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The 70th staging of the 12 Hours of Sebring (USA) this weekend represents the next endurance classic in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The BMW M Motorsport teams compete with a strong contingent of four new BMW M4 GT3s. BMW M Team RLL will field two cars in the GTD-PRO class. As well as Turner Motorsport, Paul Miller Racing will also run BMW M Motorsport’s new GT3 flagship in the GTD class.
The #24 MOTUL BMW M4 GT3 of BMW M Team RLL will be driven by Philipp Eng (AUT), Marco Wittmann (GER) and Nick Yelloly (GBR) at Sebring. Sharing the driving duties in the #25 MOTUL BMW M4 GT3 will be John Edwards (USA), Connor De Phillippi (USA) and Augusto Farfus (BRA). BMW M Team RLL has a successful past in Sebring; Bobby Rahal’s (USA) team took victory in the GTLM class in 2011 and 2012. In the 2018 race, BMW M Team RLL claimed the first pole position and the first podium result for the BMW M8 GTE.
For Turner Motorsport driver Bill Auberlen (USA), the 12-hour Sebring race brings up a very special milestone, the 500th race with BMW for the record IMSA winner. The Californian has been part of the BMW M Motorsport family since 1996. During this quarter of a century, Auberlen has won many races with every BMW race car he has driven. At Sebring, he races alongside Robby Foley and Michael Dinan (both USA) in the #96 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3.
At the same time, BMW M Motorsport will also welcome a new family member in Sebring: Paul Miller Racing. The New Jersey team, which has enjoyed IMSA success for several years, will run the BMW M4 GT3 in the GTD class. Alternating at the wheel of the #1 car are Madison Snow, Bryan Sellers (both USA) and Erik Johansson (SWE).
The 70th staging of the 12 Hours of Sebring gets underway at 10:10 local time (15:10 CET) on Saturday 19th March. As early as the Thursday, the BMW M Motorsport teams will field the BMW M4 GT4 in a two-hour race in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge. Turner Motorsport competes with two cars, driven by Auberlen and Dillon Machavern (USA) in the #95 car, and Foley and Vincent Barletta (USA) in the #96 BMW M4 GT4. Stephen Cameron Racing will run the #43 BMW M4 GT4, with Sean Quinlan and Gregory Liefooghe (both USA) at the wheel.