Season’s finale for champions BMW Team RLL at the Petit Le Mans.

Munich. BMW Team RLL is preparing for the last challenge of the 2011 American Le Mans Series, the prestigious Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta (US). Bobby Rahal’s squad celebrated early title victories in the ALMS GT team and drivers’s championship at the penultimate round at Laguna Seca (US) on 17th September. But it has three more goals for the season’s finale this weekend (1st October). The team has set its sights on winning a second consecutive GT manufacturer title, move drivers Dirk Werner (DE) and Bill Auberlen (US) to second place in the driver point standings and win Dunlop the tyre manufacturer’s championship.



The 1000-mile race also serves as the penultimate round of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup where BMW Team RLL will represent BMW Motorsport for a second time this season. The first was the 12 Hours of Sebring (US) where the team finished first and second with the same six-driver lineup that will pilot the potent BMW M3 GTs this weekend.



Dirk Müller (DE), Joey Hand (US) and Andy Priaulx (GB) will co-drive the No. 56 M3 GT. The trio won the 12 Hours of Sebring. At Laguna Seca, Müller and Hand clinched the driver’s title. Werner and Auberlen will be joined in the No. 55 M3 by Augusto Farfus (BR). They finished second at Sebring. Werner and Auberlen stand third in ALMS driver points, only nine points in arrears, and with a strong Petit Le Mans finish could move to second place.





Bobby Rahal (Team Principal): “BMW Team RLL is extremely pleased to have clinched the driver’s and team championships, but there is more work to be done to win championships for BMW and Dunlop. We intend to go all out in pursuit of those titles as well. But championships aside, to win Petit Le Mans would be a major accomplishment for us and our drivers. This is a grueling race on the team and the car and we need to manage ourselves so that we can be in the hunt at the end.”



Bill Auberlen (Car number 55):“Petit Le Mans has mixed emotions for me. I am pumped up because it’s one of the world’s great endurance races, but it’s also the last race of the year and no racing driver wants the season to end. Joey and Dirk have clinched the driver’s and team championships, but this team has two more championships to nail down.”



Dirk Werner (Car number 55):“I am really looking forward to the season’s finale. Of course, we want to add the manufacturer’s championship. We expect it to be a hard race, due to the long distance and the high number of starters. Bill and I are still keen to celebrate our first victory of the season, so I am highly motivated. The car will be very good – like it always has been throughout the season.”



Augusto Farfus (Car number 55): “This will be my first time at Road Atlanta so I have to get to know to the circuit which is quite fast from what I have heard. It is great that BMW already won the driver’s championship. I am looking forward to such a big race. I hope we can have a good weekend.”



Joey Hand (Car number 56):“It feels great to have two championships wrapped up before Petit Le Mans. When we won Sebring this year I thought that this would be our year. It took a lot of hard work and with the help of BMW Motorsport, BMW of North America, RLL and Dunlop we are almost there. We go to Petit Le Mans to win the manufacturer’s championship and the tyre manufacturer’s title. It will be great to have Andy Priaulx back to help us try to finish the season the way we started it.”



Dirk Müller (Car number 56): “I am still really excited about having won the title in the driver’s championship. Obviously we cannot celebrate the title yet, as the manufacturer’s championship is not decided. We are keen to win the prestigious race at Road Atlanta, and we are keen to win the manufacturers’ title for BMW, so we still are extremely motivated. We are looking forward to Augusto’s and Andy’s support. We have a very good car and a very strong team, so we want to achieve both targets.”



Andy Priaulx (Car number 56): “I am really excited going to Petit Le Mans. Obviously Dirk and Joey just won the driver’s championship with BMW, so it is a very good environment to go into. I am looking forward very much and will enjoy the race.”