ALMS: BMW Team PTG gets victory at Laguna Seca
16 October 2000
BMW Team PTG collected its first victory of the season on the 2.238-mile Laguna Seca Raceway road course. Hans Stuck started the #7 BMW M3 eighth, and moved to second before handing off to Boris Said at the halfway mark of the two-hour 45- minute race. Said took the lead after 95 minutes and held for the win by a lap over the second-place Porsche. Nic Jonsson started the #10 M3 in fifth place and moved up one position. Brian Cunningham drove the final stint and moved to third after two hours. The #6 M3, driven by Johannes van Overbeek, retired after five minutes of the race when contact with another car broke the right-front suspension. Peter Cunningham did not drive. Johannes van Overbeek, driver, #6 BMW M3 "The start was very chaotic. I had a little coming-together with the 23 Porsche. Then going into turn 2, the right-front spindle sheared off. I lost the wheel, the brakes, the calipers, everything." Hans Stuck, driver, #7 BMW M3 "I'm happy with this win after coming into this week with my mom's heart attack. I want to dedicate this win to her. I was surprised how fast the race was over for me. All of a sudden I got the fuel- reserve light, and it was 50 laps already. It was amazing -- there was not one boring lap in this race for me. The race was too short." Brian Cunningham, driver, #10 BMW M3 "It was very disappointing and difficult for Niclas and I because the car handled so well, but we just didn't have the power in the corners. We had some mysterious mechanical problem. It's frustrating knowing that you can't race as well as you can." Nic Jonsson, driver, #10 BMW M3 "It's frustrating. We probably had the best handling car out there, but some mechanical failure made it difficult to compete and go fast. But we should be happy to bring it home on the podium. Hopefully, Vegas will be more our weekend." Richard Brekus, motorsport manager, BMW of North America, Inc. "The LMR cars really drove their hearts out. But in the end it just wasn't enough and Audi continues to dominate. Obviously, we're the class of the field except for the two Audis. For the M3s, it's been a long time coming. Every race we get better. It was not really domination of the car, but domination of the team." Tom Milner, owner, BMW Team PTG "Of course, there's some luck involved. But we're starting the end of the season on a good note. Maybe we can do it again! The team deserved it, the drivers deserved it. We've worked really hard this year to make these cars competitive, so we're happy."