Ready for the grand finale: BMW Team RLL goes to Petit Le Mans for the final race of the season.

Munich (DE), 1st October 2014. BMW Team RLL will end the 2014 United SportsCar Championship (USCC) season at this Saturday’s Petit Le Mans race at Road Atlanta (US), in Braselton, Georgia. In a departure from the previous year’s events, this year’s race will be run as a ten-hour race – not 1,000 miles.

BMW Team RLL will be racing to finish in a top-three position in the GTLM class Manufacturer championship, as well as ending the season with all regular season drivers with a top-five place in the Driver points.

With sixth and seventh place finishes at the last round at Circuit of the Americas, BMW is fourth in the Manufacturer points, with eight points separating the top-four manufacturers. Bill Auberlen (US) and Andy Priaulx (GB) are fourth in the Driver points. Team mates John Edwards (US) and Dirk Müller (DE) stand fifth. The number 55 and 56 BMW Z4s stand fifth and sixth respectively in the Team points.

Joey Hand (US) will rejoin BMW Team RLL for Petit Le Mans before completing his third DTM season. Co-driving with Auberlen and Priaulx, the trio will be looking for the same success they had earlier in the season, with a second at the Daytona 24 Hours and a third at the 12 Hours of Sebring. Dirk Werner (DE) will co-drive with Edwards and Müller in the number 56 car. The trio also raced together at Daytona and Sebring this season. BMW Team RLL will also be racing for the programme’s 50th podium finish.

Bobby Rahal (Team Principal BMW Team RLL):
“Over the years, we have generally qualified well for Petit Le Mans and have had reasonable finishing positions but no wins, so we obviously hope to turn that around this time. It’s a very long, hard race and in many respects harder than Sebring. Road Atlanta is not as physically demanding on the car as Sebring, but for the drivers there are narrower speed differentials and I think the track has a little bit more risk in it than Sebring or Daytona, so consequently the opportunity for mistakes or incidents is greater. It will be good to have Joey Hand and Dirk Werner back with us for Petit. We have a lot of experience with both drivers, both are really fast and I think they will really complement the team. From a driver line-up standpoint, once again, our guys are still the best guys.”

Bill Auberlen (Number 55 BMW Z4 GTLM):
“Petit Le Mans is the race you wait all year for because it has become a fantastic event. On the other hand it means the end of our season. We finished second there last year, so I have some unfinished business to take care of and will try to end our season on the top step of the podium. BMW Team RLL and all the drivers have done an amazing job in the most competitive series around making the 2014 season a special one.”

Andy Priaulx (Number 55 BMW Z4 GTLM):
“I am looking forward to Petit Le Mans. As we still have a very narrow chance to win the championship, I am going to go there feeling positive and will simply just concentrate on finishing the season on a high note. It’s a long race and a lot can happen, so I am staying completely open minded. Though Austin proved to be extremely frustrating, the last races have gone very well for me personally and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the team and my teammate Bill for a very enjoyable first season in the US.”

Dirk Müller (Number 56 BMW Z4 GTLM):
“We had a tough race at COTA – the last event – but I know the entire team is focused forward. This year the race is scheduled to finish after ten hours – not 1,000 miles – so that will mean an extra stint or two for the GT cars. I see this as a positive for BMW Team RLL as we have been very strong in the longer races this season.”

John Edwards (Number 56 BMWZ4 GTLM):
“It is always great to go back to Road Atlanta. The track is fast and challenging under normal conditions. The variables added by darkness and rain showers can really make Petit Le Mans interesting. A lot can happen during the race, so qualifying and speed are never enough to bring home a win. I have a lot of family near the track, so this event feels a lot like a home race for me, which makes it very enjoyable. The season for Dirk and I has really been up and down, but we are hoping to be back on the podium again in Atlanta like we were last year and finish the season strong.”