Kansas next stop for Turner BMW M3, Marsal and Kimber Smith ready for round five
The No. 97 of Michael Marsal and Tom Kimber Smith will compete on the primarily banked 2.37 mile 6-turn road course Saturday night.
#97 Turner Motorsport BMW M3: Michael Marsal, Tom Kimber-Smith
David Yowe
Amesbury, MA. -- Michael Marsal and Tom Kimber Smith prepare for round five of the IMSA Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge as the team unloads today at Kansas Motor Speedway in the heart of the Midwest. The No. 97 of Marsal and Kimber Smith will compete on the primarily banked 2.37 mile 6-turn road course Saturday night under the lights, making it the first night race of the season for the duo.
Kansas Motor Speedway proved to be a challenge for car setup last year as the road course includes both the 20 degree banking of the oval and the abnormally flat infield segment. As Michael Marsal and Billy Johnson saw last year, the high speeds and high friction surface of the oval are extremely hard on tires.
Marsal and Johnson had fought their way to third place in the Rolex SFP Grand Prix driving the No. 93 Turner GT M3 when a right rear tire blowout cost them their podium finish, with just 3 minutes remaining in the race.
Despite the tough finish, the Turner BMWs were competitive on both the oval and infield, Marsal and Kimber Smith will look to carry that success into this year's 150 minute Grand Prix of Kansas. The duo will begin on track action on Thursday with afternoon practice and late night qualifying for the 7:15pm green flag on Saturday.
Michael Marsal commented, "Last year was a lot of fun here at Kansas, I think it was one of my best races in the No. 93 Turner BMW despite that heartbreaking ending. I am looking forward to this year's race with Tom (Kimber Smith), I think we have the right package to have a strong performance here so I will do my best to qualify toward the front and see what we can do from there."
The 52 car IMSA Continental Sports Car Challenge field will take the green flag this Saturday at 7:15PM ET. Follow along with the action live from Kansas Motor Speedway through Turner Motorsport Social Media.
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