[c0nstant]

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Amesbury, Mass. - December 15, 2011 - Will Turner announced today that Dirk Mueller, Joerg Mueller and Dirk Werner will drive for Turner Motorsport's 2012 Rolex 24 at Daytona effort. The three BMW Motorsport drivers will join Bill Auberlen, Billy Johnson, Paul Dalla Lana, Michael Marsal and Boris Said in two Prep 2 GT class BMW M3s for Turner's third run for a Rolex watch in the twice-around-the-clock endurance classic.

"For the 50th Rolex 24 at Daytona I wanted to assemble the strongest BMW driver lineup I could," said Will Turner. "I think the Turner Motorsport roster stands on its own as one of the strongest ever. I want to thank BMW Motorsport for their support and assistance. Last year we ran strong in the opening hours of the race before gearbox problems set us back. This year we return with two M3s on the back of a very successful 2011 Grand-Am season that included two GT victories. With luck we will add the team's biggest win to date."

The Turner driver roster represents many of BMW's greatest 24-hour race victories worldwide. Synonymous with BMW racing for many years in the United States, Auberlen and Said co-drove a BMW M3 to the GT class win at the Rolex 24 in both 1997 and 1998. Said became the first American to win the 24 Hours of Nurburgring with his BMW Motorsport drive in 2005. One year earlier, Dirk Mueller, Joerg Mueller and the legendary Hans J. Stuck won the Nurburgring 24. Joerg Mueller was also part of the driving team that won the race in 2010. His first 24 hour win for BMW came at the Spa 24 in 1996. Dirk Werner has three 24 hour race victories in a BMW Z4 ; the Silverstone 24 in 2007 and the Dubai 24 in 2007 and 2008 driving a Z4 M Coupe.

Dirk Mueller and Dirk Werner are also no strangers to Grand-Am competition. Werner won the GT driver's title for Porsche in both 2007 and 2009. Mueller has twice finished second in the Rolex 24 in 1998 and 1999, also driving for Porsche. Joerg Mueller has one previous start in the Rolex 24.

Billy Johnson began his professional racing career as one of the first group of Formula BMW USA junior scholarship drivers in 2004. Johnson co-drove with Paul Dalla Lana in three GT races for Turner Motorsport last year with a best finish of fourth at Montreal.

Paul Dalla Lana won the 2011 Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Grand Sport driver's championship with Turner Motorsport. He also bested 235 BMW drivers to win the 2011 BMW Sports Trophy for the most successful privateer BMW driver in the world.

Michael Marsal ran his second full CTSCC season with Turner last year and made two starts in the GT car. He finished second in GS points in 2010 with co-driver Joey Hand.

The 50th Rolex 24 at Daytona will take the green flag at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, January 28th. The race will be televised on SPEED television.


Here's the specs of the Grand-Am GT cars:

Top Speed: 180 mph
Max Horsepower: 450
Maximum Race Length: 24 hours
Wheelbase: As production
Weight (min.): 2,200-2,800 pounds
Height (max): Production (based on ride height)
Width (max.): 74 inches
Fuel: Sunoco
Gearbox: Five- or six-speed
Tires: Pirelli racing slicks (ungrooved)
Brakes: 4-piston calipers steel rotors (carbon pads)
Chassis: Steel tubing with integral roll cage or production tub with cage
Suspension: Front and rear - independent coil springs, upper and lower A arms
Traction Control: Not permitted


US TV Schedule:

Grand-Am Rolex 24 at Daytona, live coverage on SPEED TV
* 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. Eastern, Saturday, January 28, pre-race show
* 3:30 – 11:00 p.m. Eastern, live coverage of Rolex 24
* 11:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m. Eastern, speedtv.com video stream
* 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Eastern, Sunday, January 29, live coverage of Rolex 24
__________________

[Brian_VACsales]

Incredible group of drivers. Can't wait to see this go down!

