FarnbacherLoles Racing.. M3 GT4 cars to race in Grand-Am KONI

KINGLEH · 10-22-2009, 01:19 PM

Farnbacher Loles Racing Adds BMW M3 KONI Challenge Program

October 21, 2009

DANBURY, Conn. (Oct. 21, 2009) - Fresh off its second Grand-Am Rolex Sports
Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 GT championship, Farnbacher
Loles Racing will be expanding its Grand-Am participation by fielding
entries in the ultra-competitive KONI Sports Car Challenge in 2010.

It will be an all-new venture for the team, which has competed in Grand-Am
since winning its first race in the series in 2005, the Rolex 24 At Daytona.
That improbable victory was followed up by Team and Driver Championships in
2007 and again this season, cementing Farnbacher Loles' reputation as one of
North America's premier sports car racing teams.

For the entire five-year history of the team, only Porsches have flown the
Farnbacher Loles colors, but beginning in January, the team will campaign
BMWs for their first foray into the KONI Sports Car Challenge Grand Sport
(GS) class. Utilizing BMW's customer racing program, Farnbacher Loles effort
will be based upon the BMW M3 GT4 race cars that have been competing
successfully in Europe. The first car is due to arrive in late 2009.

After preparation and modifications to fully comply with Grand-Am
regulations, the M3s will be given a thorough shake-down run at Road
Atlanta, Farnbacher Loles Racing's home track near the team's Braselton,
Ga., racing operations. Specially prepared engines by Farnbacher Loles' new
technical partner, Dinan Engineering of Morgan Hill, Calif., will be
powering the all-new BMWs. Both Dinan and Farnbacher Loles are known as
premiere European car tuning experts and will be collaborating extensively
throughout the 2010 season.

Already signed to drive the first of the new Farnbacher Loles Racing BMW M3
entries are team driver, Eric Lux of Jacksonville, Fla., and Michael Marsal
of Bedford, N.Y. Marsal entered his first KONI Challenge race in 2009 and
has been honing his race craft with Farnbacher Loles for the past year.
While well-known for his success in the Rolex Series, Lux is looking to add
GS podiums to his winning Grand-Am resume. Both drivers will be fully
supported by a dedicated GS technical and engineering staff. Farnbacher
Loles is currently speaking with several other drivers to complete the
team's anticipated three-car driver lineup.

Lux won his first KONI Sports Car Challenge race at Daytona when he was only
17, which to this date stands as the record for youngest-ever KONI Challenge
winning driver. He is excited to be racing in the GS category with
Farnbacher Loles.

"I am looking forward to returning to the Grand-Am KONI series," Lux said.
"Even more, I'm thrilled to be running a Farnbacher Loles prepped GS car!
Michael Marsal and I have co-driven together at club racing events in the
past and he is very talented. I am confident that he will adjust very well
to the GS car. I'm very excited to be with the team for another season!"

Farnbacher Loles team principal Gregory Loles, discussed the genesis of the
program. "We've been considering the KONI series for a couple of years now,
but we've been waiting for the right time," Loles said. "BMW has developed
this car internally and raced it successfully in Europe. We've done our
homework and feel the platform can be very competitive in the KONI GS class.
This effort is a logical step for us as we expand our customer racing
program. Sharing development with Dinan is also a big plus for us. Their
engine expertise is well-known and will be an excellent complement to our
own chassis engineering competency."

Farnbacher Loles is also putting the finishing touches on their Grand-Am
Rolex Series GT effort for 2010. The team expects to announce the program
during the 2009 SEMA Show Nov. 3-6 at the Las Vegas (Nev.) Convention
Center.

The 2010 KONI Sports Car Challenge season begins on Jan. 29, 2010 at Daytona
International Speedway in support of the Rolex 24.

Drivers interested in the Farnbacher Loles KONI Sports Car Challenge BMW M3
program can contact the team directly at 203.798.2929.

Farnbacher Loles Racing is based in Braselton, Ga., providing racing
services to both professional and amateur racers. Farnbacher Loles Street
Service, Performance and ClubSport divisions are located in Danbury, Conn.
Farnbacher Loles BodyWerks provides expert paint, collision and restoration
services to the automotive enthusiast and racer.

FStop7 · 10-22-2009, 01:20 PM

Nice, should be good competition for Turner and Bimmerworld. Maybe Farnbacher will start to develop some M3 parts, they make nice stuff for Porsches.

