BMW Scores Second Straight GTLM Win with 1-2 at CTMP

BMW Team RLL has scored its second straight GT Le Mans class win in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship races, with a 1-2 finish at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Teammates John Edwards and Martin Tomczyk finished second in the No. 24 BMW M6 GTLM for the first BMW Team RLL 1-2 finish since Long Beach 2013. The win was the 15th in team history since 2009.

Auberlen, starting the No. 25 M6 from second, and Tomczyk, starting the No. 24 from fourth, wasted no time in racing to the front of the GTLM field as the green flag waved to start the two-hour-and-forty-minute race. Auberlen held the point with Tomczyk only some three seconds behind in second during the entire opening stint. Tomczyk was the first to pit on lap 35 for fuel, tires and to hand off to Edwards. Auberlen pitted on the next lap for full service and to let Sims take over the No. 25 M6. With one hour complete and after the field completely cycled through their stops on lap 45, Sims was P1 and Edwards was P3 sandwiching the No. 911 Porsche.

With one hour remaining, Sims held a two second lead in first having completed 77 laps. Edwards was eight seconds behind his teammate, in third. Running a longer second stint, Edwards pitted on lap 78 for full service. He rejoined the race in P3. Sims pitted on lap 80, also remaining in the car after full service. Sims rejoined the race in third, the No. 24 M6 moving to second and the No. 911 Porsche moving into the lead.

At 51 minutes to go, the race’s first full-course caution period occurred for a prototype car off in turn two. Rain came and soaked the back straight, but quickly abated and all GTLM cars remained on slicks. The green flag flew on lap 90 and by the next lap both Edwards and Sims carefully negotiated the drying track to take back the first and second positions respectively. Lap 93 saw Sims race the No. 25 M6 back into the lead while Edwards fell back to third. On lap 108 the No. 911 Porsche fell back, promoting Edwards back to second.

The race’s second full-course yellow came on lap 102 for an accident in turn four. Not long after the green flag flew the race was slowed to an even greater extent by a hard rain that ultimately caused the race to end under a third yellow flag on lap 117. At the checkered flag it was Sims P1 in the No. 25 M6 for a second consecutive win and Edwards P2 for a season’s-best finish in the No. 24 M6.

“The weather caused some concern, but we had the pace and were able to control the race,” said Neil Fife, BMW Team RLL Race Engineer. “It has been an enormous effort to get us to this point and we are very pleased to race the M6 to a 1-2 finish. Great job by everyone.”