BMW drivers podium in every class at Laguna Seca
Lime Rock Park season finale to decide titles.
#01 Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates BMW / Riley: Scott Pruett, Memo Rojas
Jeff Davidson
Woodcliff Lake, N.J. – Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas, driving the No. 01 CGRFS Telcel/TELMEX BMW Riley, finished second in Sunday’s 2.75-hour GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car race at Laguna Seca Raceway.
The duo’s third runner-up finish in the last four races keeps their battle for a fourth consecutive Daytona Prototype driver’s championship alive. Now only eight points behind the leaders, the title will be decided at the Lime Rock Park season finale on Sept. 28th.
The No. 02 CGRFS Cessna BMW Riley, driven by IndyCar stars Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti, made a second appearance this season to race in support of Pruett and Rojas’ title challenge. Dixon and Franchitti finished third resulting in an 11-point lead in the team point standings for the Ganassi team. BMW remains second in Daytona Prototype Manufacturer standings.The No. 43 Team Sahlen BMW Riley of Dane Cameron and Wayne Nonnamaker finished ninth.
In the GT class, Billy Johnson and Michael Marsal drove the No. 93 Turner Motorsport BMW M3 to a season’s-best second place finish. Bill Auberlen and Paul Dalla Lana finished 12th in the No. 94 Turner Motorsport M3, dropping Dalla Lana to sixth in GT driver points.
Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge
Third place finishes in both the Grand Sport and Street Tuner classes were the headlines for BMW drivers in the 2.5-hour Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race.
In the Street Tuner class, the No. 23 Burton Racing BMW 128i of Terry Borcheller and Mike LaMarra finished third to keep BMW at the top of the ST Manufacturer standings and Borcheller and LaMarra in the Driver points lead. The No. 81 BimmerWorld Racing BMW 328i of Terry Cooke and Gregory Liefooghe finished fourth, moving the pair to third in Driver points.
The No. 82 BimmerWorld Racing 328i of Daniel Rogers and Seth Thomas finished seventh to make it three BMW top-10 finishes.
In the Grand Sport class, the No. 48 Fall-Line Motorsports BMW M3 of Charles Espenlaub and Trent Hindman finished third to be the top-finishing BMW drivers in the race. It may have been different if a mechanical issue with the No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M3 had not sidelined Bill Auberlen from second place in the closing minutes of the contest.
“All of the BMW drivers did a fine job at Laguna Seca,” said Gordon McDonnell, BMWNA Motorsport Manager. “To reach the podium in every class we compete is testament to the hard work and dedication of our teams. It could not be more fitting that all the championships will be decided at BMW’s home track, Lime Rock Park.”
The final rounds of the 2013 GRAND-AM season will be held at Lime Rock Park, in Lakeville, Conn., on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 27 and 28. The 2.75-hour Rolex Sports Car Series race will be broadcast live on FOX Sports 2 at 1:30 p.m. ET on Sept. 28th.
A rebroadcast will be aired on FOX Sports 1 on Sept. 29th at 12:00 p.m. The 2.5-hour Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Street Tuner race will be broadcast on FOX Sports 1 on Sunday, Oct. 6 at 3 p.m. ET. The Grand Sport race broadcast will follow at 5 p.m. ET.
BMW Group
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