Mr. BMW – Record Breaking BMW Driver, Bill Auberlen
Words by Eddie LePine. Photos by Jack Webster
When you think of Bill Auberlen, you picture in your mind, BMW race cars. You cannot see one without the other. Without a doubt, Bill has driven more races, won more races and piloted more different models of cars from Bayerische Motoren Werke than anyone in the history of motorsport. Those are the facts.
In addition, he has won more races sanctioned by IMSA (International Motor Sports Association) than any other driver in the history of the series. That’s more than anyone. We’re at 65 and counting. He has raced virtually every BMW race car in virtually every class of racing at every famous track on the planet. From the BMW M3, to the M4, M6, Z4 GTE, McLaren F1 GTR and the V12 LM – he has piloted them all in competition. 2026 marks his 30th year as a BMW factory driver.
Bill Auberlen shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon and I caught up with him recently at Road America, where he was driving the BMW M4 GT4 EVO in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge race with his media-star co-driver and internet influencer, Samatha Tan. We talked about his career, his accomplishments, his desire to keep driving and his famous co-driver.
The most memorable of his BMW rides? Without question, the prototype BMW V12 LM (in which Bill took an amazing flight through the air at Petit Le Mans in 2000).
Original artwork by Roger Warrick
“It was the most beautiful thing I’d seen to that point. It was art turned into a race car. And then I was announced to drive it! And to hear that V12 engine churn out power, it was just unbelievable…and it was a lot of fun. It was built by Williams, and it was a machine you could not break. It was engineered so well that the only thing you could do to that car to hurt it was to crash it. Aside from that, you were going to finish every single race, every weekend.”
Bill continues, his eyes lighting up at the memories the car evoked, “You pull from third to fourth , it accelerates exactly the same. Fourth to fifth – it never stops churning out that V12 torque! You can barely hear that motor in your ear, believe it or not. It’s so quiet in the cockpit. If you don’t have shift lights, you have almost no idea when to shift. Wow – and then you hit the brakes and get reinspired…and it had great downforce. Uh, I was one of the lucky few that got to do the backflip in that car at Petit Le Mans.”
You can see while talking with Bill that the competitive fire in his belly is still there. Even after all his accomplishments and years of racing, it is burning as hot as ever.
“I need a reckless driver, so I’m trying to convert her into the wild child.”
“I’ve lived my life to race. Would be fine if I died racing. But everything that I’ve ever done from when I was 17 years old was how could I be a faster, better race car driver. And I’ve developed my entire life around that, to a fault, let’s say, because it makes you maniacal about how you do stuff. But also – you end up winning. You can win a lot of races if you’re dedicated to your craft and your career. And I’ve won a few.”
As someone who is constantly looking forward to the next race and challenge, it takes something special to get Bill to look back on his career and the success he has had and continues to have. Closing in on the all-time IMSA race win record was one such time, and he reflected on it in our conversation.
“Ultimately now I’ve won in IMSA, 65 races, right? Which puts me kind of alone as the most winning guy. And that, when I hit that milestone – when I was one race under Scott Pruett – you never think about it. You’re always looking for the next one, and that’s who you are. But finally, when I got to that and the accolades, which was big for me, I could look back on my career and go – that was a great career.”
He talks about how once that goal was achieved, how it has helped him focus on moving forward, to be as aggressive as ever, but without constantly being reminded of the record. “And then it allows you to do what very few guys can do, to enjoy every moment I have in the car. I actually enjoy it now. Where before, you were so focused on winning and this and that and the other, the enjoyment never played into it. It was just about winning, getting that next race. And trust me, that’s what it is all about. But at least I can smile and really love when I touch that steering wheel.”
“I wake up every single morning, literally go outside, watch the sunrise and think about the next race”
This year, once again as a BMW factory pilot, Bill is driving a full season in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Series for ST Racing by Random Vandals. Samatha Tan is his season long co-driver and teammate. Unless you have been living under a rock, or entirely off the grid, you have certainly heard of her. But you shouldn’t get the idea that she has been enlisted by BMW to drive with the legendary Bill Auberlen just for public relations purposes. “So, my teammate Samatha Tan is different. New generation, very different. She is an ambassador for BMW, right? She has a huge social media following. Again, there’s more than one path for BMW to sell cars through us as drivers. And her social media following for sure sells cars, right?”
But you can tell that the old pro veteran has a lot of respect for his much younger and less experienced co-driver. In a situation where one could expect to see tensions surface between such different teammates, I saw none. Just mutual respect. “She’s getting better every single weekend. What she is amazing at, and the thing that the guys (other competitors) are really annoyed about, is their one lap pace might be slightly faster than hers, but she is so smooth on execution that 20 laps in, they’ve burned their tires out, and here she comes!
“You know, I’m that one lap guy. I’m the guy that takes that straightaway and rips it. And all of a sudden, here she comes 20 laps later. She wasn’t in the hunt. And all of a sudden, here she comes. Her fuel load’s burned off, her tires are perfect, and here she comes. She’s talented in racing a car.
“We’re kind of getting our sea legs between Sam and I. She’s never raced a full season of GT4, and she’s finding out the competition means business. To make a position here, you have to throw down, get physical and make it happen. And she is a solid driver and will always bring it home. I’m like, I need a reckless driver, so I’m trying to convert her into the wild child.”
BMW legend, IMSA race winning record holder, mentor to up and coming drivers – Bill Auberlen has done it all and continues to do it all with passion. You can catch him and Samatha in their BMW M4 GT4 EVO three more races this year – at VIR (August 21-23), Indianapolis Motor Speedway (September 18-20) and Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta (September 30-October3). If you can, check them out in person. Both are very approachable and would welcome you to have a chat and take some pics.
For Bill Auberlen, hanging up his helmet doesn’t look like it will come anytime soon. The fire still burns; the desire is still there. His talents have not diminished. “Your desire has to be 24/7…I wake up every single morning, literally go outside, watch the sunrise and think about the next race, how I’m going to challenge it, or who I’m racing. And I will run races in my head. That’s the whole first part of my morning every single day.”
Well said, Bill. Well said.
See you at the races.
See more of Roger Warrick’s artwork
