The six-hour endurance problem on the 3.40, 11-turn street racing mecca marks the third round of the Tequila Patron North American Endurance Championship by which Turner BMWs have experience a lot success in over the past a number of years. The driver lineup will embrace the return of Justin Marks who will group up with Jens Klingmann. The driver pair will likely be again behind the wheel of the No. 96 Katerra sponsored BMW M6 GT3 for the first time collectively for the reason that Sebring 12 Hour earlier this season. ’Watkins Glen really suits out M6 GT3 very properly,’ stated Jens Klingmann. ’Last yr we had a robust run right here as the newer surface and quick nature of the circuit really allowed us to push our BMW for some quick and aggressive lap occasions. Turner BMWs have led laps in every of their previous appearances within the Sahlen’s Six Hours at Watkins Glen to seize a second place in 2012 and a dominant win in 2014 after main 169 out of 178 laps.
’It’s been a little while since I’ve been behind the wheel of the Turner M6 GT3 so I’m very excited for this weekend,’ mentioned Justin Marks. ’We had a strong car for each Daytona and Sebring so I am optimistic our BMW shall be sturdy on the Glen as effectively, particularly given the history the blue and yellow has had right here. Will Turner added, ’This season has had its ups and downs for sure. We're definitely trying ahead to this weekend on the Glen, in addition to a few of the upcoming events like Road America, VIR in August. These are all tracks we've had loads of previous success and as of right now we're searching for funded drivers to race within the M6 for these events. With simply six races remaining this 2017 season following this weekend, Turner has begun to organize for the 2018 season with the latest order model new 2018 M4 GT4 racecars to be raced in a number of sequence. ’We are tremendous excited for this newest member of the BMW Motorsport racecar household to hit the states,’ Will Turner said. ’We should have the automobiles toward the top of this season and will begin testing, prep and the driver seek for the 2018 season. The brand new BMW M4 GT4 had its first race earlier this year in the 24 Hours of Dubai and received it’s class. This GT4 automobile can be eligible to race in the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge in the ’GS’ class in addition to in Pirelli World Challenge GTS. The WeatherTech Championship on-observe action will kick off on Friday with the first GTD practice at 11:05am ET.
Inside, you will find the brand new tech-packed cabin that has been spreading throughout the Volkswagen lineup. On the bottom mannequin, the 8-inch media screen permits for access to radio and media features, together with app-join for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The SEL gains enhanced navigation and infotainment with Sirius XM linked companies, and the analog gauges are also replaced with the Volkswagen Digital Cockpit. That permits the driver to maneuver the map display from the middle console screen to the driver’s screen. In his mode, solely the directions are displayed on the center console without the map. A lot of the cars infotainment options could be accessed through the Digital Cockpit. As normal, the Arteon provides plenty of Driver Assistance options, together with Forward Collision Warning and Autonomous Emergency Braking, Blind Spot Monitoring with Rear Traffic Alert, and commonplace Automatic Post-Collision Braking. On the SEL, Adaptive Cruise Control is added. The SEL Premium will get Lane Assist, Park Assist, Park Distance Control, Overhead View Camera, and Light Assist as standard.
They’re the type of features you would possibly until just lately have solely anticipated to find on a high-end luxurious car, but Volkswagen didn't go away something off the list when it comes to the Arteon. The quantity of effort spent on the inside is very obvious. The seats are supportive but comfortable, and on the highest-trim SEL Premium they will even therapeutic massage your back. Volkswagen also thought it was necessary to attach an analog clock to the middle console. On the SE, even the leatherette felt nice; the SEL upgrades that to full Nappa leather-based. The standard of the leather-based is very excessive, together with on the incredible multi-operate steering wheel, which has been my favorite part of Volkswagens for many years. A full leather package would have been nice, to cowl up some of the plastic on the sprint and door panels. Still, that would further carry up the worth. Within the again, there’s 27 cubic feet of trunk area, increasing to fifty five cubic ft with the rear seats folded down. The rear hatch makes it very straightforward to access the cavernous trunk to unload and cargo. After spending several hours behind the wheel exploring Santa Barbara County, it was more than evident that Arteon is the flagship that Volkswagen wanted. The automaker needed to return to the upscale path it blazed a few years ago with the Phaeton: there’s really no reason that they cannot function in the luxury section. While the Arteon lacks the extreme levels of comfort and luxurious that Phaeton delivered, Volkswagen’s intentions are clear. They need to play in the luxurious arena with the rest of the household. Honestly, they’ve succeeded: everything within the Arteon works so properly together, to supply a actually excellent driving experience that can adapt immediately to any driving style or situation. From sea stage to the 5,000-foot climb, and the descent into the desert and again, the Arteon got us there very comfortably and shortly.
