Auberlen and Priaulx Extend Championship Lead with Team’s Fourth Consecutive Podium

Woodcliff Lake, N.J. – May 4, 2014 . . . With a last lap pass in the final turn of today’s TUDOR United SportsCar Championship race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Bill Auberlen, driving the No. 55 BMW Z4 GTLM, secured the fourth consecutive BMW Team RLL podium finish of the 2014 season.

The runner-up finish keeps Auberlen and co-driver Andy Priaulx at the top of the driver points standings and BMW Team RLL in the lead in team points. The duo completed 84 laps during the two-hour race, finishing 4.710 seconds behind the winning Corvette. Priaulx, starting from fifth place, drove the opening 50 minutes of the race before handing off to Auberlen from third on lap 36. As competitors pitted, the veteran cycled to the lead. Pitting for fuel and a fresh set of Michelin tires on lap 63, he resumed his charge back to the front from fifth. Setting the fastest lap of the race (1:23.195 minutes) on the 71st lap of the race, he passed the No. 62 Ferrari for third place on lap 79. He had a spirited battle with the No. 911 Porsche for the remaining five laps, ultimately passing for second.

The race of teammates John Edwards and Dirk Müller, in the No. 56 BMW Z4 GTLM, was affected by a vibration that forced starting driver Edwards to pit on lap 22, and later in closing stages of the race when Müller was penalized for avoidable contact and called to the pit lane for a stop-and-go penalty. They finished 10st.

Download the entire newsletter.


More...