BMW Team RLL finish fourth and seventh.
BMW Team RLL finished a season’s-best fourth and seventh in today’s BUBBA burger SportsCar Grand Prix of Long Beach.
The No. 25 BMW M6 GTLM of Bill Auberlen and Alexander Sims finished fourth while the No. 24 BMW M6 GTLM of John Edwards and Martin Tomczyk salvaged seventh place after a power loss due to a temporary electrical issue dropped Tomczyk from the lead of the race with only 10 minutes remaining.
For the first 90 minutes of the race BMW Team RLL was in control of the race, executing a strategy that put the team in position for the BMW M6 GTLM program’s first win.
The concrete-walled, unforgiving environs of a temporary street circuit showed its teeth only one minute after the green flag flew to start the 100-minute street fight as one prototype and three of the leading GTLM cars were involved in an incident that created the first caution period of the contest. Bill Auberlen, starting the No. 25 M6 from the fifth position, skillfully dodged the wreckage and moved into second place. John Edwards also gained three positions, moving into fourth.
A second yellow flag for debris on track waved 16 minutes later and the team quickly decided to split strategies, pitting Edwards for fuel, tyres and to hand over to Martin Tomczyk. Auberlen stayed out, conserving his second place position while Tomczyk rejoined the field, still in the fourth spot. Auberlen was called to the pits on lap 25, handing over to Alexander Sims who rejoined the field in the eighth position. As other competitors pitted Tomczyk inherited the lead of the race on lap 29.
The German Motorsport driver took over as the race’s overall leader on lap 34 as the faster prototype cars pitted during the race’s fourth caution period. Tomczyk got the news from the crew that he had enough fuel to reach the checkered flag. Sims circulated further back in the field in the sixth position.
Tomczyk controlled the class lead during two more restarts, but with only 10 minutes remaining a loss of power due to a temporary electrical issue slowed the No. 24 machine. He ultimately finished seventh. Sims took advantage of a last lap incident in turn 11 and squeezed by stopped cars to grab the fourth position. Bret Curtis and Jens Klingmann came ninth in the GTD class with the BMW M6 GT3 of team Turner Motorsport.