PTG BMW Sebring Testing Day Two

SEBRING, Fla., March 17, 1998 - The PTG BMW M3s finished their second day of testing today for this weekend's Superflo 12 Hours of Sebring endurance race. Drivers Bill Auberlen, Boris Said, Peter Cunningham, Mark Simo and Ross Bentley put their #10 (four door sedan)and #6 (two door coupe) M3s through the paces for one more day before the start of Professional Sports Car practice and GT3 qualifying begins on Wednesday. The pole qualifier in each class locks into Wednesday's qualifying position while qualifying for the remaining positions resumes on Friday. The Superflo 12 Hours of Sebring begins Saturday at 10 a.m. EST.

Selected PTG BMW M3 driver quotes from today:

PETER CUNNINGHAM - "I'm still learning these cars and haven't had all too much time in them yet. The good thing is, they're very easy to drive fast ... up to a point. The last bit of improvement, and trying to stay there, is the toughest part. These cars are very easy, very communicative, meaning the car tells you what it's doing. They are very well balanced. And it's easy to make adjustments, add an input, say, to get a better exit off the corners. I really like this track. Being a 12-hour race, it's got to be a total team effort to win. Like a football team, the driver is the quarterback, the crew is the offensive line, and the car is the football. This team really excels in these situations, as was the case for my first race that ended on a great note at Daytona."

MARK SIMO - "This is all part of the learning curve fr me. It's only my third race with this team. I'm doing a lot of listening to everybody and I think it's coming pretty quickly. To get to the experience level of Bill (Auberlen) and Boris (Said), that won't come overnight. One advantage is that I communicate well with Boris, and he's good at getting me through some of those frustrating bad habits. It's good to be surrounded by such talented drivers, and especially with such hefty equipment. That's a big difference for me. I'm here in a fast car, so it's only my race to lose. "