BMW Team PTG: Speed GT Title Weighs Heavily

NEWS FROM BMW TEAM PTG



Speed GT Championship Lead Weighs Heavily on BMW Team PTG

WINCHESTER, Va. (Aug. 28, 2003) - BMW Team PTG carries the lead in all
categories of the 2003 SCCA Pro Racing Speed GT Championship after its
success in seven races, but it will also have to carry additional weight in
Round 8 on Sept. 7 at Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, Calif.

Each of the four BMW M3s will be weighed down by an extra 150 pounds of lead
at this event, based on an Aug. 7 competition adjustment made by SCCA Pro
Racing, which is beyond what is mandated by the Speed GT weight-equalization
rules.

BMW Team PTG has fought hard for its accomplishments this season in its
first foray into the World Challenge Series after seven successful years in
endurance sports-car competition. As a result, BMW leads the Manufacturer's
Championship by eight points over Audi. In addition, Bill Auberlen sits atop
the Driver's Championship standings with his fellow veteran world-class
teammates Hans Stuck fifth, Boris Said sixth and 2003 PTG newcomer Justin
Marks eighth.

BMW Team PTG and Auberlen have tallied three wins, four poles and four
fastest race laps in a tough and challenging racing season to date, along
with two seconds for Boris Said, one second and two thirds for Stuck and
three top-fives for Justin Marks.

"Is BMW steam-rolling the Speed GT series? Most definitely not," says Team
PTG owner Tom Milner. "That is why this additional weight seems so severe.
Under the existing rules the race winner receives 40 pounds and the top four
finishers receive a combined 100 pounds of REWARDS weight. Each one of our
M3s must now carry an additional 150 pounds.

"The BMW M3 has the smallest engine in the GT class," he continues, "so an
additional 150 pounds of lead will have a much greater effect on us than our
competitors. In fact, the M3 now has almost a 10 percent power-to-weight
disadvantage to our top competitors. Getting this weight on top of what I
still consider to be a very questionable black-flag call at Road America is
hard to swallow, but Team PTG is unquestionably the best-prepared team in
the GT paddock with the most experienced veteran drivers and we will be
ready for Laguna."

"I seem to have an attraction to lead this year," says Auberlen. "I have
earned a great deal of REWARDS weight in both my GT- and Touring-class BMWs
(Auberlen and BMW also lead the Touring class standings) and the added
weight does not make it easy. One-hundred-fifty pounds more lead just means
Team PTG will have to dig deeper into its alchemy books and maybe we can
turn this lead into gold."

Coming off his best starting position of the season (second) at Road America
on Aug. 3, Hans Stuck knows another front-row start will be difficult at
Laguna Seca, but is not out of the question.

"Carrying an extra 150 pounds will not make it an easy race for us," says
the veteran who won at Laguna Seca in 1975 driving a BMW CSL and in 2000
driving an M3 with Said. "Laguna Seca is a demanding circuit that requires
driving precision and the 'corkscrew' turn makes every lap an adventure.
Power is not as important there as at other tracks so I have no doubt that
the M3 will be competitive."

"Unfortunately we have been penalized pretty heavily and that might hurt our
performance, but it certainly will not hurt how hard we try," said Said.
"Our goal remains the same and that is to win the championship for BMW.

"This is a low-grip track and that puts a premium on handling," he adds. "Of
course, most every driver will tell you that you can never have enough
horsepower, but I would also say that most every driver wishes that he or
she could drive a BMW."

The 50-minute race is scheduled for a 3:05 p.m. PT start on Sunday, Sept. 7,
and is scheduled for broadcast on the pee Channel at 3 p.m. ET on
Saturday, September 20.