[3XTR3M3]

Great post, thanks

[GOLFFRR]

Awesome!

[WhoU4]

I can see already it's going to be a long night tomorrow on the computer...

Go Turner!

[[DIM3]]

YouTube link pls

[mkPOTO]

Awesome, excited to see how turner does

[cmetter]

one of my good friends, Michael Marsal is racing in this. Hope he does well.

[ferrari6891]

these guys rep bmw racing in a great way. loved when he passed the r8 =D

[Veiled]

good luck!!!

[Merked M3]

Does anyone know the 2 classes of cars Turner Motorsport ran M3s with last season? I saw them race twice last year at Laguna Seca and I believe they were running an M3 a class above the normal GTs and it was absolutely badass. It was one of the loudest cars on the track so I am assuming it was a higher class.

[the///Mthree]

Originally Posted by Merked M3

Does anyone know the 2 classes of cars Turner Motorsport ran M3s with last season? I saw them race twice last year at Laguna Seca and I believe they were running an M3 a class above the normal GTs and it was absolutely badass. It was one of the loudest cars on the track so I am assuming it was a higher class.

They run 2 GS M3's which are stock chassis, stock body M3's with the 4L V8

Then there are the 2 GT cars that is a tube chassis, carbon fiber body parts, big rear wing, which runs the 5L out of the E39 M5

GS<GT

[bavarian19]

Did I see that right? Upshift without the clutch?

[Diver]

Interesting set of rules.

[mapezzul]

They already ran the BMW 200 yesterday and they placed 6/7 if memory serves me correct. Fall Line who runs M3s with M3 bits placed 2 and 3 I think..

Edit: From Grand Am
BMW Performance 200: The Stats
GS 1st: Billy Johnson and Jack Roush Jr., No. 61 Roush Performance Ford Mustang Boss 302 R
GS 2nd: Charles Putman and Charles Espenlaub, No. 48 Fall-Line Motorsports BMW M3
GS 3rd: Bryan Sellers and Mark Boden, No. 46 Fall-Line Motorsports BMW M3
ST 1st: Pierre Kleinubing and Jayson Clunie, No. 31 iMoto/Cybernation.net Mazda Speed 3
ST 2nd: Nic Jonsson and Andy Lally, No. 10 Kia Motors American Kia Forte Koup
ST 3rd: Gregory Liefooghe and David A. Levine, No. 81 BimmerWorld Racing BMW 328i
Margin of Victory: 1.061 seconds (overall); .021 seconds (ST)
Average Speed: 109.365 mph (overall); 101.926 mph (ST)
Cautions: Six for 25 laps
Noteworthy
The defending Rolex 24-winning No. 01 TELMEX/Target BMW Riley of Scott Pruett, Memo Rojas, Graham Rahal and Joey Hand did not participate in Friday's two Rolex Series practice sessions, with the team competing its pre-race preparations on Thursday evening.
Both of Friday's Rolex Series practice sessions were held in light rain, with many of the teams opting to sit out most or all of the practice since the forecast for the remainder of the weekend calls for dry conditions.
A.J. Foyt was schedule to serve as Grand Marshal for the 50th Anniversary Rolex 24 but will be unable to attend the race due to recovery from recent surgery.
Jack Roush Jr. and Billy Johnson - Friday's winners of the BMW Performance 200 - completed only two laps in the 2011 season opener and finished 37th in the 2010 event.
The Daytona International Speedway infield reached its spectator capacity at 10:30 a.m. Friday morning.
The BMW Performance 200 will be televised on SPEED on Sunday, Feb. 4, at noon ET.
The Numbers:
.015 seconds - Andrew Davis' GT pole-winning margin over Jeff Segal
2 - Number of laps led by Street Tuner winner Pierre Kleinubing
6 - Cars within seven-tenths of a second in DP qualifying
17 - Consecutive Rolex Series races led by Ricky Taylor
52 - Number of cars finishing on the lead lap of the BMW Performance 200
109.405 - Speed of Charles Espenlaub's fastest race lap in the BMW Performance 200
The Quotes:
"It's good to get all the drama out of the way before the race. We got everything finished last night, so we didn't even run today. Steve (engine builder Dinan) says everything is fine and he has no concerns. If he feels OK, I'm OK." Scott Pruett, No. 01 TELMEX/Target BMW/Riley
"While being on the pole doesn't mean much in the long run in the Rolex 24, I'm very disappointed not to win it. If you're a racer and you're not on the pole, that's not good enough. We're very hungry. I'm really happy with my situation coming into the Rolex 24. I'm happy to have the teammates I want - John (Pew), AJ (Allmendinger) and Justin (Wilson). We work together like brothers. (On the break between the Rolex 24 and Round 2 at Barber Motorsports Park on March 31). There is so much stress getting ready for the Rolex 24, we'll need all that time to recover. Believe me, we really want this one badly." Ozz Negri, No. 60 Liveon.com Ford/Riley
"You don't come here to make friends. You come here to get the job done." Juan Pablo Montoya, No. 02 Target/TELMEX BMW/Riley
"Winning the pole is always special, but with this being the 50th Rolex 24 makes it a little more sweet for us - especially since we only had 45 minutes of track time before qualifying. Obviously, the car is capable of getting to the front. That makes my job a little easier. It's not often that the pole winner wins this race, but we've got a good chance if we can stay out of trouble. I always enjoy racing at Daytona - I consider this my home track." Ryan Dalziel, No. 8 Starworks Motorsport Ford/Riley, pole sitter for the 50th Anniversary Rolex 24.
"It will take a near-perfect race to win. This is a big race, but with this being the 50th makes it even more special. This is the start of our championship, but this like a championship in itself." Ricky Taylor, No. 10 SunTrust Corvette Daytona Prototype
"My sense of joy is getting out of here in one piece and getting a good start to the year. We did not have much luck here the last two years." Jack Roush Jr., No. 61 Roush Performance Ford Mustang Boss 302 R, winner of the BMW Performance 200
Coming Up:
The 2012 Rolex Series season opens with the 50th Anniversary Rolex 24 At Daytona, with the green flag waving at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday.

