Cookie Consent by Free Privacy Policy website BMW Performance 200 begins 2016 Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge Championship; BMW M6 GT3 debuts in North America
january 28, 2016 - BMW Motorsport

BMW Performance 200 begins 2016 Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge Championship; BMW M6 GT3 debuts in North America

This Friday the #bmw Performance 200 will start the 10-round 2016 Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge Championship. As the undercard to the 54th annual #rolex24 At #daytona this weekend, the #bmw Performance 200 has the honor of being the first race held at the new #daytona Rising - the $400 million reimagining of the iconic #daytona International Speedway.

Now in its fifth year as title sponsor, #bmw of North America, LLC will support the race with the Grand Marshal, starter and pace car. In past years, fans have been among the first to see such BMWs as the 1M and M4 pace the race. This year the pace car will be a 2016 #bmw M6 equipped with Competition Package and #bmw M Performance accessories.

“BMW of North America is proud to once again support the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge race here at #daytona, particularly as it is the first race held at the new #daytona Rising,” stated #bmw of North America Motorsport Manager Victor Leleu. “The #bmw Performance 200 is a great way for us to showcase our #bmw M Performance Parts on the #bmw M6 Competition Package pace car”.

The title sponsorship with #daytona International Speedway is part of #bmw of North America’s customer #racing program that will see, in addition to the BMWs entered in the #bmw Performance 200 by BimmerWorld #racing and Murillo #racing, the debut of the Turner Motorsport #bmw #m6gt3 in the #rolex24.

Returning with major sponsor IHG Rewards Club, Turner Motorsport will campaign the first two customer #bmw M6 #racing cars in the world at the #rolex24. Anchoring the effort are Turner veterans Bret Curtis, Michael Marsal and Markus Paltalla. #bmw Motorsport has committed three more drivers to the #rolex24 effort in addition to Jens Klingmann who will race with Turner Motorsport all season. They include current #bmw DTM drivers Marco Wittmann and Maxime Martin, #bmw Motorsport Junior Jesse Krohn and #bmw of North America Scholarship Driver Ashley Freiberg.

Leleu continued, “2016 marks the 100th anniversary of #bmw, and certainly also the start of a new era for #bmw of North America’s customer #racing activities. We are excited to see the new #bmw #m6gt3 makes its worldwide #racing debut here at #daytona, and especially happy that it is with Turner Motorsport. Will’s team is reinforcing its effort with two cars and an amazing line-up of drivers. It was the perfect opportunity for us to give Ashley Freiberg a chance to move up to the next level in her second season as #bmw NA’s Scholarship Driver, and continue to learn and grow in one of the most competitive fields in the world.”

The two-and-one-half-hour #bmw Performance 200 takes the green flag at 1:45 p.m. Friday, January 29th and will be broadcast Feb. 13 at 8:30 a.m. ET on FOX Sports 1. The 54th #rolex24 at #daytona takes the green flag at 2:40 p.m. Saturday, January 30 with the first two 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