Bayerische Motoren Werke : BMW Team RLL chases more championship points at VIR.

Munich. BMW Team RLL is preparing for the next round of the 2017 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IWSC), held at Virginia International Raceway (USA) this weekend. The Michelin GT Challenge will feature a GT only race for the second time in the season, placing a spotlight on BMW Team RLL's GTLM class points chase.

The driver pairing of the #25 BMW M6 GTLM, Bill Auberlen (USA) and Alexander Sims (GBR), currently stand third in the Driver points, only one point from second and nine points from first. Their team-mates in the #24 car, John Edwards (USA) and Martin Tomczyk (GER), stand seventh, while BMW is third in the Manufacturer points.

A run of six podium finishes by the team, including two wins by Auberlen and Sims, in four consecutive races ended with sixth and eighth place finishes at the last race, held at Road America in Elkhart Lake (USA). With only three races remaining this season, the two-hour-and-forty-minute race at VIR takes on increased significance for the championship campaign. The Michelin GT Challenge at VIR takes the green flag at 1:35 p.m. local time on Sunday, 27 August.

Bobby Rahal (Team Principal, BMW Team RLL): 'We haven't won at VIR but we have certainly run competitively. Traffic plays a huge role in the race and there are long straights so acceleration out of the corner and top speed is pretty critical at VIR. We feel pretty good about our chances. It's just a matter of putting good laps together in qualifying and staying out of trouble so we can be in the hunt. We look forward to it and hopefully we can overcome the disappointment at Elkhart Lake and bring home another win for BMW.'

Bill Auberlen (No. 25 BMW M6 GTLM): 'VIR is an amazing track that should suit the BMW M6 GTLM. It's almost a four-way tie for first in the championship with three races to go. We need perfection from here to the season's end.'

Alexander Sims (No. 25 BMW M6 GTLM): 'Virginia should be good fun and hopefully our BMW will work well there. It's a bit slower than some of the other circuits we've been strong at so we'll have to be at the top of our game to take it to our competitors. I go there feeling optimistic we can get a bit of momentum back to our championship challenge.'

John Edwards (No. 24 BMW M6 GTLM): 'VIR is one of the best circuits in the US, and it's a GT only battle which means the competition will be as fierce as ever in GTLM. Usually we can try to use prototype traffic to our advantage, but with no prototypes on track we will be fighting for every last thousandth of a second. I'm excited to get back to racing!'

Martin Tomczyk (No. 24 BMW M6 GTLM): 'VIR definitely has a great layout. Unfortunately, I did not have the chance to go testing at the track. After the very disappointing weekend in Road America I am looking forward to fighting for the podium again. We are motivated for the last third of the season.'