[Jason]

BIMMERPOST NEWS

BMW Team RLL Cars Crashed Out by Competition at Lime Rock Park

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Munich (DE), 24th July 2016. The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Northeast Grand Prix turned into a demolition derby for BMW Team RLL as both BMW M6 GTLM cars ended the day on the wrecker. Both cars were pushed off the track by the same competitor’s car in Lime Rock Park’s (US) downhill turn in different incidents with different drivers, ending up in the tyre wall and out of the race. The number 25 BMW M6 GTLM, driven by Dirk Werner (DE) and in second place at the time, was on the receiving end of a large impact. Luckily, Werner was unhurt. The race was won by the number 4 Corvette.

The race started with promise for the number 25 car of Bill Auberlen (US) and Werner. Werner, starting the race from the outside of the front row, jumped into the lead on lap two and held it for more than one hour, only relinquishing it on lap 63 following a very strong move in the uphill chicane by the number 62 Ferrari of Toni Vilander (FI). As Auberlen was putting on his helmet, ready to take over in a scheduled stop ten laps later, Werner was drilled into the wall on lap 89. He was taken to the infield medical centre and released. Auberlen did not drive.

For the number 100 BMW M6 GTLM the race ended almost as soon as it began. John Edwards (US), starting from eighth on the grid, was hit in the downhill turn on lap five and spun into the tyre wall at the beginning of the main straight. Damage to the car forced its retirement. Lucas Luhr (DE) did not drive.

The Turner Motorsport BMW M6 GT3 cars finished sixth – number 96 of BMW works driver Jens Klingmann (DE) and Bret Curtis (US) – and seventh – the number 97 of Markus Palttala (FI) and Michael Marsal (US) – in the GTD class.

Bobby Rahal (Team Principal, BMW Team RLL):

“Totally unnecessary driving by both drivers of the same car was responsible for eliminating both of our cars from the race. I told the officials if it was the last corner of the last lap of the race I could understand it, but we were only just over halfway through the race. Obviously I am pretty upset about it. Dirk was doing a great job, the 25 car was in a position to win this race and was competitive enough to do it. Unfortunately we didn’t get far with the 100 car.”

Dirk Werner (Number 25 BMW M6 GTLM, DNF):

“That was a really bad outcome for how the race started. I was able to get up to the front right from the start and stay there for a long time. When I lost the lead I was bumped and had to go straight in the chicane. Then the race was finished when someone put me in the tyres in the last turn, which is a fast turn. I think that was unnecessary in the middle of the race. I am very unhappy and hope this is not how we want to keep on racing. Thanks to the team the car was good again, as it was in the last couple of events, and for sure the car was good enough for a podium.”

John Edwards (Number 100 BMW M6 GTLM, DNF):

“We have had a lot of bad luck this season and this time it was contact with another car in a really high speed portion of the track. It was a bit of a scary one, fortunately the hit wasn’t too bad, but it seemed to mess something up from the spin and the hit, so we could not continue.”

[drexplode]

Maybe the rear differential gave way

[PawnStar]

Originally Posted by drexplode

Maybe the rear differential gave way

[Arcades]

Oops...

[ZEEM3R]

Rod bearing failure maybe?

[sygazelle]

Originally Posted by drexplode

Maybe the rear differential gave way

I'm sure it was numb steering.

[cncmastr]

Pics or it didn't happen.

[wdeerfield]

was an interesting race. maybe psi was 1.5lb off.

[Frank851]

No photos necessary. I watched it live on TV and it definitely went down bad for BMW today. Racing is tough all of the time, having personal experience on dirt tracks early in my life with super modified cars on the clay track circuit in the 70's. What went down today would have resulted in the 2 offending drivers being met in person in the pits afterwards by the BWM drivers for a 1:1 attitude adjustment in my day.

[Frank851]

Just for the record it did happen.

[Chihuahua]

Originally Posted by Frank851

No photos necessary. I watched it live on TV and it definitely went down bad for BMW today.

What network are you able to watch this on?

[drjoe66]

It's on FoX. Lots of commercials with some racing in between.

[GearRex]

Full race in You Tube IMSA channel. No commercials.

[GimmeanM]

I was there in BMW hospitality. Offending team was Porsche both times.

[SYT_Shadow]

I was there Saturday. The #25 was doing very well and it seemed like it was going to win its class. What a shame.

[wdb]

Originally Posted by GimmeanM3

I was there in BMW hospitality. Offending team was Porsche both times.

Even worse, it was the *same* Porsche both times.

[mistawall]

dam gets clipped by porsche then has to get intot a porsche rapid response vehicle

[bradleyland]

Originally Posted by GearRex

Full race in You Tube IMSA channel. No commercials.

The Porsche #912 contact with the BMW #100 car replay is at 00:13:45. It's a tough one to call. IMSA follows the (fairly) standard rule that if the person overtaking "has position", the person being overtaken must give them room to race. Edwards (#100) turned in on Makowiecki (#912) car, leaving him nowhere to go. The question is whether the #912 had position. The typical definition is determined by whether the front of overtaking car has reached the driver in the car being overtaken.

Edwards either didn't see him, or believed that the #912 car would lift. That's a bad bet, given how Porsche have been racing this season. Porsche is responsible for a number of incidents this year, including some really, really boneheaded maneuvers at Sebring. Anyone remember the T1 inside bomb (in the wet, no less) that took out Jan Magnussen?

The Porsche #912 contact with the #25 BMW replay is at 1:36:50. Much easier call here. The #912, with Earl Bamber at the wheel, tried a pass at T7; same as the first incident. Only Bamber clipped the (substantial) curbing, and ran wide in to the #25 car with Dirk Werner at the wheel.

It's a shit end for both BMW cars. The M6 isn't having the most stellar season, even without help from the competition, but this kind of result is the last thing anyone wants to see.

[ur31337]

I was there live, definitely got pushed off by the competition. This was the 25 car, pushed off with about an hour or so left.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2Z...ew?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2Z...ew?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2Z...ew?usp=sharing

[tetsuo111]

Sadly disappointing outcome, but thanks for the tip on YouTube coverage. Great to know

[raysspl]

That sucks to hear

[jcfay]

I watched it live too. The wreck on the 25 was totally inexcusable and idiotic. Even I wouldn't have tried the pass that the Porsche bonehead did. Infuriating.