Turner Motorsport Watkins Glen Pre-Race Report

Watkins Glen, New York  (25 June 2015) - Talk about changing gears—Michael Marsal will go from racing on the streets of Detroit in a 100-minute sprint race to the wide-open and undulating spaces of upstate New York as he is set to return to race action in this weekend's Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen.

While the scene will be different, the pace won’t be as the Turner Motorsport squad anticipates a flat-out run for six hours with the No. 97 Alvarez & Marsal / IHG Rewards Club BMW Z4 on Sunday. The race utilizes the driver-favorite long-course layout for Watkins Glen International, which features some 14 corners over 3.4 miles.The track, set at the base of Seneca Lake in the upstate New York wine country, is one that boasts a history that stretches back for generations. Like many tracks that have hosted Formula 1, IndyCar, NASCAR and IMSA for decades, the Glen features corner names rather than numbers, with “The Boot,” “Bus Stop” and “Laces of the Boot” all key sections for a fast lap. Marsal’s first-ever run at the track came in 2010, alongside Joey Hand for Turner Motorsport in IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge (CTSC) competition, saw him take second place. Last year, he raced at The Glen in the CTSC ranks, earning 11th at the finish. Marsal is also familiar with the six hour format, having made three previous starts in the event, which has grown in importance with the integration of the Tequila Patron Endurance Cup into the scoring system. He will be further boosted by the confidence that Turner Motorsport brings to the track as the defending winner of the event, with his co-driver Marcus Palttala having won the 2014 edition of the race on his way to taking the BMW Trophy last season.  Adding to that confidence is the momentum that the campaign has built through the season, with the team entering the event with three consecutive top-10 results including a season best finish to date of sixth in Detroit.“The Glen really is a drivers track and for me the Six Hour is just one of those races that you love doing,” said Marsal. “I keep feeling more and more comfortable with the Z4 and being able to get more out of it every weekend. With a two-driver line up, I will get a lot of seat time in the IHG Rewards car and I’m excited about that challenge as I’ve been training a lot. Our season keeps stepping up and it’d be great to have a big result in a big race like this.”Live timing and scoring will be available at scoring.imsa.com, with IMSA Radio bringing international coverage on the air along with the FOX Sports 1 live broadcast beginning at10:00 AM ET. FOX Sports 1 will televise the race until 2:00 PM ET with FOX Sports 2 then showing the final stages of the race until 4:30 PM ET.