Turner Motorsport Watkins Glen race report

TOP-FIVE GT FINISH FOR TURNER BMW M3 AT WATKINS GLEN
Auberlen & Dalla Lana finish 5th, still looking strong in GT points championship.

#94 Turner Motorsport BMW M3: Bill Auberlen, Paul Dalla Lana

Photo by: Ted Rossino

Amesbury, Mass. – August 15, 2011 -- Turner Motorsport drivers Bill Auberlen and Paul Dalla Lana finished fifth in Saturday evening's Canadian Tire 200 at The Glen, the tenth of twelve races in this season's GRAND AM Rolex Sports Car Series. They drove 93 laps of the 2.45-mile, 11-turn Watkins Glen short course in the two hour race with Auberlen recording the second fastest GT race lap (1:13.637 minutes) on lap 90.

The race reunited the duo in the No. 94 BMW M3 for the first time since the Six Hours of The Glen in June with Auberlen unavailable for the previous three and the final two Rolex races due to other BMW commitments. Dalla Lana stands ninth in GT driver points, only 21 points separating him from the leaders.

Teammates Joey Hand and Michael Marsal finished seventeenth after an electrical gremlin slowed the new No. 93 M3 and dropped them down the running order.

"Two important races bookend one week so it was important to race hard at the Glen, but also to race smart as we want Paul to finish strong in the GT driver points," said Will Turner, team principal. "To stay out of trouble and call the correct fuel strategy were the keys for us. Paul drove a very strong first stint - running as high as fourth - with the leaders always in sight. We had a fast pit stop to get Bill in and were looking at a podium finish, but unfortunately for us two of our competitors were able to run much longer than the rest of the class on fuel so we had to settle for fifth. The No. 94 M3 was fast as Bill proved with the second fastest race lap only three from the end. Despite the poor finish for Marsal and Hand in the No. 93 M3 due to electrical problems, it was great that Michael was able to get more seat time in the GT class."