BMW Team RLL - Long Beach ALMS Preview

Woodcliff Lake, N.J. – April 9, 2012… Following a four-week intermission after BMW Team RLL’s GT class victory at the 12 Hours of Sebring American Le Mans Series curtain-raiser, the second act of the team’s ALMS GT class title defense will be set in the streets of Long Beach, California on April 14.

Last year Joey Hand and Dirk Müller had starring roles as Long Beach race winners and, ultimately, GT class driver’s champions. This year’s story has begun much as the last with Hand and Müller sharing a second consecutive Sebring 12 Hour victory – this time supported by Jonathan Summerton, of Kissimmee, Fla., as third driver.

Only two hours long, the Long Beach race is not only the shortest of the season, but the tight confines of the 1.968-mile, 11-turn temporary street circuit set a stage for high drama and conflict.

Bill Auberlen co-drove to a podium finish with Tommy Milner in both 2009 (P3) and 2010 (P2), but it was Milner that played the villain last year when the now Corvette driver’s contact with Auberlen during an overly-ambitious pass knocked Auberlen (and 2011 co-driver Dirk Werner) back to a seventh place finish. This season, Bill Auberlen and Jörg Müller will co-drive the No. 55 M3 GT at Long Beach. The race will be Müller’s first at Long Beach.

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