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William Anthony Auberlen (born October 12, 1968) is an American factory
race car Race, RACE or The Race may refer to: * Race (biology), an informal taxonomic classification within a species, generally within a sub-species * Race (human categorization), classification of humans into groups based on physical traits, and/or s ...
driver known for his affiliation with
BMW Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, trading as BMW Group (commonly abbreviated to BMW (), sometimes anglicised as Bavarian Motor Works), is a German multinational manufacturer of vehicles and motorcycles headquartered in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Th ...
, driving cars made and run by the famous German marque for a number of years. Auberlen currently competes for Turner Motorsport in the
IMSA SportsCar Championship The IMSA SportsCar Championship, currently known as the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship under sponsorship, is a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada and organized by the International Motor Sports Association (I ...
and Michelin Pilot Challenge.


Motorsports career and affiliation with BMW

Auberlen was born in Redondo Beach, California, located in the
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
metropolitan area and attended Rolling Hills High School. His career started in the 1970s in
motocross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competi ...
, with Auberlen moving to
IMSA The International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) is a North American sports car racing sanctioning body based in Daytona Beach, Florida, under the jurisdiction of the Automobile Competition Committee for the United States, ACCUS arm of the Féd ...
GTU in 1987. He stayed there until 1997, his last year resulting in him winning the championship. During his time in the IMSA Series he had also become the 1996 Peruvian
Formula Three Formula Three (F3) is a third-tier class of open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held in Europe, Australia, South America and Asia form an important step for many prospective Formula One drivers. History Formula Three (adop ...
champion and took part in several
Formula Atlantic Formula Atlantic is a specification of open-wheel racing car developed in the 1970s. It was used in professional racing through the IMSA Atlantic Championship until 2009 and is currently primarily used in amateur racing through Sports Car Club ...
races. Auberlen mentioned in a 2020 edition of the ''Marshall Pruett Podcast'' that he was in advanced negotiations with Hogan Racing for a drive in the 1998 CART series but chose to pursue an opportunity with BMW instead. Other competitions Auberlen has competed in during his career include the
24 Hours of Le Mans The 24 Hours of Le Mans () is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the city of Le Mans, France. It is widely considered to be one of the world's most prestigious races, and is one of the races—along with ...
and the
American Le Mans Series The American Le Mans Series (ALMS) was a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada. It consisted of a series of Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance and sprint races, and was created in the spirit of the 24 Hours of Le M ...
(1999-2003), driving a BMW V12 LMR in 1999 and 2000 for
Schnitzer Motorsport Schnitzer Motorsport was a motorsport team based in Freilassing near Munich, Germany. From the early days of its establishment, the team mostly operated an auto racing, automobile racing squad for BMW, and had remarkable results in touring car rac ...
. During the
Petit Le Mans Petit Le Mans (French language, French for ''Little Le Mans'') is a sports car racing, sports car Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance race held annually at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia, United States. The race has been held for a durat ...
at
Road Atlanta Road Atlanta (known for sponsorship reasons as Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta) is a road course located just north of Braselton, Georgia, United States. The facility is utilized for a wide variety of events, including professional and amateur spo ...
in 2000, his BMW did a spectacular ''back flip'' over the same hump over which Yannick Dalmas backflipped in a
Porsche 911 GT1 The Porsche 911 GT1 is a car designed and developed by German automobile manufacturer Porsche AG to compete in the GT1 class of sportscar racing, which also required a street-legal version for homologation (motorsport), homologation purposes. The ...
in 1998. Auberlen briefly stepped up to Grand-Am's
Daytona Prototype A Daytona Prototype was a type of sports prototype racing car developed specifically for the Grand-Am Road Racing, Grand American Road Racing Association's Rolex Sports Car Series as their top class of car, which replaced their main prototype rac ...
class in 2003, in addition to driving a BMW 325i for Turner Motorsport in World Challenge touring. Auberlen won both the 2003 and 2004 Speed World Challenge Touring Car Championship behind the wheel of a Turner Motorsport BMW 325i. By doing so, Auberlen ended an eight-year Honda / Acura domination of the series. For 2004, Auberlen dedicated himself to the production-based World Challenge GT class for BMW Motorsport's Prototype Technology Group team, earning the series championship for BMW. In 2005, Auberlen continued to drive for BMW PTG in Grand-Am's GT series, while also driving for Panoz Racing in
IMSA The International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) is a North American sports car racing sanctioning body based in Daytona Beach, Florida, under the jurisdiction of the Automobile Competition Committee for the United States, ACCUS arm of the Féd ...
's American Le Mans Series. In 2006, Auberlen once again exclusively drove BMWs — an M3 for Sigalsport's Grand-Am GT team, an M3 for Turner's Grand-Am team and an M3 for BMW PTG's ALMS team. It is believed that Bill Auberlen has driven BMW cars in more races than any other driver in the world. He has won six professional auto-racing championships, four with BMW power. He has competed in over 500 professional races to date, 339 in BMWs. His results include 91 race victories, 188 podium finishes, 56 pole positions, 83 fastest race laps and 110 records. For four seasons (
2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
-
2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
), Auberlen drove full-time for
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) is an auto racing team that has participated in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the IndyCar Series. Headquartered in Zionsville, Indiana and Hilliard, Ohio, it is co-owned by 1986 Indianapolis 50 ...
in the
IMSA The International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) is a North American sports car racing sanctioning body based in Daytona Beach, Florida, under the jurisdiction of the Automobile Competition Committee for the United States, ACCUS arm of the Féd ...
GTLM class of the
WeatherTech SportsCar Championship The IMSA SportsCar Championship, currently known as the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship under sponsorship, is a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada and organized by the International Motor Sports Association (I ...
; first in a BMW Z4 GTE then BMW M6 GTLM. In November 2017, Auberlen was named a BMW Brand Ambassador, but stepped down as a full-time driver in GTLM for
2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
. He continued to compete part-time for RLLR in the endurance races, while driving for Turner Motorsports in the IMSA GTD class in shorter events, driving a BMW M6 GT3. In
2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...
, Auberlen returned to full-time competition for BMW, partnering with Robby Foley in the Turner BMW #96 in the GTD class.


