DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Ever since starting his eponymous BMW tuning company in 1993, Will Turner has taken his passion for BMW from humble beginnings at BMW Club events to the top of championship podiums at racetracks across the nation. Turner’s focus on performance, fed by an active engagement with an equally active customer base, has seen his blue and yellow BMW machines become synonymous with success as his BMW tuner business turned those lessons learned on the track into its position as a national leader for BMW enthusiasts.
But the Massachusetts native is not one to sit still, and Turner will look to bring that long legacy of success to one of the greatest challenges in North American road racing this weekend as Turner Motorsport makes its GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series debut this Saturday in the 48th running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona.
Turner Motorsport drivers Paul Dalla Lana, Boris Said, Joey Hand, and Bill Auberlen will team in the No. 94 NorthWest/Turner Motorsport BMW M6 as the team once again brings the Roundel to the high banks at Daytona. The BMW M6-bodied GT class entry, built on the Riley Technologies GT-class frame and utilizing an M Power 5.0-liter V8 powerplant, will compete against nearly 30 other GT machines as the 3.56-mile circuit is jammed with Daytona Prototype and GT machinery for 24 grueling hours in pursuit of one of the elusive timepieces ever created, the Rolex Daytona Perpetual Chronograph.
The same methodical planning that goes into every Turner Motorsport race outing will once again be brought to bear, as the team will also look to defend their 2009 race-winning outing at Daytona in Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge competition with a two-car Grand Sports (GS) class campaign.
Turner Motorsport, which set a new team record with nine podium finishes in 2009, will see Auberlen team with Dalla Lana in the No. 96 H&R Springs/ Stop Tech Brakes BMW M3, with TMS newcomer Michael Marsal tapped to team with Joey Hand in the No. 97 Borla exhaust / Motul Lubricants BMW M3.
The No. 96 entry marks the Turner Motorsport debut for the latest “E92” generation BMW M3 V8 machine, with the No. 97 entry looking to put the extensive engineering logbook that the team has with the “E46”-generation M3 to good use this weekend.
“This is a very big weekend for the entire Turner Motorsport organization,” said Turner. “Both our Continental Tires cars are very strong, and the line ups we have with the drivers and our cars hopefully means we have all our bases covered!
“The team has so much experience in so many different categories, but running this 24 hour at Daytona is an entirely different kind of program for us. We’ve been planning for every possible outcome that we can think of but you still never know what this race will throw at you. We obviously have a driver line up that brings incredible experience--and speed--so we hopefully can have a reliable run and be there to fight at the finish with this new M6.”