KANdaddy · 10-22-2009, 01:32 PM

Sweet! Wish I could afford to race one of those myself

JC919 · 10-22-2009, 01:42 PM

YEAHAAAA, now we're talking Leh! Let us know what you think of the GT4.

Mike V8 · 10-22-2009, 01:53 PM

sick

mkoesel · 10-22-2009, 02:15 PM

These should be more competitive with the 5L V8 powered FR500C Mustangs, right? Am I thinking of the right race series? I think BMW lost the manufactures title to Ford by one point, no? And that was with most teams using the old E46 for most of the season...

isugoo · 10-22-2009, 02:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KINGLEH

pecially prepared engines by Farnbacher Loles' new technical partner, Dinan Engineering of Morgan Hill, Calif., will be
powering the all-new BMWs. Both Dinan and Farnbacher Loles are known as
premiere European car tuning experts and will be collaborating extensively
throughout the 2010 season.

Hmmm. Finally Dinan is doing something right. Very exiting news that Farnbacher and Dinan are working together on the M3 racecar.

Singletrack · 10-22-2009, 03:42 PM

Very good for racing. Like others, it would be great if some parts "trickle down" from this.

foosh · 10-22-2009, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mkoesel

These should be more competitive with the 5L V8 powered FR500C Mustangs, right? Am I thinking of the right race series? I think BMW lost the manufactures title to Ford by one point, no? And that was with most teams using the old E46 for most of the season...

Yes, you are correct. Going into the last race of the season at VIR, BMW teams were leading the Mustang teams by 2 points, but a Mustang team won outright at VIR, and the other teams finished high enough to edge the BMW teams by 1 point.

The BMW teams ran with a combination of E46 and 92s. More 92s came on-line throughout the season.

MuchMoore · 10-22-2009, 09:14 PM

Great news! If you get a chance to test...take a video

ersin · 10-23-2009, 12:39 PM

You signing up to be a driver?

