# BMW Team RLL Continues Commemorative Livery for Long Beach GP



## [email protected] (Aug 15, 2012)

BMW Team RLL carries the momentum of two fourth-place finishes for the No. 24 BMW Z4 GTLM car at the Rolex 24 At Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring and a second-place finish at Daytona for the No. 25 machine to the April 18th TUDOR United SportsCar Championship Sports Car Showcase. As part of the Long Beach Grand Prix weekend, the race is the shortest of the year at only 100 minutes, and is held on the 1.968-mile, 11-turn temporary street course - the site of the very first win for the BMW Z4 GTLM racing program in 2013.

In honor of the 40th anniversary of BMW of North America, LLC and the first year of IMSA competition for BMW Motorsport in 1975 both Z4s will continue to race in the commemorative livery introduced at Sebring in March.

John Edwards and Lucas Luhr, drivers of the No. 24 BMW Z4 GTLM, currently stand second in GTLM driver and team points with No. 25 drivers Bill Auberlen and Dirk Werner one point behind in third. BMW stands second in manufacturer points, 10 behind Chevrolet (Corvette) - the winners of the two opening rounds.

Last week IMSA announced Balance of Performance changes for the Long Beach event. The BMWs will lose 10 kilograms of weight and be allowed to race with an additional two liters of fuel. Other competitors in the GTLM class also received adjustments.

"All you have to do is look at BMW Team RLL's track record at Long Beach to know our expectations," said Bobby Rahal, Team Principal. "We have had a high degree of success there finishing 1-2 two years ago and 2nd last year. We could have had a double-podium again last year after qualifying second and third, but the Number 56 car had an issue in the race and got caught up in an incident that ended its podium hopes. The Number 55 car ran strongly throughout the race to finish second. If there is a track that is made for the Z4 GTLM, it would be Long Beach. The races are always close but we feel pretty good about our chances. Street circuits are a great fit for the BMW Z4."

*Bill Auberlen, driver, No. 25 BMW Z4 GTLM:* "Long Beach is my home track and an amazing event. I won it two years ago and I plan on winning it again. Sebring didn't go as planned so it's time to get back to the top step of the podium where we belong. All my friends and family will be there so I would like nothing better than to make them all proud."

*Dirk Werner, driver, No. 25 BMW Z4 GTLM:* "Long Beach is always a very intense race weekend. The big challenge is to get up to speed as fast as you can. The preparation of the cars and the drivers is the key. My teammate Bill lives on this track, so he can tell me all the secrets. The race is short, so we will push from the first to the last lap."

*John Edwards, driver, No. 24 BMW Z4 GTLM:* "Long Beach is a spectacle as much as it is a race. It's an iconic event that I feel lucky to be a part of. Last year we walked away with a podium finish but this year we will try to repeat the feat accomplished two years ago, where the two Z4's finished 1-2. Lucas and I have had a steady start to the season points-wise, but there's nothing like a couple of P4's to make us want to stand back up on the podium."

*Lucas Luhr, driver, No. 24 BMW Z4 GTLM: *"I am really looking forward to Long Beach. I always like the challenge of a street circuit and Long Beach is one of my favorites. I have won there a few times - which may be is part of the reason why I like it. The whole atmosphere of the event is great. I think our BMW Z4 will be strong, but as we have seen in Daytona and Sebring the whole GTLM grid is very competitive with some very good drivers. John and I will push hard and try for the best result we can for BMW."

The Sports Car Showcase at Long Beach takes the green flag at 4:05 p.m. PDT Saturday, April 18th and will be streamed live on IMSA.com from 7:05 - 8:45 p.m. EDT. The race will be rebroadcast on FOX Sports 1 on April 19th from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. EDT. Follow BMW Team RLL on Twitter at @BMWUSARacing for "from-the-pit-box" updates all weekend.


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