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Hand and Marks Score 50th Win for M3 Racing Program, Auberlen and Milner Second Daytona Beach, Fla. - June 30, 2005... Joey Hand and Justin Marks, driving the No. 16 BMW Team PTG F1 Air M3 led a 1-2 BMW M3 GT-class finish in tonight's Brumos Porsche 250 to score the team's fourth win of the season and the 50th victory of BMW of North America's M3 racing program.  Having to start at the rear of the 28-car GT field because of an engine change, they completed 67 laps of Daytona International Speedway's road course in the two-hour-and-forty-five-minute contest, finishing four seconds ahead of the No. 21 BMW Team PTG M3 of Bill Auberlen and Tom Milner. The No. 17 BMW Team PTG F1 Air M3 of Kelly Collins and RJ Valentine finished eighth, completing 66 laps. The No. 22 BMW Team PTG M3 of Chris Gleason and Ian James was involved in an accident and did not finish. The win consolidates BMW's second place position in Manufacturer points, moving seven points closer to first. Hand and Marks move to third and eighth respectively in Driver points.
The race began under dry skies although the track was still slick in spots from a heavy afternoon downpour. The No. 16 BMW Team PTG F1 Air M3 of Justin Marks and Joey Hand enjoyed a trouble free race after losing an engine in qualifying. Required to start at the rear of the field after the engine change, Marks stood in third position at the end of the first hour. Hand quickly took over the second position, but the race was not decided until five laps from the finish when the No. 14 Porsche had to pit for fuel. Turning his fastest lap of the race on lap 62, Hand kept the No. 16 M3 in the lead for BMW Team PTG's fourth win of the season. Tom Milner moved the No. 21 BMW Team PTG M3 forward from his fourth starting position. By lap seven he was in second and Auberlen inherited the lead on lap 22 after Milner pitted during the race's first caution period. Just before the green flag flew, the No. 26 Porsche hit the left front of the No. 21 M3, spinning Auberlen into the wall. After a quick pit stop, he rejoined the race in fifth. The experienced veteran was able to drive through front end damage to finish second. Round eight of the Rolex Sports Car Series, The Porsche 250, will take place on July 31st at Barber Motorsports Park. The race is scheduled to be televised live on Speed Channel beginning at 1:00 p.m. ET. JUSTIN MARKS, DRIVER NO. 16 BMW TEAM PTG F1 AIR M3 (first): "I won here last year so this is a very special race for me. To win again, and win the 50th for PTG, is awesome. I can't believe how hard the team worked to change the engine and give us a perfect M3 for the race." JOEY HAND, DRIVER NO. 16 BMW TEAM PTG M3 (first): "Justin and I only got three laps each in practice and not one in qualifying. Justin had to start the race without even an installation lap on the new engine and he did a great job. At the end of the race I heard over the radio that I was only 14 seconds from the leader so I just stood on the throttle." BILL AUBERLEN, DRIVER NO. 21 BMW TEAM PTG M3 (second): "I can't believe I was hit before the green came out. Before that the No. 21 M3 was awesome. Dave Gahagan (No. 21 car chief) always gets it right on the mark for the race. He made one change before the race that was right on. After I was pushed into the wall, it was all I could do to hold the car straight." TOM MILNER, DRIVER NO. 21 BMW TEAM PTG M3 (second): "I couldn't be happier for the team. We got lucky at the end, but we were there to take advantage and gain second place. You can feel PTG's momentum growing again. We'll be back on top of the podium before you know it." TOM MILNER, OWNER BMW TEAM PTG: "We can't get much luckier than we did today. Bill was almost taken out of the race, but came back for second. Joey and Justin did a great job to come from the back to win. Everyone worked hard and I am proud that we could deliver the 50th win for BMW of North America's M3 racing program." LARRY KOCH, BMW OF NORTH AMERICA MOTORSPORTS MANAGER: "About midway through the race it looked like it was not going to be our day. We lost the No. 22 car and things were starting to look down, but PTG is never down for long. A 1-2 BMW M3 finish is a great way to win the 50th of our program."
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