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BIMMERPOST NEWS

BMW M6 GTLM Liveries Revealed. Will Debut at 24 Hours of Daytona This Weekend

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The BMW Team RLL M6 GTLM liveries were revealed today ahead of their race debuts this weekend at the 24 Hours of Daytona, which will mark exactly 40 years after the first victory of BMW at the 24 Hours of Daytona back in 1976.









































BMW Press Release:

Woodcliff Lake, N.J. – January 27, 2016… BMW Team RLL today revealed two commemorative 100th anniversary liveries for the new BMW M6 GTLM race cars competing in the 2016 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. To mark its centenary, one of the M6 machines will race with the number 25 in honor of BMW 3.0 CSL’s first season racing in the US in 1975 and will sport a livery that celebrates the history of BMW in motorsport. The second M6 machine will race with the number 100 and will be wrapped in a livery design that looks to the future.

Both designs are centered on a newly developed signet (or icon) developed by the BMW Group for 100th anniversary communications. Throughout its history, BMW has always been a company focused on the future and therefore it is not surprising that the theme for the centenary of the brand is: “The Next 100 Years”. The BMW Group will celebrate its rich history and promising future throughout the year officially starting with the Centenary Event in Munich, Germany on March 7th.

On the No. 25 car, each of the four segments of the signet depict images of a historically significant race car. The four cars were chosen in part due to their race success as well as their influence on future race or production cars within the BMW brand. The first car chosen was the famous No. 25 3.0 CSL that gave BMW its first major US race win at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1975. The second is an image of the BMW M1 from 1980 and 1981. In addition to a successful racing history, the M1 is significant as the first BMW M car. The third is an image of the successful V12 LMR that won Le Mans and Sebring in 1999. The V12 LMR was without a doubt one of the most advanced sport prototype race cars of its day and contains technology that is still advanced today. Finally, the fourth car depicted is the M3 GT from the 2011-12 season that won all possible ALMS class championship titles in 2011.

BMW explained that the No. 100 car on the other hand has a livery design that looks to the future. Beyond its distinctive design, BMW said that the lattice work element has a significance that will become clear later this year. The execution of the lattice work design is done with a new type of 3D effect, reflective vinyl applied to the white body that will be very visible under the lights at the Rolex 24 At Daytona this weekend. Both cars will carry the commemorative liveries throughout the 2016 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship starting with the 54th Rolex 24 At Daytona.

The Rolex 24 takes the green flag at 2:40 p.m. Saturday, January 30 with the first two hour hours of coverage on FOX Sports 1 beginning at 2 p.m. ET. Coverage shifts to FOX Sports 2 from 4 to 10 p.m. ET. FOX Sports 1 will pick up the broadcast from 7 - 9 a.m. ET and then finish with three hours of coverage beginning at 12 p.m. ET Follow BMW Team RLL on Twitter at @BMWUSARacing for “from-the-pit-box” updates all weekend.



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Exactly 40 years after the first victory of BMW at the 24 Hours of Daytona back in 1976, two new BMW GT cars will make their race debuts at this year’s iconic event. BMW Team RLL will field the BMW M6 GTLM in the GTLM class, while Turner Motorsport sends two BMW M6 GT3s into action in the GTD category. The two new cars replace the BMW Z4 GTLM and the BMW Z4 GT3 respectively, both of which claimed numerous victories in North America.

BMW Team RLL enters its eighth season with BMW Motorsport, and it promises to be a historic year: not only will the BMW M6 GTLM make its debut, but BMW is also celebrating its 100th anniversary. To mark this occasion, one of the two BMW M6 GTLMs will line up in the new IWSC season with the number 100. Like the number 25 car, it will feature a special livery, which will be unveiled at a press conference in Daytona on 27th January.

In order to ensure that the new car is able to compete at the head of a high-class GTLM field, featuring the likes of Chevrolet, Ferrari, Ford and Porsche, BMW Team RLL has opted for continuity in its driver line-up. The regular crews for the two BMW M6 GTLMs remain unchanged from last year. Bill Auberlen (US) and Dirk Werner (DE) share the cockpit of the number 25 car. They will be supported in Daytona by BMW DTM drivers Augusto Farfus (BR) and Bruno Spengler (CA). As in 2015, John Edwards (US) and Lucas Luhr (DE) are the regular drivers at the wheel of the number 100 car. They will receive back-up in Daytona from Graham Rahal (US) and the only new face in the squad, Kuno Wittmer (CA).

Turner Motorsport will field two new BMW M6 GT3s in the GTD class. BMW works driver Jens Klingmann (DE) and Bret Curtis (US) will contest the entire season in the number 96 BMW M6 GT3. The duo will be supported in Daytona by Ashley Freiberg (US) and BMW DTM driver Marco Wittmann (DE). Like last year, the number 97 car will be shared by Michael Marsal (US) and Markus Palttala (FI). They will be joined at the Daytona International Speedway by BMW DTM driver Maxime Martin (BE) and BMW Motorsport Junior Jesse Krohn (FI).

