BMW Media Site The American way of racing. 2013 ALMS races. Contact: Thomas  Plucinsky thomas.plucinsky@bmwna.com   Matthew  Russell (201) 307-3783 (office) Matthew.Russell@bmwna.com   Bill  Cobb billcobbcommunications@yahoo.com     The American way of racing. 2013 ALMS races. Race Calendar                      16th March            Sebring (US)             Sebring International Circuit                          20th April            Long Beach (US)             Long Beach Street Circuit                          11th May            Monterey (US)             Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca                          6th July            Lakeville (US)             Lime Rock Park                          21st July            Mosport (CA)             Canadian Tire Motorsport Park                          11th August            Elkhart Lake (US)             Road America                          31st August            Baltimore (US)             Baltimore Street Circuit                          21st September             Austin (US)             Circuit of the Americas                          5th October            Danville (US)             Virginia International Raceway                          19th October            Braselton (US)             Road Atlanta          Sebring, 16th March.Circuit data.Name:  Sebring International RacewayLocation:  Sebring, FloridaLength: 3.7 milesRace duration: 12 hoursNumber of corners:  17Most famous corner: Turn 17Best team result: 1st place (2011, 2012)Results 2012: 1st place Hand/D. Müller/Summerton4th place Auberlen/J. Müller/SummertonDistance from team base: 1,045 milesALMS debut year: 1999Driver’s view.Dirk Müller: “I love Sebring, but there isn’t a more difficult track in terms of physical demands. You don’t just have to brake often at very high speeds, but you also have to drive permanently on a bumpy track. The concrete slabs make the driving surface very uneven. That’s very hard for us as drivers. Sebring is technically very demanding and forces both man and machine to give everything they’ve got.”Joey Hand: “The track is phenomenal. Although there aren’t any height differences at all there at the airfield, it’s one of the most famous racetracks in the world. Having experience there is key. If you know exactly where you have to position your car, then you’ll be quicker than someone who doesn’t have the same experience. Sebring is a great place to start the season, and it’s particularly great for me, because I’ve won there both of the last two years.”Bill Auberlen: “The track is authentic and steeped in history. Every time I drive there, I have the feeling of being a part of Sebring’s history. My father won there in 1985, and I’ve also been able to win there three times. Sebring is one of my favourite tracks and is perhaps even the best race of the season.”Long Beach, 20th April.Circuit data.Name:  Long Beach Street CircuitLocation: Long Beach, CaliforniaLength: 1.968 milesRace duration: 2 hoursNumber of corners: 11Most famous corner: “The Hairpin”, Turn 11Best team result: 1st place (2011)Results 2012: 2nd place Hand/D. Müller11th place Auberlen/J. MüllerDistance from team base: 2,259 milesALMS debut year: 2007Driver’s view.Dirk Müller: “A classic. Long Beach is a mini-Monaco for us Europeans. There’s the sea, there are boats – and an extremely high number of spectators. The track goes round a fountain – extremely hard to imagine, but it’s very interesting. I manage to do very well on this city course.”Joey Hand: “For me, it’s the best race in the world. I love city courses that constantly push you to your limits. Thanks to the fact that I’ve often driven on the track, I’m aware of what’s required of me, and I know how I have to drive to go fast. The great highlight is the atmosphere, however. You’re driving right next to the beach in South California, zipping past restaurants – amazing.”Bill Auberlen: “It’s my home. I can sleep in my own bed and meet lots of my friends at the track. It’s perhaps the best city race in the world. The track itself is good, but the atmosphere and the surroundings are fantastic.”Laguna Seca, 11th May.Circuit data.Name:  Mazda Raceway Laguna SecaLocation: Monterey, CaliforniaLength: 2.238 milesRace duration: 4 hoursNumber of corners:  