[mapezzul]

Class: Grand-Am Rolex GT

Car #94:
Paul Dalla-Lana
Bill Auberlen
Boris Said
Billy Johnson
Car #93:
Michael Marsal
Dirk Werner
Dirk Müller
Jörg Müller

This tube-frame chassis uses the bodywork from the BMW E92 M3 and the engine from the E39 M5. The #93 is a brand-new Riley Technologies chassis for 2011, assembled and built by Turner Motorsport in our race shop. The E92 M3 replaced the M6 GT chassis we raced with in 2010, which has since been retired from racing.

Chassis/Body
Chassis Riley Technologies Mk XVI GT tube-frame
Layout front engine - rear wheel drive
Body carbon fiber based on BMW E92 M3
Weight 2650lbs
Engine
Type BMW S62 V8
Engine Management Bosch Motorsport
Rev Limit 7000 RPM
Suspension
Front upper and lower wishbones
coil over damper
driver-adjustable sway bar
Rear upper and lower wishbones
coil over damper
driver-adjustable sway bar
Brakes
Front StopTech Trophy 4-piston calipers
330mm rotors
endurance race pads
Rear StopTech Trophy 4-piston calipers
330mm rotors
endurance race pads
Wheels & Tires
Front Forgeline 3-piece
Continental ExtremeContact DR racing slick
Rear Forgeline 3-piece
Continental ExtremeContact DR racing slick




Class: Continental Sports Car Challenge GS
Car #96: Paul Dalla Lana, Bill Auberlen
Car #97: Michael Marsal, Boris Said

