Daytona Beach, Fla. (Jan. 28, 2024) – Turner Motorsport concluded back-to-back weekends at Daytona International Speedway.
New driver pairings in Michelin Pilot Challenge of Robby Foley with Francis Selldorff and Robert Megennis with Dillon Machavern got valuable practice sessions in their BMW M4 GT4s during the Roar Before the 24 test weekend.
Meanwhile, Robby Foley, Patrick Gallagher, Jake Walker and Jens Klingmann tallied laps in the M4 GT3 in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with Gallagher qualifying the No. 96 GTD in P16 for the twice-around-the-clock feature.
The following weekend started with Friday’s four-hour BMW Endurance Challenge At Daytona for the No. 95 and No. 96 M4 GT4s in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge. The pair started P6 and P5, respectively, and were running in the top 5 for the first two and a half hours.
Francis Selldorff impressed in the No. 96 with bold passes and drafting finesse in the straightaways in what is now his longest race he has driven. Dillon Machavern quickly settled in to driving a Turner BMW again before handing the No. 95 over to Robert Megennis while Robby Foley took over duties in the No. 96. Both put on a show and worked their way back up to lead the GS field. Unfortunately, last minute pit stops for fuel left the Turner cars just shy of a double podium, and they ended with P4 and P5 finishes. The BMW Endurance Challenge At Daytona will air on CNBC at 10:00 AM ET on Feb. 4, 2024.
The 67th running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona drew a record crowd to the World Center of Racing. The BMW M4 GT3 had the performance to do well, and the No. 96 was running in P3 in the GTD class at hour six, continued in the second and third positions for 100 laps and led the class for 22 laps. Turner veterans Robby Foley, Patrick Gallagher and Jens Klingmann were as fast as ever while the crew were solid on pit stops. Unfortunately, debris on the track caused the oil pump belt to break as sunrise commenced causing the team to take a brief trip behind the wall. Crew sent Robby Foley back out but suffered several positions and were 18 laps down with over five hours to go. Ultimately the 96 M4GT3 finished 14th in class.
“It was a heartbreaking end to our weekend in Daytona. We had really great cars and our drivers were confident going into both race days. The Michelin Pilot Challenge race was an exciting one until the very end but Francis Selldorff impressed the most, and the whole team was very proud of him. He’s going to be a real weapon in this BMW M4 GT4 this season,” said team owner Will Turner.
“Everyone was executing so well for 18 hours until an unfortunate mechanical issue happened. There were so many positives to take away from the whole weekend. Jake Walker did an excellent job. I mean, the kid is 17 years old and was out there in the top three at one point. Our veteran drivers stepped up and my crew worked their butts off the whole two weeks we were here.”
“The last couple years we weren’t really in the fight, and this year we were, so it’s a bit of a shame, but we still finished,” added Robby Foley.
The IMSA season continues for Turner Motorsport with the Alan Jay 120 for Michelin Pilot Challenge and the Twelve Hours of Sebring for the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship March 13-16, 2024.