11Most famous corner:  “The Corkscrew”, Turn 8/Turn 8ABest team result: 2nd place (2010, 2011)Results 2012: 3rd place Auberlen/J. Müller4th place Hand/D. MüllerDistance from team base: 2,484 milesALMS debut year:  2001Driver’s view.Dirk Müller: “The Corkscrew naturally forms part of the myth surrounding this track. The bend is spectacular to drive on, but the stretches shortly before and after it are actually more demanding. But the famous Corkscrew naturally makes the course unique. The only problem is the sand that constantly blows across the track.”Bill Auberlen: “The Corkscrew has made the course famous, but my favourite bend is actually Turn 5. You’re going uphill and have to drive a hair’s breadth from the edge of the asphalt every time. The course sits in a beautiful area in California – there’s fantastic food there, by the way. If you have a car with good aerodynamics, then you’ll be very fast in Laguna Seca.”Lime Rock Park, 6th July.Circuit data.Name:  Lime Rock ParkLocation:  Lakeville, ConnecticutLength: 1.5 milesRace duration: 2.45 hoursNumber of corners:  7Most famous corner: “The Downhill”, Turn 7Best team result: 1st place (2011)Results 2012: 5th place Hand/D. Müller6th place Auberlen/J. MüllerDistance from team base: 630 milesALMS debut year:  2004Driver’s view.Dirk Müller: “A very small site with a relatively simple track. What’s much more important is remaining focussed on the race. You hardly have any room to fight your way through the field with a faster car. The challenge in Lime Rock is to avoid accidents. Apart from that, the field remains very close because of the shortness and the simple layout of the track. You can’t afford to make the slightest mistake.”Bill Auberlen: “It’s where BMW feels at home. It’s unbelievable how many races BMW has already won there. Sometimes you get this feeling that it’s really hard for BMW not to win there. The track itself isn’t among my favourites, but it obviously suits BMW’s cars down to the ground.”Mosport, 21st July.Circuit data.Name:  Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (Mosport)Location: Bowmanville, Ontario, CanadaLength: 2.459 milesRace duration: 2.45 hoursNumber of corners: 10Most famous corner: Turn 2Best team result: 3rd place (2011, 2012)Results 2012: 3rd place Hand/D. Müller7th place Auberlen/J. MüllerDistance from team base: 478 milesALMS debut year: 1999Driver’s view.Dirk Müller: “Mosport is a real blast. It’s an extremely quick track that demands a great deal of courage and a readiness to take risks from a driver. At the same time, each mistake is punished brutally. A drivers’ track par excellence. I like it very much.”Joey Hand: “One of the quickest and most dangerous tracks I know. Ultra-fast bend follows ultra-fast bend. It really sorts the men from the boys. Luckily, the BMW M3 GT has always been very fast there.”Bill Auberlen: “Quick. Brutal. Fantastic. You have to be a real man to be successful there. And you need a perfectly balanced car – as the BMW M3 GT always was. That meant we always looked good at Mosport and had a lot of fun, despite the track being so challenging.”Road America, 11th August.Circuit data.Name:  Road AmericaLocation:  Elkhart Lake, WisconsinLength: 4.048 milesRace duration: 2.45 hoursNumber of corners:  14Most famous corner: “The Kink”, Turn 11Best team result: 1st place (2009, 2010, 2012)Results 2012: 1st place Auberlen/J. Müller10th place D. Müller/SummertonDistance from team base: 502 milesALMS debut year:  2002Driver’s view.Dirk Müller: “A very long, pure natural track, at which nothing has changed for decades. BMW always does very well there, mainly because our cars were simply born to tackle the bends into the two ultrafast sections. Our combination of cars, tyres, drivers and the team has always done fantastically at that race. It’ll hopefully be just the same in 2013.”Bill Auberlen: “It’s probably one of the most beautiful tracks for the spectators. It’s long and has some great corners – perhaps even the most exciting corners in North America. Road America has always been a very good hunting ground for BMW over the past few years.”Baltimore, 31st August.Circuit data.Name:  Baltimore Street CircuitLocation:  Baltimore, MarylandLength: 2.02 milesRace duration: 2.45 hoursNumber of corners:  