BMW RAHAL LETTERMAN RACING TEAM M3 DEBUTS AT SEBRING WINTER TEST
Team is fired-up and ready to go
Woodcliff Lake, NJ - January 26, 2009... A new era in North American
motorsports begins on January 26th when the first BMW Rahal Letterman Racing
Team M3 drives onto Sebring International Raceway for opening day of the
American Le Mans Series Winter Test.
The official debut of BMW of North America's newest racing program comes less
than one year after the announcement of BMW's return to ALMS competition was
made at the Chicago Auto Show on February 11, 2008.
With final design changes made by BMW Motorsport following European and US
testing, the new M3 race car was assembled by the BMW Rahal Letterman Racing
Team crew over long days and late nights beginning in December. The M3 received
its final homologation inspection on Wednesday, January 21.
The test will mark the first time drivers Bill Auberlen, Joey Hand, Tommy
Milner and Dirk Müller will drive the ALMS M3 and the very first time the three
Americans will be behind the wheel of a fourth-generation race car.
"The race to the race track has ended and we are pleased to start the 2009
season," said Martin Birkmann, BMW of North America's Motorsport Manager. "BMW
is delighted to return to the track with the latest M3 bringing MPower back to
ALMS competition. We are also pleased to introduce BMW EfficientDynamics to
the North American motorsports community. Through BMW EfficientDynamics every
part of every BMW is maximized for optimum performance and efficiency, whether
maximizing mileage or MPower."
"The BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team has worked extremely hard to get the new
BMW M3 ready for the ALMS Winter Test and we expect to get a lot accomplished
over the three days of testing," said team co-owner Bobby Rahal. "We are
excited not only to get the cars and drivers on track together, but also to
give the BMW fans their much-anticipated first look at the M3 race car."
BMW EfficientDynamics is a philosophy adopted by the BMW Group that drives
everything the company does. All BMW road cars are designed to maximize
efficiency while remaining true to the promise of "the Ultimate Driving
Machine." Applied to the latest M3 GT2 race car, BMW EfficientDynamics makes
more engine power by reducing internal friction to increase horsepower and
reduce the cooling load. It is what BMW engineers can do with those gains that
are at the heart of EfficientDynamics. The new M3 race car looks quite
different than previous generations because BMW Motorsport was able to reduce
the size of cooling openings and channel the air more efficiently, making the
new racing car more aerodynamic. This car goes a few steps further by sealing
drag inducing openings in the cockpit and incorporating a new "on-demand" air
conditioning system. When the proper temperature is reached the system
disengages to reduce parasitic losses. The power steering system is
"corner-sensing", supplying assist when required, but disengaging when the car
is straight.
Birkmann continues, "We look forward to educating the public, as well as our
GT2 class competition, on the benefits of BMW EfficientDynamics."
The Winter Test will be held January 26, 27 and 28 at Sebring International
Raceway. The BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team will host a media conference on
Tuesday, January 27 at 10:45 a.m.
About Rahal Letterman Racing:
Rahal Letterman Racing, based in Hilliard, Ohio and co-owned by three-time
IndyCar Champion and 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal and CBS LATE SHOW
host David Letterman, has been competing for more than a decade compiling 20
victories, 30 poles and one series championship (Bobby Rahal in 1992 in CART)
and an Indianapolis 500 championship (Buddy Rice in 2004). In 2008 Rahal
Letterman Racing again won Rookie-of-the-Year honors at the Indianapolis 500
and partnered with Andersen Racing to run two entries in the Indy Pro Series.
In 2009 the team has joined BMW North America to campaign the new BMW M3 as BMW
Rahal Letterman Racing Team in the American Le Mans Series and will as serve as
the organizers of the Formula BMW Americas championship.
BMW Group In America
BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975.
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003. The BMW
Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial
service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including
motorcycles, the MINI brand, and the Rolls-Royce brand of Motor Cars;
DesignworksUSA, an industrial design firm in California; a technology office in
Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country. BMW
Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is part of BMW Group's global
manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all X5
Sports Activity Vehicles and X6 Sports Activity Coupes. The BMW Group sales
organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 338 BMW passenger
car centers, 335 BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 142 BMW motorcycle
retailers, 83 MINI passenger car dealers, and 30 Rolls-Royce Motor Car
dealers. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group's sales headquarters for North,
Central and South America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.
Information about BMW Group products is available to consumers via the Internet
at:
www.bmwgroupna.com
www.bmwusa.com
www.bmwmotorcycles.com
www.miniusa.com
www.rolls-roycemotorcars.com
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Journalist note: Information about the BMW Group and its products is available
to journalists on-line at the BMW Group PressClub at the following address:
https://newsroom.bmwgroup.com/global/en Broadcast quality video footage is available via The
NewsMarket at www.thenewsmarket.com.
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