The BMW teams and drivers are not only looking forward to the race itself, but also to experiencing the extensive modifications made to the Daytona International Speedway, as part of the “Daytona Rising” project, under race conditions. The Daytona 24 Hours take the green flag at 14:40 local time on Saturday, 30th January.

Bobby Rahal (Team Principal, BMW Team RLL):
“We are all excited about kicking the season off. Of course the most difficult race of the season is the first race, which is always a challenge for any team and manufacturer. But, as we've shown over the course of the last several years, we have had some pretty trouble-free runs. It's a tough race. Racing for 24 hours is difficult. It's just comes down to consistency, reliability and staying out of trouble. Even though it’s a new car, we go into this race feeling pretty confident. I think the BMW M6 GTLM is a more sophisticated car than we've had in the past but we have a lot of confidence in BMW, our drivers and our team and I think that our expectations of having a very good race are reasonable.”

Bill Auberlen (Number 25 BMW M6 GTLM):
“A new baby must learn to walk before it can run. However, the BMW M6 GTLM has certainly found its legs quickly, as we demonstrated at the Roar test. I am very proud to be part of the team bringing another BMW racing car to the track. This is the fifth generation I’ve had the honour of racing in the last two decades.”

Dirk Werner (Number 25 BMW M6 GTLM):
“This year will be my ninth Rolex 24 At Daytona and I am looking forward to it as much as my first race there. This year will certainly be special. BMW is celebrating its 100th anniversary and we will race the new BMW M6 GTLM for the first time. We certainly have some big challenges ahead of us, but with the support of BMW Team RLL and the BMW Motorsport team I think we have a good chance of getting a very good result.”

Augusto Farfus (Number 25 BMW M6 GTLM):
“It’s an honour to be back with BMW Team RLL and be part of the first race with the BMW M6 GTLM. The team did a very good job at the Roar test and the car felt very strong. Of course, in a 24-hour race anything can happen, but I think we will make a good first impression.”

Bruno Spengler (Number 25 BMW M6 GTLM):
“This will be the third 24-hour race of my career and my second consecutive Rolex 24 with BMW Team RLL. The BMW M6 GTLM is new, but I believe it to be quite well born. We had a strong Roar test and I am very motivated for the race.”

John Edwards (Number 100 BMW M6 GTLM):
“We’re finally switching from testing and development into race mode. It’s been great to see the improvements made during the development process with our new BMW M6 GTLM, and I’m confident that we’ll have good pace in 2016. We found a great car balance during the Roar test and I think we all feel ready to race. There are a lot of unanswered questions in the GTLM class this year, but I know that if we can just survive the first 22 hours of the race, BMW will be fighting for a great result on Sunday afternoon.”

Lucas Luhr (Number 100 BMW M6 GTLM):
“After many months of testing and developing our BMW M6 GTLM it is time to go racing. It is a big challenge to have the Rolex 24 as our first race, but I think we are well prepared. It is going to be a very tough fight this year in the GTLM class, but I’m looking forward to another year with BMW team RLL. I love racing in the US.”

Graham Rahal (Number 100 BMW M6 GTLM):
“I am thrilled to be joining BMW for a third year in a row, and now in the new BMW M6 GTLM. I think they have once again assembled a great team that gives us a good chance of having a successful race.”

Kuno Wittmer (Number 100 BMW M6 GTLM):
“I am really looking forward to my first race for BMW. Everyone on the team has made me feel at home. We have done a lot of extensive testing with the BMW M6 GTLM. The Rolex 24 will, of course, be its first real test. We are obviously a competitive team that wants to win, but patience is always the key in Daytona.”

[PRUVEIT]

Good luck team!

Another great reason to watch!

[deemo319]

Go get'em guys and kickoff the next 100 years in style!

[AGAV13]

Looks sick.

[mookie45]

Only 4 hours away from me. I so want to go!

[ZIV3R]

The reflective tape one one of those m6's is out of this world.

Creatively geometrical with color transition.

It's done in a way that is formulaic and different.

It's what BMW is all about imho.

[MiamiE93Vert]

That is going to look so awesome at night! Only a few more days!

[K1M2]

Very nice. Beautiful cars, Good luck guys

[trustbran]

Just so damn Badass!!!

-Brandon

[mcjoe691]

Wow can't wait for the races . I have pit passes going to check these bad boys out on Saturday !

[PARTSFROMERIK]

That reflective wrap is incredible.

[3M TAPE]

Go get 'em!!

Just look at those drivers line up!! It's like a dream team!!

[F32Fleet]

I dunno. These cars look huge.

[Paul-Bracq-BMW]

Would love to see a limited edition road version of these!!!

[Paul-Bracq-BMW]

Originally Posted by Paul-Bracq-BMW

Would love to see a limited edition road version of these!!!

... A little bit ike this one hahaha!!

[Alpine F31]

Pictures of race cars on the side of a race car! I love it!

[Eagle1oh7]

Excellent!!!

[raysspl]

Hella sexy!!!

[x.shell]

Originally Posted by F32Fleet

I dunno. These cars look huge.

That's my initial thought as well. They are way too big to be a GT_ car; at least visually. In terms of performance.... Bentley didn't do too bad and that car is huge as well. These races always favor the car least affected by BoP anyways.

[DCG]

Badass!