12Most famous corner: Turn 1Best team result: 2nd place (2011)Results 2012: 4th place Hand/D. Müller8th place Auberlen/J. MüllerDistance from team base: 433 milesALMS debut year: 2011Driver’s view.Dirk Müller: “I love street circuits – that means I also love Baltimore. The track is very narrow and winding, making it very demanding technically. Despite that, we’ve always done very well there in the past.”Joey Hand: “A very narrow street circuits with some artificial chicanes where you can very quickly throw your car against the wall if you don’t get through. You’re constantly driving at the limit.”Bill Auberlen: “The demands made on the drivers there are brutal. You’re constantly just a millimetre away from skittering off into the track’s barriers – you have to drive perfectly in order to stay up front.”Austin, 21st September.Circuit data.Name:  Circuit of the AmericasLocation: Austin, TexasLength: 3.4 milesRace duration: 2.45 hoursNumber of corners:  20Most famous corner:  Turn 1Distance from team base: 1,245 milesALMS debut year:  2013Driver’s view.Bill Auberlen: “Generally speaking, tracks in North America always have one particular corner that stands out. The ‘Circuit of the Americas’ doesn’t have just one. The whole layout is fantastic and it’s great fun driving there. Luckily I’ve already had the chance to drive a great deal of laps there and hope that will give me a huge advantage when we start the race. The pit area is the best in North America. The tarmac is also sensational.”Dirk Müller: “Everyone who’s had the chance to test the track is excited. I’ve already been able to go round the track in my mind because I used the Formula One race in 2012 as an opportunity to memorise the route from the screen. We’ll have to wait until the driving gets underway on race weekend to find out what it’s really like to drive there, however.”VIR, 5th October.Circuit data.Name:  Virginia International RacewayLocation:  Danville, VirginiaLength: 3.27 milesRace duration: 2.45 hoursNumber of corners:  17Most famous corner:  “Oak Tree”, Turn 11Best team result: 4th place (2012)Results 2012: 4th place Auberlen/J. Müller9th place D. Müller/SummertonDistance from team base: 416 milesALMS debut year:  2012Driver’s view.Dirk Müller: “A wonderful natural track, it’s absolutely crazy! The VIR is in the middle of the forest, and you drive around what’s known as the ‘Oak Tree’. That’s also the slowest point of the course. Apart from that, Virginia is a spectacular mountain and valley track that even has its very own version of ‘Eau Rouge’. You climb up 80 metres on this part of the track. All of the curves are blind. VIR is simply insane.”Joey Hand: “A fantastic racetrack in the middle of the forest. You also have a great advantage there when you already know the course and know exactly what’s required. Newcomers tend to be too careful in the fast sections because a small error can result in a heavy accident. If you know what’s going on, however, you can have the self-confidence to go a bit closer to your limit in these sections.”Bill Auberlen: “Anyone who’s ever driven there finds the track fantastic. The Esses are particularly spectacular – the BMW M3 GT was the only car able to go through all of these sections of track in full throttle last year.”Road Atlanta, 19th October.Circuit data.Name:  Road AtlantaLocation:  Braselton, GeorgiaLength: 2.54 milesRace distance/duration: 1000 miles/10 hoursNumber of corners:  12Most famous corner:  Turn 12Best team result: 2nd place (2009)Results 2012: 3rd place Auberlen/J. Müller/Summerton4th place D. Müller/Alzen/SummertonDistance from team base: 612 milesALMS debut year:  1999Drivers’s view.Dirk Müller: “When you’re seeing the course for the first time, you really doubt that anyone will be able to race there. In the last part of the track, you’re climbing several metres, and the full-throttle uphill passage is spectacular. Road Atlanta is both very fast and technically demanding. A great track.”Bill Auberlen: “The ‘Petit Le Mans‘ is one of the greatest motorsport events in North America. The spectators’ stands are always full, because every fan would love to be there, without a doubt. I also love the track. It has some fantastic combinations of corners and I’ve often stood on the podium with BMW.”