Bill Auberlen and Robby Foley in the #96 Turner Motorsport M6 GT3 won the GTD class in the two-hour-forty-minute IMSA WeatherTech Series race at Mid-Ohio on May 16. It was the 63rd IMSA win for Auberlen, extending his record for the greatest number of victories in the series.
Foley started second on the grid next to the #14 Lexus RC F GT3. He remained in second behind the Lexus for his first stint, pitting early to try to gain ground on the leader. On his second stint he took the lead as the Lexus, with Jack Hawksworth at the controls, went behind the wall with right-rear suspension failure. Foley then built a 22-second lead on the rest of the GTD pack. He handed off to Auberlen with just over an hour remaining. Auberlen soon returned to the lead and went on to score a dominant class win.
Will Turner said, “Today the Turner Motorsport team and the BMW M6 GT3 were the best in class. I am delighted to give our friends at LIQI-MOLY another win and be a part of one more Bill Auberlen IMSA victory.”
The win put Auberlen, Foley, and #96 first in GTD standings, and, as the Mid-Ohio race was the first in the IMSA WeatherTech Sprint Cup, left Auberlen and Foley as Cup points leaders as well.
The team returns to competition on the Belle Isle circuit in Detroit on Saturday, June 12 in a race that will count toward the Sprint Cup championship but not toward the WeatherTech GTD season title.—Brian Morgan
[Photo courtesy BMW Motorsport.]
