# Bret Curtis with impressive drive to second in Detroit Grand Prix



## [email protected] (Aug 15, 2012)

The Turner BMW Z4 GT3 of Bret Curtis finishes second in an exciting fight to the finish line today in Round 10 at Detroit's Belle Isle and the Cadillac V-Series Challenge presented by the Metro Detroit Cadillac dealers.

The 50-minute race began with a rolling start on the 2.36 mile 14-turn street course as Bret Curtis had a strong start moving up seven positions in just the first lap, earning the Optima Batteries Best Start Award.

Curtis continued to charge ahead in his No. 32 Turner Motorsport BMW Z4 and by lap five, he was just 1.019 seconds behind the leader of GTA. As the 50-minute race wore on, Curtis fell back to third only to battle back and reclaim second position with several laps to spare.

In the final laps, Cutis was able to defend his position holding off the No. 22 Aston Martin to cross the line and take the checkered flag for his second podium of the season.

"Today was a lot of fun," commented Bret Curtis. "The car was set up very well allowing me to push to make up several positions in the opening lap. From there I had some great battles for position and ultimately I was able to hold off the Aston to take second at the finish line. Christina (Nielsen) did a great job keeping the pressure on."

Curtis added, "I'm really looking forward to rain tomorrow, I think it is our best shot to charge through the field again with our relative lower straight line speed."

"It was a lot of fun to see Bret [Curtis] charge up to the front of the GTA field," said Will Turner. "He has been working hard all weekend and it really showed in today's race. I am really looking forward to tomorrow's race to see if we can jump up one position on the podium."

Bill Ziegler, in the No. 95 Swisher Racing BMW finished P9 in today's 50-minute sprint after battling for several positions following the rolling start. Ziegler pushed, able to find his rhythm in the closing laps of the race.

"I felt confident behind the wheel of the No. 95 BMW today," said Bill Ziegler "We worked hard in practice yesterday allowing me to show a huge improvement in this morning's qualifying session. I'm hoping I can take what I learned today and use it in tomorrow's race"

Turner's Michael Marsal and Markus Palttala also drove the No. 97 GTD class BMW to a sixth place finish in the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic in Detroit, Michigan on Saturday for the fourth round of the Tudor United SportsCar Championship. The duo teamed up on the 2.36 mile 14-turn street course on the Motor City's historic Belle Isle, making an exciting effort to break into the top five from their tenth place starting position.


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