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BMW Team PTG Chasing California Points and Championships

30 September 1999

          MONTEREY, Calif. (Sept. 30, 1999) -- BMW Team PTG is
looking for another strong California finish in the VISA Sports Car
Championships at Laguna Seca Raceway on Oct. 10.  The two-
hour 45-minute race on the 2.238-mile Monterey road course is
the penultimate event in the eight-race American Le Mans Series,
sanctioned by Professional Sports Car Racing.

          BMW hopes to win its fourth-consecutive GT manufacturer
championship.  A California victory could vault BMW into the lead
in the manufacturer standings and strengthen BMW Team PTG's
lead in team points.  BMW trails Porsche by just five points in the
manufacturer chase, and BMW Team PTG has a 14-point lead in
team rankings over Alex Job Racing.

          "We look to Laguna Seca with great confidence.  The
championship is still within reach but we have our work cut out for
us with the new ACO Porsche being so fast right out of the box,"
said Scott Doniger, motorsport manager for BMW of North
America, Inc.

          "We showed some real determination in Atlanta, though, so
no one should count us out.  BMW Team PTG is determined to do
everything possible to pull out a win at Laguna."

          Local driver Johannes van Overbeek of Danville, Calif., and
his team-mate Brian Cunnigham of Danville, Ky., are also on a
championship quest.  They are second and third, respectively, in
GT driver points behind Porsche driver Cort Wagner.

          Mark Simo of Carlsbad and van Overbeek will drive the No.
10 BMW M3.  Peter Cunningham of West Bend, Wis., will co-drive
the No. 7 M3 with Brian Cunningham.

          "I'm anxious to have a good result at Laguna Seca because
there will be both friends and guests from Level One and
Flextronics in attendance.  It's important to get a good result for
those people and to finish ahead of Cort for the championship. 
I'm hopeful that Mark and I will be able to pull that off," van
Overbeek said.

          BMW Team PTG driver Hans Stuck of Austria made a last-
lap pass to win the GT class in the last series race in California --
the Sonoma Grand Prix at Sears Point Raceway in July.  Stuck
and No. 6 BMW M3 co-driver Boris Said of Carlsbad, Calif., also
finished second in the 1000-mile Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta on
Sept. 18.

          "After Atlanta, I feel pretty confident.  We ran nine hours, the
car ran flawless and our pitstops were perfect.  We ran pretty hard
for nine hours, so for two hours and 45 minutes, we'll drive it like
we're qualifying.  We shouldn't have any problem making it," Said
noted.

          "Laguna Seca is an exciting track.  There's a lot of elevation
change so it's like Sears Point:  It's probably one of the tracks
that's closest to a European track.  That's good for Hans and it's
good for me because I like that kind of challenge."

          The three BMW Team PTG M3s will carry the colors of
Yokohama, Level One and Flextronics International.

          The VISA Sports Car Championships race is scheduled to
start at noon PT (3 p.m. ET) on Sunday, Oct. 10.  The race will be
telecast live on CNBC from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET.