Thursday, March 18, 2010

Bell Micro at Sebring 12 Hours this weekend

Robin Osborne

Bell Micro at Sebring 12 Hours this weekend

The Sebring 12 hours of endurance kicks off the 2010 American Le Mans Series and Bell Micro Racing will be there as a sponsor of the number 90 BMW factory entry campaigned by Rahal Letterman Racing.  The team will be competing for the GT championship this year which promises to be an epic battle. In addition to BMW, Corvette, Ferrari, Porsche, Jaguar and Ford are fielding strong teams.

The 58th running of the 12 Hours of Sebring is one of the crown jewels of the ALMS series and all the teams will be putting out a maximum effort to win. No race in the world punishes man and machine more than the annual 12-hour classic.

Rahal Letterman Racing has entered two BMW M3s, each competition-hardened from their inaugural year of racing. “We’ve essentially been preparing for this race for one year,” said Martin Birkmann, BMW of North America Motorsport Manager. “Gremlins struck last year at Sebring, but following a successful 12 hour simulation here in January and two excellent days at the recent Winter Test, I believe we are ready. Last year, the target was to take one checkered flag; this year the target is two.”

The new driver combination of Joey Hand and Dirk Müller in the No. 90 machine proved to be an excellent choice with both drivers nears the top of the time sheets in the ultra-competitive GT2 class at the Winter Test.

The Sebring 12-hour classic begins at 10:30 am on Saturday, March 20th and can be seen live on SPEED TV beginning at 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time.

The BMW M3 Race Car

The 4.0 Liter P65 race engine delivers 485HP
Weight 2,745 lbs
Engine Management Electronics:          
BMW Motorsport ECU 408 with two high-performance micro-processors; Individual cylinder injection and ignition; BMW Motorsport Lambda Controller; Pit speed limiter, Quick Shift function, Engine data memory system

Meet the Drivers

Dirk Müller
Borne in Germany, Müller began racing in the ALMS in 1999 and won three times in his first year.  Between 2000 and 2007 he competed in the ALMS, the World Touring Car Championship, and the FIA European touring Car Series. In 2002 he tested with the Williams/BMW Formula One team. He joined the Rahal Letterman Racing and won in just his second race for the team. He finished second in the final season standings with four wins and nine podiums.

Joey Hand
Born in Sacramento, California, Hand made his move to sportscars after three seasons in Toyota Atlantic competition, and has been winning races and competing for titles ever since. Last year he made 13 starts with seven top-10 finishes driving a Daytona Prototype in the Grand Am series.  Hand last drove for BMW in 2006 when he teamed with Bill Auberlen to finish sixth in the ALMS GT points standings.

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