The GS-class E92 M3s are based on actual street cars. We purchased used M3s and completely stripped and rebuilt them into racecars. The cars use the factory-original bodywork with upgraded brakes, coil over suspensions, bigger wheels and tires. With the car stripped of all street trim, it is are several hundred pounds lighter than a street car.
Chassis/Body
Chassis BMW M3 unibody
Layout front engine - rear wheel drive
Body factory original sheetmetal, Grand-Am spec rear wing
Weight 3300lbs
Engine
Type BMW S65 V8
Engine Management Bosch Motorsport
Intake stock airbox
Exhaust stock manifolds, cat-delete, Borla Racing mufflers
Rev Limit 8300 RPM
Transmission & Clutch
Flywheel & Clutch OS Giken 2-Disc Racing Flywheel/Clutch
Suspension
Front Independent, double-pivot; coil over spring-shock
Turner Motorsport Race Camber/Caster Plates
Adjustable sway bar
Rear Independent, 5-link; coil over spring-shock
Adjustable sway bar
Brakes
Front StopTech Trophy 4-piston calipers
380mm rotors
race pads
Rear StopTech Trophy 4-piston calipers
350mm rotors
race pads
ABS Ate Mk IV Racing ABS System
Wheels & Tires
Wheels Forgeline EV1R 18x10
Tires Continental ExtremeContact, 275/35-18

[M5007]

No pressure on the new guy. LOL. I'll be watching this

[saint3448]

Thanks for explaining the difference between the GT and GS M3s - I was very confused this afternoon, and have been trying google to no avail.

I'm more into the Continental Sports Car series, but from what I can tell - you can only watch replays on speed the week after. Anyone know if there's live broadcasts for that series? Would love to be able to cheer in the BMW teams in real time.

[kyleb350]

Does anybody know the reason why the GT M3 uses the S62 over the S65? I see the horsepower limit is 450. Does the S62 get better gas mileage, or is it simply the torque?

[03BeastCharmer]

As they were working on the 94 just a little while ago, did anyone notice that plenum cover was from an S62 M5 V8 engine instead of the E9x M engine. I know that the prototype and GT's had been using the old M5 engine, but I thought at the end of last year they had finally made the transition. Happy to see that the S62 is still doing well in racing.

Edit: I see in the post above that it is indeed the S62 engine. Why is it preferred engine? I know in stock format, it's a more torquey engine, but it's also an engine from a decade ago.

[mapezzul]

Originally Posted by 03BeastCharmer

As they were working on the 94 just a little while ago, did anyone notice that plenum cover was from an S62 M5 V8 engine instead of the E9x M engine. I know that the prototype and GT's had been using the old M5 engine, but I thought at the end of last year they had finally made the transition. Happy to see that the S62 is still doing well in racing.

Edit: I see in the post above that it is indeed the S62 engine. Why is it preferred engine? I know in stock format, it's a more torquey engine, but it's also an engine from a decade ago.

It is because they have not changed the rules to allow the newer engine.... owned by NASCAR!

Here are the engines allowed in DP:

DAYTONA PROTOTYPES ENGINE ELIGIBILITY AND APPROVAL LIST as of 12/6/11
The following engines have been approved for competition in Daytona Prototypes.

BMW S62-B50 32 valve 5.0L V-8
Bore: 3.701′′ Stroke: 3.502′′ Minimum crank weight: 40 lbs Maximum compression ratio: 11:1 Cylinder heads and intake cannot be ported. Intake valve: 1.377′′ Exhaust valve: 1.200′′ Piston, rings, pin and connecting rod: 936 gm minimum Maximum camshaft lift @ retainer with zero lash: .500′′ Maximum cam duration: 260 ° @ .050′′ lift Induction: 8 individual butterflies @ 1.965′′ Must use OEM intake manifold. Air intake to be sealed to 11 x 9 9/16 hole in top of OE intake manifold. Must use approved air box. Cam profile on file cannot be changed RPM limit: 6800 Maximum fuel pressure 5 bar (72.5 psi)

