BMW Team PTG M3s 4th, 5th, 6th and 8th in Mosport

BMW Team PTG
Notes and Quotes
SCCA SPEED GT - Round 2
SCCA PRO RACING WORLD CHALLENGE CHAMPIONSHIP
Mosport International Raceway
Sunday, May 18, 2003


BMW TEAM PTG M3s FINISH FOURTH, FIFTH, SIXTH AND EIGHTH IN WORLD CHALLENGE
SPEED GT AT MOSPORT

Bill Auberlen took the long road to a very close fourth-place finish to lead
BMW Team PTG to strong fourth-, fifth-, sixth- and eighth-place finishes
today in Round 2 of the SCCA Pro Racing Speed GT Championship at Mosport
International Raceway in Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada. Phil McClure took his
second win of the season in his No. 73 Corvette in the 30-lap contest.

Starting his No. 7 BMW Team PTG M3 from the pole, Auberlen jumped the
standing start and was forced to the pits on lap five to serve a stop-and-go
penalty. In a determined drive back through the field he recorded the
quickest lap of the race (1:25.319) on lap 20 to finish only a fender's
length from the podium.

Hans Stuck drove a solid race in his No. 8 BMW Team PTG M3 to finish fifth
with teammate Boris Said's No. 6 BMW Team PTG M3 just behind him in sixth.

In his first race with BMW Team PTG, Justin Marks survived a spin to finish
eighth in his No. 80 BMW Team PTG M3.

After two rounds BMW Team PTG drivers are third (Auberlen), fourth (Stuck),
12th (Said) and 14th (Marks) in the Driver's Championship and BMW stands
fifth in the Manufacturer's Championship, only one point out of fourth.

The Mosport race is scheduled to be broadcast on Speed Channel at 5 p.m. on
Saturday, May 24.

BMW Team PTG heads to Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Conn., for Rounds 3 and 4
of the SCCA Pro Racing Speed GT Championship on May 24 and 26.

BILL AUBERLEN, NO. 7 BMW TEAM PTG M3 (fourth):
"I jumped the start because I wanted to be right on the light, but I was way
early. Four laps later I was called in for a stop-and-go and I thought my
race was over, but Dave Gahagan (crew chief) and the guys prepared such a
good M3 that I was able to push as hard as I could. We are lacking
horsepower, so Mosport is a circuit where we will be beaten on the
straights,
but Lime Rock will be a different story."

HANS STUCK, NO. 8 BMW TEAM PTG M3 (fifth):
"We have a disadvantage up these hills. Even in the slipstream I could not
stay with the car ahead. I did race with Boris quite a bit and I can tell
you that I would rather have him in the car with me than driving against me.
He has exactly the same driving style as me and I would not have been able
to pass him except for the fact that he caught some traffic and I could go
by. I think most fans forget that we have the least horsepower in the field
and to give this kind of performance I think Team PTG is doing a great job."

BORIS SAID, NO. 6 BMW TEAM PTG M3 (sixth):
"My M3 was 100 percent today and I got a much better result than I had at
Sebring. We need a little more horsepower for the straights. Hans was a bit
faster than me and got by me when I was held up. I didn't fight hard with
him, but I fought hard behind him. We have three races in three weeks so you
have to take that into consideration out there. We have no damage so it will
be easy for the team to get the cars ready for Lime Rock."

JUSTIN MARKS, NO. 80 BMW TEAM PTG M3 (eighth):
"I got a good start, but as soon as everyone got into a line it was
difficult for me to stay up with Boris and Hans. I am a little upset with
myself because I overcooked it going into turn five and looped the car. I
lost two positions, but got one of them back. All-in-all a good race for me
and a top-10 finish for BMW."

TOM MILNER, OWNER BMW TEAM PTG:
"Clearly this race proved that the M3 handles very well, but we don't have
as much horsepower on the straights as our competitors. Lime Rock will be a
better track for the M3, but it will be important for us to start in the
front as the Audis have an advantage on the standing start and we can't let
them get away from us."

TOM SALKOWSKY, MOTORSPORT MANAGER, BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, LLC:
"Of course, we would like to be on the podium, but finishing as well as we
did proves the durability and reliability of the M3. I have to give credit
to Bill Auberlen. He had a mistake at the start, but showed his true
character by driving back through the field to fourth. The M3 handles
wonderfully, but our 3.2-liter engine is the smallest in the GT class.
Justin Marks had a very consistent first race with Team PTG and except for
one bad lap did a great job. Lime Rock is next and we have a great history
there so we look forward to next weekend."