BMW clinches Speed Touring Mfrs. Championship in Road Atlanta
BMW of North America, LLC Notes and Quotes Speed Touring World Challenge Round 9 Race Road Atlanta Braselton, Ga. Friday, Oct. 17 2003 BMW won its second Speed Touring Manufacturer's Championship in today's Round 9 SCCA Pro Racing Speed Touring Championship race at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Ga., by virtue of BMWs finishing fourth, fifth and sixth. Bill Auberlen, who clinched the 2003 Speed Touring Driver's Championship at the Round 8 race at Laguna Seca (Calif.) Raceway, held the fourth position throughout the 25-lap race in his No. 93 Turner Motorsports BMW 325i. The BMW ace has had a stellar season, totaling three wins, four seconds and one third-place Speed Touring finish along with his fourth today. Nic Jonsson, in the No. 27 Lectric Air/Tecmark BMW 325Ci, ran a strong race and was ahead of Auberlen for most of the race in third until a transmission problem retired him from the race on lap 20. Jonsson's 1:38.274 lap time was the fastest of the race. Matt Plumb moved up in the Rookie-of-the-Year standings with his second-best finish of the year, a fifth in his No. 50 duPont Motorsport BMW 325. Robert Stretch continued his strong end-of-the-year performance with his second-best finish as well. He finished sixth in his No. 99 Wheels America BMW 325Ci to add to his fifth-place finish at Laguna Seca. Pierre Kleinubing's Acura won the race by 5.331 seconds over the Mazda of Jeff Altenberg. Today's Speed Touring race is scheduled for broadcast on Speed Channel on Saturday, Nov. 8, at 4:00 p.m. ET. BILL AUBERLEN, No. 93 TURNER MOTORSPORTS BMW 325i (fourth): "By lap 3 I was in hang-on mode as the amount of weight (225 lbs. of REWARDS weight) my car is carrying is taking a huge toll. The tires burn right off, my straight line speed is down and braking is suffering, but my BMW still had enough for fourth. Most importantly, I was able to help the rest of the BMW drivers capture the Manufacturer's Championship for BMW." MATT PLUMB, No. 50 duPONT MOTORSPORT BMW 325 (fifth): "I am really trying to move back up in the Rookie standings. If we had not had to miss the two California races I think I would be right up there. Puerto Rico will be an important race. I can't say enough about how well duPont Motorsport has prepared my BMW." ROBERT STRETCH, No. 99 WHEELS AMERICA BMW 325Ci (sixth): "Sixth was a great finish today. With my fifth at Laguna Seca in the last round I think we are showing that we are really stepping up our program. We have really been focusing on our chassis and engine and the Wheels America BMW has been moving to the front." HERNANDO CARVAJAL, M BRAND MANAGER, BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, LLC: "With three BMWs in the top six today BMW clinched the Manufacturer's Championship for the second time in this series. On behalf of BMW of North America, I would like to congratulate and thank all the Touring BMW drivers and teams who have contributed to this honor. They have done a fantastic job all season and we at BMW are proud of their accomplishments." BMW finishing positions: 4 (93) Bill Auberlen, Hermosa Beach, Calif., BMW 325i 5 (50) Matt Plumb, Newport, RI, BMW 325 6 (99) Robert Stretch, Dallas, Texas, BMW 325Ci 15 (37) Matt Richmond(R), Mooresville, N.C., BMW 328i 16 (36) James Clay(R), Blacksburg, Va., BMW 325i 21 (92) Will Turner, Newburyport, Mass., BMW 325i 23 (16) Phil Parlato, Commack, NY, BMW 325i 25 (24) Jim Osborn, Denver, NC, BMW 325i 26 (79) Nick Woodhouse, Vancouver, BC, BMW 325i 28 (94) Frank Selldorff, Boston, Mass., BMW 325i 30 (27) Nic Jonsson, Dankeryt, Sweden, BMW 325Ci 32 (35) James Sofronas, Newport Beach, Calif., BMW 325i 38 (98) Rick Maki, Santa Monica, CA, BMW 325Ci