BMW has had its share of headaches at today’s Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring – sitting in seventh and 10th places as the race closed on the 2/3rds race distance mark.

Dirk Muller started the race in the No. 56 Z4 from the second position. Just before the 3-hour mark the BMW,  with Dirk Werner  behind the wheel, was swept up in a wreck started by contact with the No. 62 Ferrari inflicting damage to the left front of the BMW.

He pitted for repairs, a new wheel and tire, and returned to the race in the seventh position as the field circulated under the fourth caution period of the day. Werner was back in the pits a few minutes after the green flag waved for continued repairs, falling four laps behind the class leaders. Additional pit stops cost him an additional three laps.

“It was a wild experience, but also a very disappointing one,” said Dirk Werner, driver of the No. 56 Z4 GTLM

“At one point a Porsche drove into me in turn one, putting me into the wall. The entire front fascia had to be changed. Before that, the Z4 was running really good, I think we were in P2 and now we have some laps to the leaders. Still a long way to go. It will be tough to get back to the front, but we will try.”

The No.55 BMW of Bill Auberlen, Joey Hand and Andy Prixaulx also had problems – but this one was rather unusual!

“At the beginning quite a few drivers were bumping into each other,”  Auberlen said (pictured right).

“I took it pretty easy and laid back. On my second set of tires, which were a medium compound, everything was great with the car. We just started fighting our way up the leader board and I was catching the Corvette.

“I think we have a very good, strong car. After Andy got in the door wouldn’t shut! All that work and we had to come in for a pit stop to shut the door.”