Yokohama BMW & Team PTG Cap Strong Weekend with Second Place Finish at Road America

Elkhart Lake, WI – (August 21, 2006) – Despite facing the 4.08-mile Road America circuit & its extremely long straights with a racecar down on power, the ADVAN by Yokohama BMW Team PTG #21 M3 with Bill Auberlin & Joey Hand battled to finish in second place, just 4.3 seconds behind the winning Porsche.

The Auberlin & Hand duo led for much of the race, only to relinquish the lead with just over five minutes remaining in the two hour & 45 minute race. Hand made a valiant last ditch effort to regain the lead & even rubbed fenders with the #31 Peterson-White Lightening Porsche but in the end, the engine just did not have enough kick to keep up with the Porsche down the long straights.

The podium finish for the #21 added to an already special weekend as the team advanced to the round of final four in the 2006 Klein Tools Pit Stop Contest, which will be held at the season finale at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in October. $25,000 will be on the line for the winning crew.

The #22 M3 driven by Justin Marks & Brian Sellars came home in sixth place, overcoming a quick trip to the gravel pit on the outside of Canada Corner.

“Congratulations to everyone on the BMW Team PTG for a job well done,” commented Yokohama Motorsports Manager Robert Dole. “We were not sure what to expect at this track as horsepower is very key here & we are a little short in that area. However, the team & Yokohama worked very well together to find an optimum setup to ensure we were fast in the corners, helping reduce our HP disadvantage. Throw in some good pit strategy & we were very close to bringing home the victory.”

“Special thanks also to our lead tire engineer Cheech Yamauchi & tire technician Gabe Duhalde for getting the tire setup just right, which allowed the BMW to compensate for its power issue by being extremely quick & agile in the corners.”