Turner Motorsports Testing M6 GT car

[woodym3]

Hopefully Turner can make it successful in the Rolex Grand-Am GT class. This car has been around for two years now. It looks like Auberlen behind the helmet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0jQp...layer_embedded

[Reach]

Great googly moogly.

[Uber-Goober]

That looks like a S62B50 engine under the hood. What's the deal with that?

[woodym3]

Yeah, the same V8 from the E39 M5 that has been running in several Grand-Am Daytona Prototypes. Grand-Am may have homolagated this engine rather than the V10 for cost reasons or to keep the power more equal to the GT class Porsches and Pontiacs.

To show you how far these cars are from the production models, there was a blue "M6" running the last 4 races of the 2009 season. It was sponsored by Miracle Sealants. I asked on Bimmerforums if this was the same car that Turner now has. This is what someone posted about the Miracle Sealants M6:
The Miracle Sealants car was the Pacific Coast GTO.R in 2006 and then became the Racers Edge GXP.R in 2007, then became the PR1 GXP.R in 2008 and the Miracle Sealants M6 in 2009.

By the way, the other Pontiacs that have been running this series are being converted to Camaros for 2010.

[Uber-Goober]

Are you saying they are all turning from Pontiacs to M6s or this is just one single M6 being sold from one team to another?

[woodym3]

I'll try to recap:
Turner Motorsports will be running the Riley-chassis M6 that Automatic Racing first ran at the Daytona 24-Hour in 2008. Automatic sold the car to Fall Line Racing who raced it in a few events in 2008. I don't remember it running in 2009.

The blue Miracle Sealants M6 that ran the last few races in 2009 started life as a Pratt and Whitney-built Pontiac. Those are the only two racing M6s that I know of. Both use the V8 engine from the E39 M5.

[Uber-Goober]

Thanks for the clarification. I would love to see an e39 M5 shell on some chassis, but I suppose it being an old model with the aerodynamics of a brick doesn't help...

[woodym3]

Anyone remember when the Ed Arnold (from PA) Racing E34 M5s ran in the IMSA Supercar series? David Donahue was one of the drivers and they often beat the Lotus. Esprits, Porsche 911s, Mazda RX7 TTs, etc. There may have been some Corvettes in there too. And yes, the cars were bricks compared to the sports cars.

[woodym3]

Turner announces Dream Team lineup for the Daytona 24-Hour: Auberlen, Hand, and Boris

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wz0N7...layer_embedded

[Biggins]

I'm more excited about this campaign than ALMS, F1, etc. for next season. I really hope they're competitive.

[RamaVR6]

Anyone remember when the Ed Arnold (from PA) Racing E34 M5s ran in the IMSA Supercar series? David Donahue was one of the drivers and they often beat the Lotus. Esprits, Porsche 911s, Mazda RX7 TTs, etc. There may have been some Corvettes in there too. And yes, the cars were bricks compared to the sports cars.

Woody,
Yep, I even have some pics of the car at Lime Rock '93? '94? I think I shot something like 400 pictures that weekend, so I'm sure I've got the M5 on film. One of these days I'll scan all my old film pics....

Jeff

[woodym3]

The lastest press release from Turner Motorsports:

TURNER'S DREAM TEAM SET FOR DAYTONA 24 HOUR RACE

NEW CAR, NEW SERIES, TOP DRIVERS, WINNING TEAM: THE INGREDIENTS FOR SUCCESS

The news sweeping throughout the BMW racing world is that Turner Motorsport has expanded into the GT class of the Rolex / Grand-Am Sports Car Series. They are entering a BMW M6 to compete in 2010 season, starting with the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona. Turner Motorsport brings with them championship winning experience, a race-proven crew, and a "Dream Team" driver line-up that means business.

In what appears to be a "perfect storm," the most successful BMW race team in North America has paired the new BMW M6 and the best BMW drivers in the business to compete in the prestigious 48th annual Rolex 24 at Daytona, a grueling 24-hour survival of the fittest, taking place at Daytona International Speedway on January 30 and 31. Their driver line-up includes veteran BMW factory drivers Bill Auberlen and Joey Hand, who surprised many competitors with their fast pace while driving the BMW M3 GT2 in the American Le Mans Series last year. They will be joined by fellow road-racing legend and NASCAR driver Boris Said, as well as rookie sensation Paul Dalla Lana who had an impressive 2009 season driving the Turner Motorsport E90 328i.

"We're feeling really confident," said team owner and company president Will Turner. "The Rolex series is definitely ‘the big show,' and we knew we had our work cut out for us when we made the decision to run the M6 in the 24. Our goal is to win, and we believe we have the right combination to do just that."

The news of Turner's move into the GT class and entry in the Daytona 24 has not only captured the attention of BMW racing fans worldwide, but also documentary filmmaker Veloz Media, who is producing a behind-the-scenes Web TV series to chronicle the team's tremendous efforts and journey to the 24 hour race. This video production will provide a behind-closed-doors experience of preparing for and making it through this race of endurance and perseverance. A "teaser" video has been posted on the web and can be viewed at www.TurnerMotorsport.com/journey24.

Turner Motorsport's latest weapon in the BMW arsenal is a very special BMW M6 coupe. The chassis is built by Riley Technologies and features a tubular frame and all-carbon-fiber-body-work to keep the car both light and strong. The team had initially looked at bringing an M3 to the event; however it was felt that the superior aerodynamics of the slippery M6 coupe would be better suited for the long banked straights of Daytona. The power plant is an M Power 5.0 liter BMW V8 specially built to be both fast and reliable for the Rolex 24.

"Our biggest challenge is going to be staying out of trouble and running a smart race strategy so that we can be up front in the end," said Turner. "I know we have a great car, great drivers and a great team – it's going to be all about putting it together."

The Turner team will also be debuting their new V8 powered GS class E92 M3 at the opening of the Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge series, previously called the Koni Challenge Series. The opening race is scheduled at Daytona on 1/29, the same weekend as the Rolex 24. The team has worked closely with its existing sponsors and technology partners to once again bring the best prepared BMW M3s.

Last year Turner Motorsport BMW M3s finished 3rd and 5th in the GS team championship, with Turner Motorsport driver Matt Bell taking 3rd in overall drivers points. Turner M3s mustered 9 podium finishes (the most ever for Turner), 3 wins, 5 poll position starts, and 14 top 5 finishes. Despite not taking the overall championship, and narrowly missing giving BMW the manufacturer's championship by 1 point, 2009 was the most successful season since 2005, when Turner Motorsport, Bill Auberlen and Justin Marks scored 5 race victories.

Live TV coverage of the Rolex 24 at Daytona will be provided by SPEED TV on Saturday January 30 at 3:00 PM eastern and on Sunday January 31 at 7:00AM eastern. Tape delay coverage of the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge will also air on SPEED TV, with the time to be announced.

About Turner Motorsport
Turner Motorsport is the leading BMW tuner in North America, bringing technology and expertise from the racetrack to the street. Turner Motorsport is not about clever marketing tricks or gimmicks. Racetrack results speak themselves. The Turner Motorsport team has won five professional racing championships in two different series since 2003. This storied success is passed into every component that Turner Motorsport designs and sells through their website catalog. Our race team, R&D engineers and Sales team work together, allowing practical knowledge and state-of-the-art engineering to flow in both directions. Few companies in North America can claim such a close relationship to what they sell and what they race.