10-22-2009, 01:19 PM	#1
KINGLEH Major 98 Rep 1,043 Posts Drives: 00 GTR - 09 E92 M Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Charleston, SC iTrader: (1)	FarnbacherLoles Racing.. M3 GT4 cars to race in Grand-Am KONI Farnbacher Loles Racing Adds BMW M3 KONI Challenge Program October 21, 2009 DANBURY, Conn. (Oct. 21, 2009) - Fresh off its second Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 GT championship, Farnbacher Loles Racing will be expanding its Grand-Am participation by fielding entries in the ultra-competitive KONI Sports Car Challenge in 2010. It will be an all-new venture for the team, which has competed in Grand-Am since winning its first race in the series in 2005, the Rolex 24 At Daytona. That improbable victory was followed up by Team and Driver Championships in 2007 and again this season, cementing Farnbacher Loles' reputation as one of North America's premier sports car racing teams. For the entire five-year history of the team, only Porsches have flown the Farnbacher Loles colors, but beginning in January, the team will campaign BMWs for their first foray into the KONI Sports Car Challenge Grand Sport (GS) class. Utilizing BMW's customer racing program, Farnbacher Loles effort will be based upon the BMW M3 GT4 race cars that have been competing successfully in Europe. The first car is due to arrive in late 2009. After preparation and modifications to fully comply with Grand-Am regulations, the M3s will be given a thorough shake-down run at Road Atlanta, Farnbacher Loles Racing's home track near the team's Braselton, Ga., racing operations. Specially prepared engines by Farnbacher Loles' new technical partner, Dinan Engineering of Morgan Hill, Calif., will be powering the all-new BMWs. Both Dinan and Farnbacher Loles are known as premiere European car tuning experts and will be collaborating extensively throughout the 2010 season. Already signed to drive the first of the new Farnbacher Loles Racing BMW M3 entries are team driver, Eric Lux of Jacksonville, Fla., and Michael Marsal of Bedford, N.Y. Marsal entered his first KONI Challenge race in 2009 and has been honing his race craft with Farnbacher Loles for the past year. While well-known for his success in the Rolex Series, Lux is looking to add GS podiums to his winning Grand-Am resume. Both drivers will be fully supported by a dedicated GS technical and engineering staff. Farnbacher Loles is currently speaking with several other drivers to complete the team's anticipated three-car driver lineup. Lux won his first KONI Sports Car Challenge race at Daytona when he was only 17, which to this date stands as the record for youngest-ever KONI Challenge winning driver. He is excited to be racing in the GS category with Farnbacher Loles. "I am looking forward to returning to the Grand-Am KONI series," Lux said. "Even more, I'm thrilled to be running a Farnbacher Loles prepped GS car! Michael Marsal and I have co-driven together at club racing events in the past and he is very talented. I am confident that he will adjust very well to the GS car. I'm very excited to be with the team for another season!" Farnbacher Loles team principal Gregory Loles, discussed the genesis of the program. "We've been considering the KONI series for a couple of years now, but we've been waiting for the right time," Loles said. "BMW has developed this car internally and raced it successfully in Europe. We've done our homework and feel the platform can be very competitive in the KONI GS class. This effort is a logical step for us as we expand our customer racing program. Sharing development with Dinan is also a big plus for us. Their engine expertise is well-known and will be an excellent complement to our own chassis engineering competency." Farnbacher Loles is also putting the finishing touches on their Grand-Am Rolex Series GT effort for 2010. The team expects to announce the program during the 2009 SEMA Show Nov. 3-6 at the Las Vegas (Nev.) Convention Center. The 2010 KONI Sports Car Challenge season begins on Jan. 29, 2010 at Daytona International Speedway in support of the Rolex 24. Drivers interested in the Farnbacher Loles KONI Sports Car Challenge BMW M3 program can contact the team directly at 203.798.2929. Farnbacher Loles Racing is based in Braselton, Ga., providing racing services to both professional and amateur racers. Farnbacher Loles Street Service, Performance and ClubSport divisions are located in Danbury, Conn. Farnbacher Loles BodyWerks provides expert paint, collision and restoration services to the automotive enthusiast and racer. __________________
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10-22-2009, 01:20 PM	#2
FStop7 I like cars 329 Rep 5,052 Posts Drives: M6 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Newbury Park, CA iTrader: (3)	Nice, should be good competition for Turner and Bimmerworld. Maybe Farnbacher will start to develop some M3 parts, they make nice stuff for Porsches. __________________ My photostream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/racelap/
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10-22-2009, 01:32 PM	#3
KANdaddy Colonel 2493 Rep 2,812 Posts Drives: 22 M3C XDrive-Ind Grey Blk Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Cali iTrader: (5)	Sweet! Wish I could afford to race one of those myself __________________
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10-22-2009, 01:42 PM	#4
JC919 Lieutenant Colonel 72 Rep 1,804 Posts Drives: CSL Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Aberdeen, Scotland iTrader: (0)	YEAHAAAA, now we're talking Leh! Let us know what you think of the GT4. __________________ [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC] 2007 GT3 Clubsport w/CGT buckets in Scotland 2003 CSL, SG, Alcon BBK SOLD 2002 M5, SSII/Blk and bone stock. In storage back home in TX 2008 M3, AW/Blk 6MT, lots of track stuff SOLD
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10-22-2009, 01:53 PM	#5
Mike V8 First Lieutenant 24 Rep 398 Posts Drives: '09 E92 M3 DCT Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: So. Cal. iTrader: (0)	sick __________________ "...it's not about the money and not about the brand of the car, it's about handling,performance and passion......And that, no other car has all together like an M3........when you talk about the most complete car the M is invincible." --Tony Kanaan.
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10-22-2009, 02:15 PM	#6
mkoesel Moderator 7512 Rep 19,370 Posts Drives: No BMW for now Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Canton, MI iTrader: (1)	These should be more competitive with the 5L V8 powered FR500C Mustangs, right? Am I thinking of the right race series? I think BMW lost the manufactures title to Ford by one point, no? And that was with most teams using the old E46 for most of the season...
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10-22-2009, 03:42 PM	#8
Singletrack 4th down; 4th quarter? Renegade. 87 Rep 3,850 Posts Drives: 09 SSII E92 M3; 19 FG M5C Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Pittsburgh, PA iTrader: (3)	Very good for racing. Like others, it would be great if some parts "trickle down" from this.
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10-22-2009, 09:14 PM	#10
MuchMoore Colonel 82 Rep 2,325 Posts Drives: 08 E90 335i Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: CenFla iTrader: (28)	Great news! If you get a chance to test...take a video __________________ \| Andrew \| M Technik \| BMW Performance \| BBS \| Forge \| V1 \| LUX \| Bilstein \| Precision-Sport \|
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10-23-2009, 12:39 PM	#11
ersin Brigadier General 126 Rep 4,145 Posts Drives: 17 YMB F80 M3 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Maryland iTrader: (1)	You signing up to be a driver? __________________ 2017 F80 YMB.
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