BMW Team RLL - Continental Tire Road Race Showcase - Race Final

Edwards and Luhr Finish Third to Score Team’s 60th Podium.

Woodcliff Lake, N.J. – Aug. 7, 2016… After starting at the rear of the entire 41-car field in today’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Continental Tire Road Race Showcase, the two BMW Team RLL M6 racing cars finished in the third and eighth positions in the GTLM class. John Edwards and Lucas Luhr, driving the No. 100 M6 GTLM, had a strong day to finish third, scoring the duo’s first podium of the season and the 60th podium finish for BMW Team RLL since 2009. Teammates Bill Auberlen and Dirk Werner, driving the No. 25 BMW M6 GTLM, finished eighth. Both cars completed 70 laps of the 4.048-mile, 14-turn Road America circuit in the two-hour-and-forty-minute race. The GTLM class win went to the No. 4 Corvette.

Because of the engine regulation infractions during yesterday’s qualifying session each of the car’s time was ultimately disallowed by IMSA and Luhr, starting the No. 100 M6, and Auberlen, starting the No. 25 M6, took the green flag from the tail end of the field - positions 40 and 41. By the fifth lap they had passed the GTD class leader with Auberlen in front of Luhr, 21 seconds behind the GTLM class leader. The first caution period of the race came just before the 14-minute mark and allowed Auberlen and Luhr to make up the remaining distance to the class leaders. At the 30-minute mark, it was Auberlen in seventh and Luhr in eighth - both only some four seconds separating them from the leader. Green flag pit stops began with almost one hour complete. Luhr was in on lap 23 to hand off to Edwards. Auberlen pitted two laps later and, after a fast stop for fuel and new Michelin tires, Werner was out in the No. 25 M6.

At the mid-point of the race Edwards was sixth and Werner was eighth, both cars with 33 laps complete. Edwards, with a 2:03.644 minute lap (four-thousandths of a second slower than the fastest GTLM race lap), moved into fifth on lap 37. One lap later, under green, Werner pitted for fuel and tires - the team making an educated gamble on an alternative strategy he could make the remaining 67 minutes of the race without pitting again - something the rest of the GLTM class would have to do - as long as the hoped for next caution would allow Werner to make up the track position lost. Unfortunately, the gamble did not pay off with the second caution coming too late.
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