Woodcliff Lake, N.J. – Aug. 2, 2022 . . . BMW M Team RLL heads to Road America, in Elkhart Lake, Wis., looking to regain its winning ways at the track that has set the stage for many of the team’s victories in previous seasons. Not only is the four-mile, 14-turn Road America Bobby Rahal’s favorite circuit, but the classic track also saw BMW M Team RLL’s very first BMW pole and victory in 2009. Two more wins came in 2010 and 2012. The team has also scored an additional six podium finishes at Road America – three seconds and three thirds – making Road America one of the most successful tracks for the team currently in its 14th season racing for BMW. The last three rounds of the 2022 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship have seen the No. 25 MOTUL BMW M4 GT3 disqualified from a win at Watkins Glen International , suffer an uncompetitive fifth place finish at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, and not finish at Lime Rock Park due to a mechanical issue. Between races, De Philippi also recently participated in the July 25th rollout of the 2023 BMW M Hybrid V8 at Dallara in Varano de Melegari, Italy. Connor De Phillippi (No. 25 MOTUL BMW M4 GT3): “Road America is one of my top three highlights on the IMSA calendar and typically a fairly good track for us at BMW. It will be the first time there with our new M4 GT3 so we will have a lot to learn in the free practices. The others have managed to find some pace recently so we will be aiming to execute a perfect race and put ourselves in position to fight at the front for a win.” John Edwards (No. 25 MOTUL BMW M4 GT3): “Road America is a classic track and it’s always a thrill to go back. It has a great combination of technical corners with some pavement changes and elevation changes, coupled with some high-speed corners including the famous Kink. After some strong showings earlier in the season, we’ve had a tough couple of races with some bad luck, so this is the weekend we’re aiming to turn it around and finish out the season strong.” The IMSA Fastlane SportsCar weekend at Road America, in Elkhart Lake, Wis. takes place Aug. 4 – 7th. The two-hour-and-forty-minute race takes the green flag at 10:40 a.m. Sunday; the 7th and will be streamed live on Peacock. The race will be broadcast on USA from 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. ET. IMSA Radio also provides a flag-to-flag broadcast. BMW Group in AmericaBMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003. The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars; Designworks, a strategic design consultancy based in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is the BMW Group global center of competence for BMW X models and manufactures the X3, X4, X5, X6 and X7 Sports Activity Vehicles. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 350 BMW passenger car and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers,146 BMW motorcycle retailers, 105 MINI passenger car dealers, and 38 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group’s sales headquarters for North America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey. Rahal Letterman Lanigan RacingBMW’s partner, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, based in Indianapolis, Indiana and co-owned by three-time INDYCAR Champion and 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal, former CBS Late Show host David Letterman and Mi-Jack co-owner Mike Lanigan, has been competing for over three decades. Prior to the start of their 31st season of competition in 2022, the team had compiled 54 victories, 66 poles, 222 podium finishes, three series championships (1992, 2010, 2011), claimed two Indianapolis 500 victories (Buddy Rice in 2004, Takuma Sato in 2020) and two Rolex 24 at Daytona victories. In 2009 the team joined BMW of North America to campaign the new BMW M3 in the American Le Mans Series. The following year the team won both the Manufacturer and Team Championships in the GT category and swept all three GT titles – Manufacturer, Team, and Driver – in 2011. In 2012, the team finished second in the Team Championship and third in the Manufacturer Championship and in 2013, the team finished second in the Driver, Team, and Manufacturer Championship. From 2014 to 2021, BMW Team RLL competed in the GTLM class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with a two-car program and brought their total to 22 wins – including the 2019 and 2020 Rolex 24 at Daytona endurance races, 28 poles and 94 podium finishes prior to the start of the 2022 season. The team earned second-place finishes in the Manufacturer, Team, and Driver championships in 2015 and 2017 and were the 2020 Michelin North American Endurance Champions. For 2022, BMW M Team RLL will compete in the GTD Pro class while simultaneously ramping up for a two-car program in the much-anticipated LMDh class of IMSA for 2023. Journalist note: Information about BMW Group and its products in the USA is available to journalists on-line at www.bmwusanews.com and www.press.bmwgroup.com/usa.
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