IMSA hosted four days of testing at Sebring International Raceway in February in advance of the 12 Hours of Sebring, to be run on March 17. BimmerWorld brought its M4 GT4 to the test reserved for the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge and IMSA Prototype Challenge cars, and BMW Team RLL brought its #24 and #25 M8 GTEs to the test for IMSA WeatherTech Series cars.
The test days gave Team RLL its first opportunity to run the cars after IMSA issued its post-Daytona Balance Of Performance Changes (see the report here). Alexander Sims, Bill Auberlen, and Connor de Phillippi drove #25, while John Edwards, Jesse Krohn, and newly appointed reserve and test-driver Colin Herta drove #24. (Herta’s impressions of his first drive in the car are reported here.) Car #25’s test sessions ended early with a shunt, while car #24 completed all test sessions. IMSA could possibly issue additional BOP changes before the race.
The #82 Bimmerworld M4 GT4 (shown here at Daytona) ran in the February test sessions at Sebring. (Brian Morgan photo)
While sorting the cars was the primary objective of the tests, lap times were recorded in the Continental Challenge sessions. The #82 BimmerWorld M4 GT4 ran the second-quickest time in the last of the three sessions run for CTSC car. James Clay and Tyler Cooke had driven the car to a second-overall and second-in-class finish in its debut race at Daytona in January.
The 12 Hours of Sebring in March will mark Bill Auberlen’s 25th start in the race; only Hurley Haywood, with 28 starts, has taken the green flag at Sebring more times than Auberlen.—Brian Morgan
Bill Auberlen will be starting his 25th 12 Hours of Sebring in March in car #25. (Sam Cobb/BMW NA photo)