Turner Motorsport Pre-Belle Isle Report

Turner Motorsport prepares for round four of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship on the 2.35-mile 14-turn street course of Belle Isle situated in the heart of the famous “Motor City” Detroit, Michigan.

Both Turner BMW M6 GT3s are set for Saturday afternoon’s 100-minute Chevrolet Sports Car Classic which marks the only street course race on the 2016 GTD class schedule.

Bret Curtis and Jens Klingmann will return back behind the wheel of their No. 96 aFe Power M6 GT3 for the first time since the beginning of May after narrowly missing a podium finish at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in round three of the WeatherTech Championship. The duo currently sits sixth in the team Championship standings, just one point out of the top-five.

The aFe Power liveried M6 GT3 will make it’s second appearance at Detroit in the red, white, black and grey scheme which made it’s debut at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

“Racing our BMW M6 GT3 on a street circuit is a complete new experience for us”, added Jens Klingmann. “Throughout the whole development program we never raced this car in any conditions close to the ones in Detroit. Looking at the onboard cameras from last year’s race, the track looks very fast and bumpy. I’m looking forward to this race and hope to score another podium for Turner Motorsport and aFe Power.”

The No. 97 IHG Rewards Club/ Alvarez & Marsal / H&R Springs M6 GT3 of Michael Marsal and Markus Palttala is also set to take on the 2.35-mile 14-turn street course at Belle Isle after a tough run at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in early May. The driver duo currently sits fourth in Championship points, fourteen points outside of the top three.

Markus Palttala said, “Street circuits are always special and challenging for the drivers and Belle Isle is no exception. I think we have a lot of work to do in our practice time on Friday to dial in our M6 GT3 to squeeze every drop of speed out of it to be competitive at Detroit. I’m targeting a strong points finish to keep us in the championship hunt ahead of the July events that should suit the M6 better."

Last year, Michael Marsal and Markus Palttala narrowly missed a top-five finish driving their BMW Z4 in the 100-minute sprint on Belle Isle with ever-changing and tricky track conditions due to inclement weather.

"We had a good run last year," commented Michael Marsal. "Detroit is always an interesting race for sure so it will be exciting to see how our new M6 GT3 performs here this year. I think if we can get the car setup well we will have a good shot at a podium. Markus and I are ready to get back behind the wheel of our M6, lets go racing!"

“Detroit is always a great event with a unique atmosphere so I’m looking forward to this weekend,” said Will Turner. “I think we definitely have our work cut out to try and get our M6 GT3s up to speed on this point-and-shoot style street course but I’m confident we will carry some momentum into Detroit and walk away with some solid points.”

On track action from Belle Isle, Detroit will begin on Friday, June 3rd for practice. WeatherTech Championship Qualifying will begin with GTD at 5:05pm EST on Friday.

The Chevrolet Sports Car Classic presented by the metro Detroit Chevy Dealers will begin at 12:40pm EST on Saturday, June 4th and will be televised LIVE on Fox Sports 1.