Personal life

In addition to his racing success, Auberlen has designed and built fast boats and bikes. Using motorsport technology, he developed X Power Drive, a high-performance boating outdrive, engineered a custom 1554-hp Chevrolet engine that powered his open-bow Carrera catamaran to numerous world speed and acceleration records. He also built a custom turbocharged 420 hp motorcycle.


Career highlights

1987-94 IMSA GTU – eight poles (five record), five wins including pole and win in East-West Challenge 1993 (Fuji, Japan) and 1994 (Autopolis, Japan), 16 podiums including second in 12 Hours of Sebring 1987 and 24 Hours of Daytona 1988, three fastest race laps (one record); co-drove with father Gary 1987 to 1989. 1995 IMSA GTS-2 – second, record seven-consecutive record poles, five wins including 12 Hours of Sebring on 10th anniversary of father Gary's Sebring win, eight podiums and seven record fastest race laps in 11 races; Speedvision Cup – two wins, three podiums, two record fastest race laps; Atlantic Championship – second in series debut, record fastest race lap. 1996 Bill joined BMW Team PTG after his very successful privateer effort. He became the 1996 Peruvian Formula Three champion – four wins, five podiums; IMSA GTS-2 – one record pole, three podiums, one fastest race lap; competed in all three classes at the 12 Hours of Sebring; first WSC start, in Rolex 24 At Daytona In 1997, Bill was the IMSA GTS-3 champion – six poles (three record), five wins including Rolex 24 At Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring, eight podiums, three fastest race laps (two record); three WSC starts; Speedvision Cup – one record pole, two podiums; Atlantic Championship podium. 1998 fourth, 24 Heures du Mans GT1; test driver, BMW V8 race engine development; SPORTS CAR – first BMW prototype victory; SPORTS CAR and USRRC GT2 and GT3 – six record poles, seven wins including Rolex 24 At Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring, two class wins in same race, nine podiums, seven fastest race laps (six record); International Sports Racing Series – two podiums; Won the final IMSA GT Championship race overall at Laguna Seca Raceway 1999 fifth, 24 Heures du Mans Prototype; American Le Mans Series Prototype – three podiums; USRRC GT3 – one record fastest race lap 2000 American Le Mans Series Prototype – two podiums; Grand American Road Racing Association GTU – two wins, two record fastest race laps 2001 American Le Mans Series GT – Petit Le Mans win, one record fastest race lap; Rolex Sports Car Series GT – one overall and GT podium, one record fastest race lap; World Challenge TC – one pole, record 43-place last-to-first victory at Lime Rock Park, one fastest race lap 2002 Rolex Sports Car Series GT co-champion – two poles (one record), five wins, seven podiums, one record fastest race lap; 24 Heures du Mans LMP 900; American Le Mans Series LMP 900 – one podium; Grand-Am Cup GS1 – one podium, one record fastest race lap 2003 World Challenge TC champion – three poles (two record), four wins including three flag-to-flag, record eight podiums, seven fastest race laps (five record), two record race speeds; World Challenge GT – second, four poles (three record), three wins, one flag-to-flag and one last-to-first at Lime Rock Park in heavy rain, four podiums, four fastest race laps (three record), one record race speed; Rolex Sports Car Series DP – one record pole, two podiums, one record fastest race lap; American Le Mans Series LMP 900 – one podium 2003 '' Grassroots Motorsports'' Editors' Choice Award. 