BMW Team RLL Looking to Finish 2019 IMSA Season as Strongly as it Started
BMW Team RLL looking to score another victory, this time at the 2019 Motul Petit Le Mans happening Oct. 12.
BMW Team RLL will be looking to finish the 2019 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season at this Saturday’s Motul Petit Le Mans as strongly as it began – with a victory. Since the win at the Rolex 24 At Daytona in January, the team has added two pole positions (Krohn – CTMP, WRLS) and two runner-up finishes (Edwards/Krohn – CTMP, WRLS) to the tally for the BMW M8 GTE IMSA program, completing its second season of endurance racing.
Two of the drivers that shared the Daytona win — Philipp Eng (driver no. 24 BMW M8 GTE) and Colton Herta (driver No. 25 BMW M8 GT) — will rejoin the team this weekend for the 10-hour contest at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. Eng will co-drive with John Edwards and Jesse Krohn in the No. 24 BMW M8 GTE. Herta, fresh from his IndyCar victory at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, will co-drive the No. 25 BMW M8 GTE with Connor De Phillippi and Tom Blomqvist. The No. 25 BMW M8 GTE will race in the traditional BMW Motorsport white livery while the No. 24 BMW M8 GTE will race in a special black livery that debuted at WRLS last month. BMW Team RLL drivers stand sixth (De Phillippi), seventh (Edwards, Krohn) and 10th (Blomqvist) in GTLM driver points standings.
The 2019 Motul Petit Le Mans will take place this Saturday, Oct. 12. The first three hours of the race will be broadcast on NBC beginning at 12 p.m. ET. The final five hours of the event will be broadcast on NBCSN with the NBC Sports app covering the race from 3 to 5:30 p.m. ET.
‘The pace of the M8 GTE at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca was pretty good, so I’m hopeful that those performances were a precursor of good things to come at Petit Le Mans. It’s a tough race.’
“We have had some success at Road Atlanta over the years and while this year has had some highs and lows, we hope to end the season the way we started it – with a win,” said Bobby Rahal, Team Principal. “The high of the season was obviously our win at the 24 Hours At Daytona and lows being some of those like Long Beach and the mid-season races but we look to end on a high note and bookend the year with wins. The pace of the M8 GTE at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca was pretty good, so I’m hopeful that those performances were a precursor of good things to come at Petit Le Mans. It’s a tough race. If you talk to most drivers they say it’s really a one lane race track in a lot of areas, especially with all the faster traffic coming by you, so the chance of getting caught out by lapping traffic is pretty high. It’s probably one of the more demanding races on our schedule, like Sebring and Daytona. Everyone is looking forward to going. We’re just hoping we have a trouble-free race and if we are able to pull that off, we should be in the hunt.”
“Last race of the season and I can’t believe it is nearly over!” added Tom Blomqvist, driver No. 25 BMW M8 GTE. “I’m looking forward to this race because it’s a track I’ve tested at and I really like the flow of it. It’s also one of the longer races of the season which brings another element to the table. We know our car should be strong there so without a doubt we’re going with high expectations. We’re aiming to end the season the way the boys started it, with a win!”
‘Petit sets the tone for the upcoming 2020 season. I’m looking forward to getting on track with the information we’ve learned from the last few events and expect nothing less than to fight for victory.’
“Petit is always a big one during the season,” said Connor DePhillippi, driver No. 25 BMW M8 GTE. “Not only is Road Atlanta one of my favorites tracks, but Petit is also the event that sets the tone for the upcoming 2020 season. I’m looking forward to getting on track with the information we’ve learned from the last few events and expect nothing less than to fight for victory.”
“Super excited to be back with BMW and with the whole RLL Team,” said Herta. “The car showed a lot of pace when we tested so I’m expecting a great weekend ahead. This race is an awesome one to close out my season and I am really looking forward to it.”
John Edwards, driver No. 24 BMW M8 GTE, added: “I’ve been fortunate to finish on the podium in half of my appearances at Petit Le Mans, but have yet to grab the elusive win. Hopefully, this can be the year for Jesse, myself and Philipp! We’ve had some tough races this year so it would be great to finish off the year with another podium. This is always an intense race with a lot of variables and often some rain. The race finishing at night also adds another variable that makes the fight at the end even more challenging. We are prepared for a long 10-hour battle.”
“I’m looking forward to one of the highlight events of the year,’ said Jesse Krohn, driver No. 24 BMW M8 GTE. ” Road Atlanta is one of the best tracks to race at and will offer action for the full 10 hours of racing.”
Eng added: “I am very much looking forward to be coming back to race with BMW Team RLL at the super exciting Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. Winning this race would be a big dream come true.”