GTE: BMW double at the 12h of Sebring

The fierce battle for overall victory in GTE-Pro made for a race full of suspense. At the finish, Rahal Letterman Lanigan gave BMW the double. The #56 of Joey Hand, Dirk Müler and Andy Priaulx won the category, ahead of the #55 of Bill Auberlen, Augusto Farfus and Dirk Werner. The Bavarian firm is starting the 2011 season in the best possible way.

“The car ran well all week, explains Joey Hand. The balance was good. When you feel good in a car, you can go fast for a long time. BMW and Rahal Letterman Lanigan worked well together during the offseason. They analyzed the data they collected last season to draw conclusions. The Dunlop tires were good at every stint. Drivers and team, we made no mistakes, although there were new members in the team. Everyone works in harmony, like old friends or like family. Many cars in the category are fast. I learned that in endurance, to win you had to bring back an impeccable car. »

The crew almost lost big at the start of the race, when Dirk Müller crashed with a Level 5 Motorsport Lola-Honda. “I had a collision with a prototype at the start of the race, He says. I tried to avoid it, but I couldn't and the tire was cut. We put a new set of tires on, I drove away and the car was running fine. The safety cars didn't help us that much to get back up given the length of the circuit. In fact, our guys are very quick to refuel. »

“I was lucky with the 2nd safety car, which allowed me to return to the race,” confides Andy Priaulx. We didn?t make any mistakes and we were quick when we needed to be. It?s great to be able to add Sebring to your CV! We couldn't have had a better start in ILMC. I hope we continue on this path. We had a lot of fun during this week, even if it was the hardest endurance race of all. »

Find the report (16 pages) of the 12 Hours of Sebring in the next issue of AUTOhebdo to be published on Wednesday, on sale on all newsstands.