BMW Media Site BMW Team RLL – Canadian Tire Motorsport Park Preview  Contact: Thomas  Plucinsky BMW thomas.plucinsky@bmwna.com   Matthew  Russell BMW (201) 307-3783 (office) Matthew.Russell@bmwna.com   Bill  Cobb BMW billcobbcommunications@yahoo.com     Kathi Lauterbach Rahal Letterman Lanigan, VP of Communications 317-297-8064  (office) 317-447-4337  (cell) klauterbach@rahal.com BMW Team RLL – Canadian Tire Motorsport Park Preview  Woodcliff Lake, N.J. – July 8, 2014 . . . Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (formally Mosport International Raceway) is next up for BMW Team RLL as the 2014 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship makes its only visit to Canada for the July 13th Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix. The classic circuit northwest of Toronto, Ontario is one of the fastest in North America and a favorite of most every driver for its challenging, high speed corners. It hosted the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix eight times in the years between 1967 and 1977, a part of the most dangerous decade Formula 1 ever saw. BMW Team RLL is coming off its most disappointing finish of the season (6th and 10th) after its best qualifying effort (1st and 3rd) at Watkins Glen International. The 2.45-hour race at CTMP has never been the most successful venue for BMW drivers, having failed to reach the podium in the last three season’s events. In last year’s American Le Mans Series race BMW Team RLL finished 5th and 6th. The WGI result (10th) has dropped Bill Auberlen and Andy Priaulx to second place in driver points standings. They now stand nine points in arrears of the leaders and the No. 55 Z4 GTLM is an equal amount back in the team standings. John Edwards and Dirk Müller stand 7th in driver points. BMW is third in Manufacturer points, only four points behind Porsche and five points from Corvette. “We’re looking forward to going to Mosport which is one of my favorite tracks although, frankly, we haven’t had much luck there in recent years,” said Bobby Rahal, Team Principal. “Obviously with that long, long back straight, regardless of how fast you are going through the corners, is really the major feature of the track. As always we’ll do our best and see if we can manage to avoid the problems that occurred at Watkins Glen and stay with the lead guys. Obviously the Corvettes have something over everybody; they’re clearly the dominant car this year with the new chassis, but as always we’ll give it our best shot.” Bill Auberlen, driver, No. 55 Z4 GTLM – “The first half of the year has been amazing.  Andy and I have had great success, and until the last race we held the championship lead in the points.  The GTLM class is so competitive that on any given weekend anybody can win and the points chase is so tight that we need to keep pushing and fighting for the top step of the podium.  We are going to do our homework before CTMP and come out ready to win.  It's great to know that when the going gets tough that you can rely on the best in the business with the BMW Team RLL guys and their commitment to win every race.”Andy Priaulx, driver, No. 55 Z4 GTLM – “Again this will be a new track for me and with the sessions being so busy it will be tough to get many quality laps before the race. With this in mind my preparation will be even more intense. I hope that Bill and I will be strong yet again and keep the fight for the championship alive.  Corvette is really dominant at the moment but I will not lose faith. We will do everything we can to stay in touch!”John Edwards, driver, No. 56 Z4 GTLM – “Last year I was at the Mosport round of the ALMS series but wasn't driving, so I'm glad I won't have to watch from the sidelines this weekend. The flowing high speed corners will suit the Z4, but we will have to fight hard in the race when we deal with traffic. So far this season the GTLM category has been extremely competitive and I don't expect the race at Mosport to be any different. Dirk and I are pretty far down in points after some bad luck early in the season, so we will be pushing rather than driving conservatively as we target race wins the rest of this season.” Dirk Müller, driver, No. 56 Z4 GTLM – “CTMP is one of my favorite circuits and after our tough luck at Watkins Glen we are really motivated to change it for the better.  I love all the changes they made around the track in recent years to make it better for everyone. Yes, the uphill section will be difficult with our top speed disadvantage, but that is where we are with the balance of performance and it does not lessen my enthusiasm for the circuit.” The Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix will take the green flag at 2:05 p.m. ET Sunday, July 13th. The race will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 1 with coverage beginning at 2:00 p.m. ET. Follow BMW Team RLL on Twitter at @BMWUSARacing for “from-the-pit-box” updates all weekend. More information on the program can be found at www.bmwusa.com and www.imsa.com. BMW Group In AmericaBMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975.  Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003.  The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and the Rolls-Royce brand of Motor Cars; DesignworksUSA, a strategic design consultancy in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country.  BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is part of BMW Group’s global manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all X5 and X3 Sports Activity Vehicles and X6 and X4 Sports Activity Coupes.  The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 339 BMW passenger car and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 139 BMW motorcycle retailers, 120 MINI passenger car dealers, and 35 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers.  BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group’s sales headquarters for North America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey. Information about BMW Group products is available to consumers via the Internet at:  www.bmwgroupna.comRahal Letterman Lanigan RacingBMW’s partner, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, based in Hilliard, Ohio and co-owned by three-time IndyCar Champion and 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal, Mi-Jack co-owner Mike Lanigan and CBS LATE SHOW host David Letterman, has been competing for over two decades, compiling 30 victories, 42 poles and three series championships (1992, 2010, 2011) as well as claiming an Indianapolis 500 victory (Buddy Rice in 2004). In 2009 the team joined BMW of North America to campaign the new BMW M3 in the American Le Mans Series. In 2010 the team won both the Manufacturer and Team Championships in the GT category. In 2011 the team swept all three GT titles - Manufacturer, Team and Driver. Journalist note: Photography for editorial purposes as well as information about BMW Group and its products in the USA is available to journalists on-line at www.bmwgroupusanews.com and www.press.bmwna.com.