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Sebring: BMW Team PTG test summary
They say bad things happen in threes... If bad things do actually come in threes then BMW Team PTG will have a much better week for the remainder of the SCCA Pro Racing SPEED GT World Challenge Championship at Sebring International Raceway. The ...
Published: Mar 12, 2003, 8:47 PM
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They say bad things happen in threes...
If bad things do actually come in threes then BMW Team PTG will have a much better week for the remainder of the SCCA Pro Racing SPEED GT World Challenge Championship at Sebring International Raceway.
The team's first World Challenge test session ended quickly as all three M3s were back in the paddock within minutes of the start, with the Auberlen and Stuck M3s out with minor mechanical difficulties and Boris Said only reaching the end of pit lane.
The No. 7 Team PTG BMW M3 of Bill Auberlen came in with an electronic throttle problem while the No. 8 of Hans Stuck rolled in with a broken left front suspension, but both drivers completed enough laps to begin the tuning of the brand new cars.
Boris Said never reached the track after being involved in an accident at the end of pit lane when a Honda driven by Bob Endicott turned across pit out and directly into the path of Said's accelerating M3, resulting in Said's broad-siding the Honda and heavily damaging the entire front of the No 6 BMW Team PTG M3.
"I only got into second gear," said a dejected Said. "It was the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me in racing and something that should have never happened at all. I was coming out of the pits and Bob Endicott, driving a Honda, must have been having a problem and just at pit out made a hard right directly across my bow. Everyone knows that you don't come into the pit exit from the race track. Bad, bad timing. If it was two seconds earlier or later I would have missed him. Shocking."
The team is working hard to repair the damage to Said's M3 in time for official practice on Wednesday, March 12.
"We never ran a complete lap, but that was the plan with the new car," said Auberlen, driving the No. 7 BMW Team PTG M3. "On the third lap the drive-by-wire throttle began to act up and the engine would only idle."
"Sure, things happen," said Stuck, driver of the No. 8 BMW Team PTG M3. "A broken monoball on the lower control arm was unexpected, but the crew will fix it. No big set-back."
Auberlen's and Stuck's M3s were quickly repaired and both were out in the following test sessions.
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