Photo: Rick Dole/IMSA
A second Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 is “very likely” for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in 2023 according to Will Turner, who has confirmed plans to contest three IMSA-sanctioned series next year.
The longtime BMW entrant debuted the German manufacturer’s new GT3 car this year in GTD competition with Bill Auberlen and Robby Foley finishing fourth in the standings with a win at Mid-Ohio to their credit.
With Auberlen likely to return and Foley confirmed to be back in 2023, the team’s Michelin Endurance Cup pilot Michael Dinan, who currently competes full-time in Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS, is believed to be in the frame to step up to a full-season GTD program.
The team recently tested a brand-new M4 GT3 chassis, adorning a No. 95 WeatherTech Championship numberplate.
“Robby will definitely be a part of our program,” Turner told Sportscar365. “That’s all I can say right now, because that’s the only thing that’s confirmed.
“Things went really well, not just with the new car. We’ve had a win, we’ve had some podiums, we’ve done some fast laps, and the car’s been proven to be reliable.
“So that’s the first part, is make sure we’ve got the right hardware and then put the rest together so we’re excited to come back with potentially two cars, where we can do it again and go for a championship.”
Should a second car materialize, it’s unclear if a BMW factory driver could be allocated to the Massachusetts-based team.
John Edwards, who looks set to continue in GT racing for BMW next year instead of a move to the GTP class with the new BMW M Hybrid V8, will be making his long-awaited debut with Turner in this weekend’s Indianapolis 8 Hour.
“I’m not sure if John’s going to be a part of our program for next season,” said Turner. “But he’s going to be with us at Indy in SRO as our third.”
Edwards drove BMW M Team RLL’s GTD Pro class entry in the this WeatherTech Championship this season.
“We’re not in the same class, but we’ve been driving the same exact car against [RLL],” said Turner. “We figure, who better to get than somebody that knows the car, and knows us, and knows the ins-and-outs and knows the BMW family.
“I’ve known John for a long time and I’m happy to have him finally in the car with us. And if it works out next year, it works out. But we have a bunch of different options for next year.”
Michelin Pilot Challenge Return, VP Racing SportsCar Challenge Efforts Planned
While a second GTD entry has yet to finalized, Turner did confirm the team will be utilizing BMW’s new M4 GT4 in multiple IMSA-sanctioned series next year.
It will campaign at least one car in the new VP Racing SportsCar Challenge in the GSX class, along with a pair of returning GS entries in IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge.
“For sure we’ll be back in GS with two cars with the new BMWs,” Turner said.
“We’ll also be doing the VP series with a BMW, which we are kind of looking forward to because we have not done a sprint series in a while.
“We’ve always had pit stops and had to do tire changes and fueling, and this is just, now that it’s a sprint, it’ll be pretty interesting.”
Auberlen and Dillon Machavern finished third in this year’s GS class championship following a victory in last weekend’s season-ending Fox Factory 120 at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
“I told Will, I want to come back here for sure,” Auberlen told Sportscar365. “So he says ‘Don’t worry, you’re on the roster.’ I just don’t know with whom yet and I want it to be Dillon if at all possible.”
Turner confirmed the team also plans to return to GTWC America next year “pretty much doing the same thing” but with a possible lineup change, should Dinan make the move to WeatherTech Championship full-time.
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By: Jonathan Grace
Title: Second Turner BMW M4 GT3 “Very Likely” for 2023
Sourced From: sportscar365.com/imsa/impc/turner-very-likely-to-expand-into-second-bmw-m4-gt3/
Published Date: Tue, 04 Oct 2022 12:17:09 +0000
