BMW Team PTG Trio of M3s for Laguna Seca
5 October 2000
MONTEREY, Calif. (Oct. 4, 2000) -- BMW Team PTG is ready
for the long cross-country trek from its headquarters in Winchester,
Va., to Monterey, Calif., for the GlobalCenter Sports Car
Championships, ninth race of 12 in the 2000 American Le Mans
Series. The team has good reason for optimism: the 2.238-mile
Laguna Seca Raceway is considered a technical or handling track,
well-suited to the team's nimble 2001 BMW M3s.
BMW Team PTG will field three M3s for the two-hour 45-minute
race, including a new car recently built. Peter Cunningham of West
Bend, Wis., and Johannes van Overbeek of Danville, Calif., will drive
the new No. 6 BMW M3. Boris Said of Carlsbad, Calif., and Hans
Stuck of Austria will be paired in the No. 7 M3, and Brian
Cunningham of Danville, Ky., and Nic Jonsson in the No. 10 car. All
three cars will carry the colors of team sponsors Flextronics
International, Level One and Yokohama.
"Laguna Seca is a road course that is very suitable to the BMW
M3," noted Tom Salkowsky, motorsport manager for BMW of North
America, Inc. "The track plays right to the strengths of the M3. It is
a good handling course, with tight corners, not so much of a high-
power speed course. So we're optimistic for the next race."
The drivers agree. "Laguna is one of my favorite tracks," said
Stuck. "There are not so many straightaways, so we'll have a good
chance against the Porsche."
Jonsson believes the team's growing strength in the
development of the M3 will be reflected in a positive result at Laguna
Seca.
"It's a track that will require more chassis than engine," he said.
"We surprised ourselves and everybody else at Road Atlanta [Sept.
28 to 30] to be as competitive as we were on such a fast track.
Laguna is also a fast track, but it's 'way more technical and I think
that will definitely fit our team and our cars."
Californian van Overbeek is also a big fan. "It's one of my
favorite tracks in the whole world and friends and family will be there,
so I'm looking forward to racing near home again," he said. "It's a
great place to spend four or five days. The track is pretty interesting.
I like all the elevation changes and there are some subtle nuances --
if you get them right, you can go really quick there."
Laguna Seca Raceway is also popular with the BMW Team
PTG crew because of past success. In 1997, the team scored the
pole position and a 1-2-3 finish in the GTS-3 (now GT) class, and
also clinched the sports-car series GTS-3 manufacturer, team and
driver championships at the track. They repeated all three
championships in 1998, after a second-place class finish at Laguna
Seca.
The two-hour 45-minute GlobalCenter Sports Car
Championship is scheduled to start at 12:30 pm PT (3:30 pm ET) on
Sunday, Oct. 15. It will be televised live on Speedvision starting at
3 pm. The ALMS Radio Web will broadcast live on Oct. 13 and 14
from 5 pm to 6:30 pm and on Oct. 15 from 3 pm to 6:30 pm. (all ET)
The broadcasts, live timing and scoring, on-demand interviews,
photos, news and updates will be available on the American Le
Mans Series website (www.americanlemans.com).
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DRIVING OKTOBERFEST
BMW Team PTG team owner Tom Milner and BMW drivers Bill
Auberlen, Brian Cunningham, Boris Said and Hans Stuck
participated in the annual BMW Car Club of America Oktoberfest
celebration this week. More than 1000 BMW Car Club members
traveled from across the United States for the annual event.
The week-long activities started with a day of club races at the
Road Atlanta road course in Braselton, Ga., on Oct. 1. Auberlen
hosted driving schools for club members at the track on Oct. 2 and
3, providing tips and techniques for driving and racing.
The focus then shifted to Spartanburg, S.C., where Stuck was
the hands-on coach in autocross competition at the BMW
Performance Center. He also participated in a safety school at the
Michelin proving grounds, with instruction in skid pad, slalom,
accident avoidance and high-speed maneuvering.
Members had the opportunity to compete in rallies into the
Carolina mountains and to tour BMW Manufacturing and the BMW
Zentrum museum.
Oct. 4 was designated Motorsport Heritage Day, with displays
and exhibits of classic BMW race cars, including the 1975 Sebring
12-Hour winner BMW CSL, David Hobbs' BMW 320i, the Red
Lobster BMW M1, the McLaren Stars and Stripes BMW, the BMW
M3 that won multiple championships for BMW Team PTG and the 24
Hours of Le Mans winner BMW V12 LMR. In addition, Prince
Leopold's BMW M1 was flown in from Germany, and members were
treated to a rare view of the BMW WilliamsF1 Team Formula One
show car.
Club members also received demonstration rides around the
Performance Center safety course with Auberlen, Cunningham and
Said and competed in remote-control car contests with the pro
drivers. The day culminated with a mock debate between racing
legends David Hobbs and Brian Redman, an awards dinner and
fireworks.
"This event is a perfect example of the close relationship BMW
has with the car club," said Tom Salkowsky, motorsport manager for
BMW of North America, Inc. "We are fortunate to have such
passionate and enthusiastic owners."