Amesbury, MA. – January 20th, 2014 — 2014 will mark the fourth consecutive year that Turner Motorsport will compete in the Rolex 24 Hour at Daytona. Turner has assembled a stellar driver lineup to accompany Paul Dalla Lana (CA) in the blue and yellow No. 94 Z4 GTD. Dalla Lana has been the team anchor throughout Turner’s four Rolex 24 hour efforts beginning in 2010.
As with previous years, the Turner lineup will include drivers from around the world including BMW Motorsport Factory Driver Augusto Farfus (BR) and Blancpain Endurance series star Markus Palttala (FI). Dane Cameron (US), one of the most talented young drivers in the North American sports car scene today, will also be a part for this year’s star-studded Rolex 24 Team. Dane Cameron will also co-drive with Paul Dalla Lana for the full TUDOR United SportsCar Championship season.
“I’m very happy to join Turner Motorsport for the Rolex 24. The new championship looks mega and it’s great to be part of its first chapter in Daytona, especially with such an established team. I know the Z4 well and it’s an awesome car. We have a very strong driver line-up and I hope we’ll be there amongst the leaders when the sun rises on Sunday morning,” said Markus Palttala.
Augusto Farfus, a BMW Motorsport factory driver since 2007 and DTM competitor for the past two years, finished second in the 2013 DTM Points standings in his No. 16 BMW with three wins and one pole position throughout the season. Farfus joins Turner motivated to add another 24 Hour victory to his endurance racing resume after winning the Nurburgring and Dubai 24 Hour in 2010 and 2011 respectively.
”It’s a pleasure to be back in Daytona.” Augusto Farfus commented. “We have been trying to make the Turner/Augusto combination work for the last several years, and finally we managed to come together this year. Our Z4 may not be the fastest car on oval, but along the infield we can be very competitive. Our driver lineup is very competitive and team is pushing very hard for the race. Can’t wait to get the green flag!”
“Last year we assembled a very strong BMW driver lineup for the Rolex 24,” said Will Turner. “Unfortunately incidental contact with both cars did not allow us the results we wanted. After last season’s success in the highly competitive GT class with three race wins and more than five podiums, as a team we know we have the infrastructure win. Unfortunately the balance of performance (BOP) that IMSA released on Friday does not favor our Z4. So we need to focus on consistency (and staying out of trouble). We have learned a lot these past four years running cars in one of the most grueling races in the world – the main thing we will focus on is racing without incident and trying to be around for the finish.”
Paul Dalla Lana:
Now entering his fifth full season of professional sports car racing, Paul Dalla Lana is looking to regain is championship-winning ways. Dalla Lana dominated the 2011 Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge Grand Sports (GS) class, winning the Driver Championship, while leading Turner Motorsport to the GS Team Championship and BMW to the GS Manufacturer’s title. In 2011 Dalla Lana was also awarded the 50th BMW Sport Trophy as the world’s most success privateer BMW driver. After a competitive 2013 campaign with a total of five podiums, including three wins, Dalla Lana is once again back in the No. 94 Turner Motorsport GTD entry for his fourth Rolex 24 Hour.
Augusto Farfus:
BMW Works Driver and finishing 2nd in overall points in the 2013 DTM Championship points standings. Augusto Farfus has shown his determination to win races all around the world from Carting to Formula 3000 all the way up to DTM where he currently drives as a BMW Works driver in the No. 16 Green and White Castrol Edge BMW. In 2013 Farfus finished 2nd in the overall DTM Points Championship with 3 DTM race wins at Hockenheimring, Oschersleben and Circuit Zandvoort. In 2012 Farfus was voted Rookie of the Year with one victory and 2 pole positions in DTM. In 2011 Farfus placed 2nd overall in the 24 Hours Nurburgring and won the 24 hours Dubai in a BMW Z4 GT3. Farfus joins the Turner Motorsport team in 2014 for the Rolex 24 Hour at Daytona in the No. 94 BMW Z4 GTD with the hopes to add another 24 Hour win to his endurance resume.
Dane Cameron:
Dane Cameron is undoubtedly one of the most talented young drivers in the American sports car scene today, voted one of the Top Ten best drivers in the Rolex series scoring his first GT win in 2012. With a very strong background in open wheel racing, Cameron has had success in both ALMS and Grand-AM driving both prototype and GT cars. Most recently Cameron drove on a full time basis in the Rolex Series in a Daytona Prototype in 2013, qualifying on pole at Lime Rock Park in the last ever Rolex Series race. In 2014 Cameron has signed on for a full season with Turner Motorsport in the No. 94 GTD class BMW Z4 with veteran Paul Dalla Lana.
Markus Palttala:
The name Markus Palttala and endurance racing are synonymous. Palttala is no stranger to BMW platforms either with several full seasons of the Blancpain Endurance Series driving the BMW Z4 GT3. The Finnish driver has won three 24 Hour races including the 24 Hour of Spa as well as the 1000km of Spa. Palttala has started in over thirty 24 Hour starts including Le Mans and the Nurburgring and finished 2nd overall in the Blancpain Endurance Driver’s Championship, all driving a BMW. Palttala joins the Turner Motorsport team in the No. 94 GTD class BMW Z4 in an effort to bring his success in European endurance racing to the United States and put the blue and yellow Turner BMW on top of the podium.
Photo Credit: Turner Motorsports