2004 Rolex Sports Car Series GT champion – five record poles, record eight wins including record six consecutive wins, nine podiums, six fastest race laps (three record), career GT victory record; World Challenge TC champion – three record poles, three wins, five podiums, two record fastest race laps, one record race speed, record career winning percentage; Grand-Am Cup ST – one win; selected as All-American Team member, American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association 2005 24 Heures du Mans GT2 – qualified third; American Le Mans Series GT – one record pole, one win, two podiums; Rolex Sports Car Series GT – three poles (one record), three wins, five podiums, three fastest race laps (two record); Grand-Am Cup GS – five wins, six podiums, one record fastest race lap; World Challenge TC – one pole, two wins, three podiums, two fastest race laps (one record), one record race speed, series record fifth career win at Lime Rock Park 2006 American Le Mans Series GT2 – three podiums; Rolex Sports Car Series – one DP podium, one GT record fastest race lap; Grand-Am Cup GS – third, two wins, five podiums, two fastest race laps (one record); World Challenge TC – one record pole, one win, one record fastest race lap 2007 American Le Mans Series GT2 – one podium; Rolex Sports Car Series DP – one win; KONI Challenge Series GS – three wins, five podiums, two fastest race laps (one record) 2008 Rolex Sports Car Series DP – two podiums; KONI Sports Car Challenge GS – one pole, one win, four podiums, four fastest race laps 2009 American Le Mans Series GT2 - one win, two podiums; KONI Sports Car Challenge GS – one win, four podiums, one fastest race lap 2010 American Le Mans Series GT – team champion, third in driver points, six podiums including 12 Hours of Sebring; Rolex Sports Car Series GT – one win, two podiums, two fastest race laps(one record); Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge GS – one fastest race lap 2011 American Le Mans Series GT – five podiums, including second, 12 Hours of Sebring; 24H Dubai – fifth, third-fastest race lap; Rolex Sports Car Series GT – two wins, four podiums, one fastest race lap; Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge GS – one win, five podiums, two fastest race laps (one record) 2012 American Le Mans Series GT – one record pole, one win, four podiums, one record fastest race lap; Rolex Sports Car Series GT – two wins, four podiums, two fastest race laps (one record) 2020 WeatherTech Sports Car Championship GTD – 61st career win, surpassing
Scott Pruett Scott Donald Pruett (born March 24, 1960) is an American former racing driver who has competed in numerous disciplines of the sport. In the 1980s, Pruett established himself as a top sports car racer, winning two IMSA GTO, and three Trans-Am ...
for most in IMSA history.


Racing record


Career summary


24 Hours of Daytona results


24 Hours of Le Mans results


American Le Mans Series results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap) Did not finish the race but was classified as his car completed more than 70% of the overall winner's race distance.


WeatherTech SportsCar Championship results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)


Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)


External links


Grand-Am driver profile

Bio and career highlights (Rahal Letterman Racing)

Profile on TheRaceSite.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Auberlen, Bill 1968 births 24 Hours of Daytona drivers 24 Hours of Le Mans drivers American Le Mans Series drivers Atlantic Championship drivers Rolex Sports Car Series drivers Living people Sportspeople from Redondo Beach, California Racing drivers from California FIA World Endurance Championship drivers WeatherTech SportsCar Championship drivers 21st-century American sportsmen 24H Series drivers GT World Challenge America drivers Aston Martin Racing drivers Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing drivers BMW M drivers David Price Racing drivers Schnitzer Motorsport drivers Michelin Pilot Challenge drivers