BMW Team PTG gets Adelaide podium
2 January 2001
BMW Team PTG Podium in Adelaide
ADELAIDE, Australia (Dec. 31, 2000) -- BMW Team PTG
survived a grueling New Year's Eve race to finish with two cars in
the GT class top four in the American Le Mans Series Race of a
Thousand Years. The five-hour 45-minute race was held on a
2.36-mile street circuit in Adelaide, South Australia.
The three 2001 BMW M3s put on a strong show in the
season finale, carrying the colors of Yokohama, Flextronics
International and Level One. The No. 6 M3, driven by Terry
Borcheller of Phoenix, Ariz., and Anthony Lazzaro of Atlanta, Ga.,
was the top BMW with a third-place finish behind the class-
winning No. 5 Porsche of Dick Barbour Racing. The No. 10 M3
finished fourth in GT, with Bill Auberlen of Redondo Beach, Calif.,
Brian Cunningham of Danville, Ky., and Nic Jonsson of Aliso Viejo,
Calif. The No. 7 M3 retired after 50 minutes with a drivetrain
problem while Boris Said of Carlsbad, Calif., was driving.
"It's unfortunate that the No. 7 M3 had mechanical problems
because we've had such a reliable car all year," said Tom
Salkowsky, motorsport manager for BMW of North America, Inc.
"But it's terrific to see Terry and Anthony take the podium in the
last race of the year. It was a great effort by all the drivers, and a
special thanks to them for making the trip so far on New Year's
Eve. It's a great way to wrap up 2000 and begin the 2001
season."
Borcheller qualified the No. 6 BMW M3 fifth in class in one
minute 37.785 seconds. He started the race and moved to
second after the first hour. Lazzaro drove the second shift, led
during the first round of pit stops and settled into third place. The
car was taken to the garage for water-line repairs after two hours
25 minutes and returned with Borcheller, who moved up to fourth.
Lazzaro drove the fifth hour and took third place before handing
back to Borcheller for the final 45 minutes of the race.
"It was my first time in the BMW and I was very happy that it
went well all day," Lazzaro said. "The track was first class, the
best street circuit I've been on."
Auberlen started fourth on the GT grid in the No. 10 M3, with
his qualifying run of 1:37.519. He moved to second before
handing off to Cunningham after 75 minutes. Cunningham took
the class lead after 90 minutes, but was forced into the garage 10
minutes later with a broken half-shaft, incurred when he drove
over a curb to avoid an Audi prototype car. The crew repaired the
car quickly and it returned to the track with Jonsson at the wheel.
Jonsson made up a six-lap deficit, set the fastest BMW lap of
the race and moved to fifth in class after three hours. Auberlen
took over and moved to third, but encountered another half-shaft
problem after three hours 45 minutes. After a pitstop for repairs,
Cunningham took over in eighth place and moved up to fourth.
Jonsson drove the final 45-minute stint and made up a lap to hold
the fourth-place finish.
"It's such a beautiful, smooth circuit," Cunningham said.
"But it's a lot harder than we expected and it's taken its toll on the
cars."
Said qualified the No. 7 BMW M3 third in class with a fast lap
of 1:37.439. He dropped to fourth behind the No. 10 M3 at the
start of the race and retired after 50 minutes with a drivetrain
problem. His co-drivers Hans Stuck of Austria and Johannes van
Overbeek of Danville, Calif., did not drive.
"I was overwhelmed to be here," said Stuck. "We got such a
friendly welcome from everybody everywhere, it really doesn't
matter if you win or lose. Unfortunately, I didn't get to race, but
we'll take this as a season closer and look forward to a new
season when we'll go for a championship, we hope."
____________________________
BMW M3s Add to Six-Year Win Tally in 2000
BMW Team PTG capped a challenging development year for
the new 2001 BMW M3 with a strong victory, eight podium
finishes, 14 top-five finishes and 21 top-10s in the GT class of the
12-race American Le Mans Series. In six years of racing, the
BMW M3 has scored 33 pole positions and 33 wins in 64 races.
The M3 has paced 90 podium finishes, 28 records and 11
championships.
The BMW M3 earned its sole 2000 victory at Laguna Seca
Raceway in Monterey, Calif., and scored three runner-up finishes
and four thirds during the team's toughest season since the
M3's1995 debut year in GT. Hans Stuck of Austria and Boris Said
of Carlsbad, Calif., took the Monterey win. They were second at
Mosport International Raceway in Bowmanville, Ont., and third at
Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway. Brian Cunningham of Danville,
Ky., and Peter Cunningham of West Bend, Wis., finished second
at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C. Said and Johannes
van Overbeek of Danville, Calif., were second at Portland (Ore.)
International Raceway and van Overbeek teamed with Peter
Cunningham for third at Sears Point Raceway in Sonoma, Calif.
Brian Cunningham and Nic Jonsson of Aliso Viejo, Calif., added a
third at Laguna Seca, and Terry Borcheller of Phoenix, Ariz., and
Anthony Lazzaro of Atlanta, Ga., finished the season with a third in
Adelaide.
"The 2000 season had a few valleys and several peaks," said
Tom Salkowsky, motorsport manager for BMW of North America,
Inc. "We introduced the 2001 BMW M3 to the race track almost a
year before it arrived in BMW showrooms, so it shows how much
work PTG put into the development of the new car. The car was
reliable and the motors ran very strong. The highlight, of course,
was Laguna Seca. Having Boris and Hans bring home the trophy
after a long season was very gratifying."
more wins
Peter Cunningham of West Bend, Wis., won the BMW Sports
Trophy 2000, awarded to the world's most successful non-works
BMW driver. He drove a BMW M3 in both the American Le Mans
Series and the Speedvision World Challenge GT Series. In
addition to his second- and third-place finishes with BMW Team
PTG, he won three World Challenge pole positions and one race,
in Ste. Croix, Que. Jeff McMillin of Erie, Pa., won the World
Challenge GT driver championship in a BMW M3. BMW won the
Motorola Cup Sport Touring class manufacturer title and Howie
Liebengood of Vienna, Va., drove a BMW 328is to the class driver
championship.