BMW M6 Unveiled at PRI Trade Show

Posted by autospider

December 13, 2007

The Grand American Road Racing Association, which operates and sanctions the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Special Reserve and the Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series, is the premier road racing organization in North America.

Capitalizing on prior successes to take another leap forward as a team, officials from Automatic Racing unveiled a new BMW M6 GT machine on Thursday, the opening day of the 20th annual PRI Trade Show at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. The machine will be campaigned by Automatic Racing for the full 2008 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 season.

The unveiling of the No. 90 car signified the next step in Automatic Racing’s growth in Grand-Am. Jep Thornton and Jeff Segal took a BMW M3 to the driver and team championships in Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series Grand Sport competition this season, one of four Automatic Racing entries in KONI Challenge.

The BMW M6 was built and prepared for the team by Riley Technologies in Mooresville, N.C. The new machine’s first race was to get to Orlando in time to load the car into the Grand-Am booth for the length of the PRI Trade Show.

After being picked up at the shop, the car left Mooresville aimed directly for the Orange County Convention Center. The transporter reached Orlando early on Wednesday afternoon - a full day after the race car was originally scheduled to arrive at the show. Continued updates from the road to PRI officials and Grand-Am staff ensured that car would be allowed a late load-in.

The BMW M6, the only BMW currently entered in the Rolex Series GT class, quickly passed the “look test,” drawing a crowd of onlookers at the motorsports industry trade show. Automatic Racing will get its first opportunity to fire the engine in anger just days after the conclusion of the three-day PRI show, as 10 Riley-built sports cars will test at Daytona International Speedway on Monday and Tuesday, Dec. 10 and 11.

In addition to the Automatic BMW, two other GT machines and seven Riley Daytona Prototypes will be on hand for the test. A complete driver lineup for the Automatic Racing BMW M6 is expected soon.

The 15-race 2008 Rolex Series and the 11-race KONI Challenge Series calendars deliver professional sports car racing to key markets throughout North America in addition to being televised in the United States and Canada on SPEED and distributed globally through ESPN International. With title sponsorship support from Rolex Watch USA and presenting sponsorship from Crown Royal Special Reserve, the Rolex Series showcases emerging and legendary drivers from around the globe and thoroughbred racing machines from the industry’s leading constructors and the world’s top automobile manufacturers.