CHEVROLET* 5.0L V8
*Can also be branded as Cadillac. Engine block Casting # 12598723 or 12621766 with specified bore: 3.900′′ Stroke: 3.185′′ Minimum crank weight: 38 lb Maximum compression ratio: 11.5:1 Cylinder heads part # 17802752. Intake and exhaust ports cannot be modified. Cylinder head intake runner maximum volume: 230 cc’s Cylinder head exhaust runner maximum volume: 87 cc’s Intake valve: 2.100′′ Exhaust valve: 1.550′′ Piston w/rings, pin and connecting rod: 1000 gm minimum. May use titanium wrist pin. Maximum camshaft lift @ retainer with zero lash: .590′′. Maximum cam duration: 248°/251° @.050′′ lift. Must use with no modifications. Maximum RPM: 6900 Maximum fuel pressure 5 bar ( 72.5 psi)
Part # K-GMDPAA Intake Manifold, w/ 2.0 inch I.R. Kinsler Throttle Bodies. Inlet trumpets and air box as submitted and approved. Air box base Part # 17802737

FERRARI 4.5L V8
Bore: 3.70” Stroke: 3.185” Minimum crank weight 36.2 lbs. Maximum compression ratio:12.8:1. Cylinder heads and intake cannot be ported. Cylinder head intake port volume: 75.4cc. Cylinder head exhaust port volume: 142cc. Intake valve: 1.486”. Exhaust valve: 1.215”. Piston, rings, pin and connecting rod: 920 gm. Minimum. Maximum camshaft lift at retainer with zero lash: .520”. Maximum cam duration: 225oin/216oex @.050” lift. Induction: two throttle bodies @ 82mm. RPM limit: 8200. Maximum fuel pressure 5 bar ( 72.5 psi)

FORD 5.0L V8
Bore: 3.705′′ Stroke: 3.543′′ Minimum crank weight: 38 lbs, Maximum compression ratio: 11:1 OEM GT40 cylinder head with production intake ports. . Maximum intake runner volume: 251cc, maximum exhaust runner volume: 115 cc Intake valve: 1.496′′ Exhaust valve: 1.260′′ Piston, rings, pin and connecting rod: 1000 gm minimum Maximum camshaft lift @ retainer with zero lash: .498′′ Maximum cam duration: 254° @ .050′′ lift. Cam profile on file cannot be changed. Intake Manifold Part# RYE-70686A. Inlet trumpets and air box as submitted and approved. RPM limit: 7000 Maximum fuel pressure 5.0 bar ( 72.5 psi).

PORSCHE 3.99L GT3R Flat 6
Up to 3.99 liter displacement. Engine to Transaxle adaptor with 24/25 or 24/23 (Xtrac only) drop gear ratio permitted allowed approved supplier TBA. Maximum RPM: 9400. Maximum fuel pressure 5.2 bar (75.4 psi) Cars electing to use this engine must weigh 2275 lbs. Six speed transaxle is permitted.

CAYENNE based 5.0L V8
( by Lozano Bros. Porting)
Cylinder Bore: 3.701 Stroke 3.543 ,Minimum crank weight :38 lbs. Maximum compression ratio: 11:1. Cylinder head intake runner volume 156 cc’s. Cylinder head exhaust runner volume: 121 cc’s. Intake valve:1.464.Exhaust valve: 1.282.Piston w/rings, pin and connecting rod 1000gm minimum. Maximum cam duration 260°@.050 lift .Maximum cam lift w /zero lash: 500. Intake Manifold Part # K-HRDPMAN, w/ 2.1875 inch I.R. Kinsler Throttle Bodies. Inlet trumpets and air box as submitted and approved. (Lozano Bros.) RPM limit 7100. Maximum fuel pressure 5 bar (72.5 psi).

[Caddyshk]

DAMN TMS Car #94 M3 just blew the motor... Everyone shocked?