards and Lucas Luhr. The last two will be racing the car for the entire season in the championship.
“The two toughest races of the championship are the first two of the season. With Daytona being a 24-hour race, it certainly can end up playing a major role in how you do in the championship. The odds are probably against you to finish, let alone do well, so the first thing is that you’ve got to really do everything you can to make sure you get to the end,” said Bobby Rahal, Team Principal.
Last year, with only a couple of hours to go, the two cars of BMW Team RLL looked pretty good, with an actual chance to win the race. However, one car lost a wheel baring and the other one had to make an additional stop to replace its own wheel baring just as a precaution. In the end, the team had to settle for second and fourth place which wasn’t a too pleasant experience after showing great form for most of the race.
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