When the green flag waves to start the May 12th Motul Course de Monterey race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Turner Motorsport will make its 557th start and race into the history books as the team with more BMW race starts than any other team in the world. Exclusively racing BMWs since 1998, Will Turner's team will eclipse legendary Schnitzer Motorsport for the number one spot with their GT Daytona class BMW M4 GT3, aptly numbered No. 557 for the occasion.
'My first pro race was in 1998 in a E36 BMW 325 at Topeka, Kansas,' said Will Turner, 'Quite a bit has changed in the past 26 years, but one thing has not: I have never stopped racing BMWs. We knew the day would come when we would surpass Schnitzer, but it is still a bit odd to think of ourselves as the team with more BMW race starts than anyone. Race number 557 is very special. I appreciate IMSA allowing us the number for the Laguna Seca race.'
Turner continued, '26 years and 557 races means there are too many people to thank. We've had drivers from Auberlen to Ziegler and everyone in between – drivers at the beginning of their careers and at the peak of their careers. Of course, BMW has never failed to support us, and we have enjoyed great partnerships with companies like H&R Springs since the beginning, along with Liqui-Moly.'
Andreas Roos (Head of BMW M Motorsport) commented, 'What a milestone for Turner Motorsport! Congratulations on the record-breaking 557th start in a BMW race car and a big thank you for your decades-long trust in our brand! It is always a pleasure and great fun to work with Will Turner and his crew who have a great professionalism. The long list of victories and titles speaks for itself: Turner Motorsport is an integral part of BMW M Motorsport's racing program in North America, and I hope it will be like this for many more years.'
Practice for the Laguna Seca weekend begins on Friday, May 10 with the Turner cars in action in both the Michelin Pilot Challenge and WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Michelin Pilot Challenge qualifying, and the two-hour race will take place on Saturday, the 11th. Sunday the 12th will see Turner Motorsport's 557th race with BMW be broadcast live on NBC from 3:00 – 6:00 p.m. ET.
Team Highlights:
•Exclusively racing BMWs since 1998
•9 Championships
•557 Races with BMW
•2023 BMW Sport Trophy Team Champion
•2014 BMW Sport Trophy Driver Champion – Markus Palttala
•2011 BMW Sport Trophy Driver Champion – Paul Dalla Lana
9 Championships:
•2003 SPEED World Challenge Touring Car – Bill Auberlen
•2004 SPEED World Challenge Touring Car – Bill Auberlen
•2006 Grand-Am Grand Sport – Boris Said/Anders Hainer
•2006 Grand-Am Cup Street Tuner – Will Turner/Don Salama
•2007 Grand-Am Koni Challenge Street Tuner – Adam Burrows/Trevor Hopwood
•2011 Grand-Am Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge Grand Sport – Bill Auberlen/Paul Dalla Lana
•2014 IMSA Tudor United SportsCar Championship GT Daytona – Dane Cameron/Markus Palttala
•2023 IMSA VP Racing Challenge Grand Sport X – Francis Selldorff
•2023 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Grand Sport – Robby Foley/Vincent Barletta
BMW Models Raced:
•E36 325i/328i
•E46 325i/330i
•E46 M3
•E90 330i
•E92 M3
•E92 M3
•E63 M6
•E89 Z4 GT3
•F22 M235i Racing
•F13 M6 GT3
•F82 M4 GT4
•G82 M4 GT4
•G82 M4 GT3
BMW Drivers that have driven for Turner Motorsport:
•Boris Said
•Bill Auberlen
•Maxime Martin
•Joey Hand
•Jorg Müller
•Dirk Müller
•Dirk Werner
•Andy Priaulx
•Augusto Farfus
•Markus Palttala
•Robby Foley
•Jens Klingmann
•Martin Tomczyk
•John Edwards
•Bruno Spengler
•Jesse Krohn
Series entered/year:
•1998 SCCA World Challenge T2
•1999 SCCA Speedvision World Challenge Touring Car
•2000 SCCA Speedvision World Challenge Touring Car
•2001 SCCA Speedvision World Challenge Touring Car
•2002 SCCA SPEED World Challenge Touring Car
•2003 SCCA SPEED World Challenge Touring Car
•2004 SCCA SPEED World Challenge Touring Car
•2004 Grand-Am Cup ST
•2005 SCCA SPEED World Challenge Touring Car
•2005 Grand-Am Cup ST
•2005 Grand-Am Cup GS
•2006 Grand-Am Cup ST
•2006 Grand-Am Cup GS
•2007 Grand-Am KONI Sports Car Challenge ST
•2007 Grand-Am KONI Sports Car Challenge GS
•2008 Grand-Am KONI Sports Car Challenge ST
•2008 Grand-Am KONI Sports Car Challenge GS
•2009 Grand-Am KONI Sports Car Challenge ST
•2009 Grand-Am KONI Sports Car Challenge GS
•2010 Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge ST
•2010 Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge GS
•2010 Grand-Am Rolex Series Sports Car Championship GT
•2011 Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge GS
•2011 Grand-Am Rolex Series Sports Car Championship GT
•2012 Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge GS
•2012 Grand-Am Rolex Series Sports Car Championship GT
•2013 Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge GS
•2013 Grand-Am Rolex Series Sports Car Championship GT
•2014 IMSA Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge GS
•2014 IMSA Tudor United SportsCar Championship GTD
•2015 SCCA Pirelli World Challenge GT
•2015 SCCA Pirelli World Challenge GTA
•2015 IMSA Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge GS
•2015 IMSA Tudor United SportsCar Championship GTD
•2016 SCCA Pirelli World Challenge GTA
•2016 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD
•2017 SCCA Pirelli World Challenge TC
•2017 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD
•2018 SCCA SprintX GT Championship GT
•2018 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD
•2019 SRO GT World Challenge America Am
•2019 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge GS
•2019 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD
•2020 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge GS
•2020 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD
•2021 SRO GT World Challenge America Pro
•2021 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge GS
•2021 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD
•2022 SRO GT World Challenge America Pro
•2022 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge GS
•2022 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD
•2023 SRO GT America SRO3
•2023 SRO GT World Challenge America Pro
•2023 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge GS
•2023 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD
•2024 SRO GT America SRO3
•2024 SRO GT World Challenge America Pro-Am
•2024 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge GS
•2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD
Photo credit: BMW posted on conceptcarz.com
