Michael Marsal looking forward to GTD Sebring debut
Turner Motorsport pilot set to campaign No. 97 BMW Z4 in historic 12 Hours of Sebring.
Sebring, Fla. – It’s been a long and snowy winter in New York City, so Turner Motorsport racer Michael Marsal is eager to head south for Round 2 of the IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship held at Sebring International Raceway in Florida. Of course it’s not just the pleasant weather that Marsal is looking forward to, he is ready to take on the historic Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring for the second time – this year in the No. 97 Turner Motorsport IHG Club Rewards BMW Z4.
Last year, Marsal posted a stand-out performance with an impressive run in LMPC competition for 8Star Motorsports. Despite a long stint that saw him carry impressive pace and avoid the carnage that his fellow prototype pilots encountered, the run closed out with a fifth place finish after a co-driver found trouble late in the race.
We had a really good test at Sebring with our BMW last month, so we’re all really looking forward to the weekend.
Michael Marsal
In addition to his laps behind the wheel of the prototype machine, Marsal also brings BMW experience to Sebring, having previously raced for Turner Motorsport at the track in IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge competition in the team’s No. 97 BMW M3.
This year, Marsal looks to build on that performance as he rejoins Turner Motorsport in the TUDOR Championship. Marsal will team with full-season co-driver Markus Palttala as well as Andy Priaulx and Boris Said for the Sebring event. The stout driver line-up combined with the keen execution of the Turner Motorsport team has the group confident of a positive outing.
“It seems like it’s been a really long time since we were racing at Daytona so I’m ready to get going!” enthused Marsal, who took advantage of the break in race action to keep fit with an outdoor exercise program that included some high-altitude skiing in Colorado. “We had a small problem early on in Daytona but I got more and more comfortable with the car through the race so hopefully that will pay off on Saturday. We had a really good test at Sebring with our BMW last month, so we’re all really looking forward to the weekend.”
The Sebring event also marks Round 2 of the Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup (NAEC) – a championship within a championship that features the four longer races on the schedule (Daytona, Sebring, Watkins Glen, and Road Atlanta). Michael Marsal currently sits sixth in the NAEC standings.
TUDOR Championship practice begins on Thursday with additional practice as well as qualifying taking place on Friday.
Michael Marsal Racing
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