bill-auberlen

Auberlen was born in Redondo Beach, California, and attended Rolling Hills High School. His motorsport career began in the 1970s with motocross.

Auberlen transitioned to IMSA GTU racing in 1987, co-driving with his father, Gary, until 1989. He secured his first championship in IMSA GTU in 1997. In 1995, driving in IMSA GTS-2, Auberlen recorded seven consecutive pole positions and five wins, including the 12 Hours of Sebring on the tenth anniversary of his father Gary’s Sebring win. He also achieved success in Speedvision Cup, securing two wins and three podiums.

In 1996, Auberlen joined BMW Team PTG and became the 1996 Peruvian Formula Three champion, earning four wins and five podiums. He continued to race with BMW, participating in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the American Le Mans Series from 1999 to 2003, driving a BMW V12 LMR for Schnitzer Motorsport in 1999 and 2000. During the 2000 Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta, Auberlen’s BMW flipped over the same hump that had previously caused Yannick Dalmas to crash in 1998.

Auberlen won the 2003 and 2004 Speed World Challenge Touring Car Championships driving a BMW 325i for Turner Motorsport, ending an eight-year domination by Honda and Acura. He then secured the 2004 Rolex Sports Car Series GT championship for BMW Motorsport’s Prototype Technology Group team, earning five record poles and a record eight wins.

In 2005, Auberlen drove for both BMW PTG in Grand-Am’s GT series and Panoz Racing in IMSA’s American Le Mans Series. He continued to drive exclusively BMWs in 2006, competing in Grand-Am and the American Le Mans Series with multiple teams.

At the 2000 Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta, Auberlen’s BMW experienced a spectacular backflip over the same hump where Yannick Dalmas had crashed in 1998. In 2001, Auberlen achieved a record 43-place last-to-first victory at Lime Rock Park in the World Challenge TC series.

Auberlen has also demonstrated skills outside of traditional circuit racing, designing and building fast boats and bikes. He developed X Power Drive, a high-performance boating outdrive, and engineered a custom 1554-hp Chevrolet engine for his open-bow Carrera catamaran, achieving numerous world speed and acceleration records. He also built a custom turbocharged 420 hp motorcycle.

Auberlen’s career is marked by numerous achievements, including winning the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring multiple times. He earned the 2003 Grassroots Motorsports Editors' Choice Award. In 2020, Auberlen achieved his 61st career win in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD class, surpassing Scott Pruett for the most wins in IMSA history.

From 2014 to 2017, Auberlen drove full-time for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing in the IMSA GTLM class, initially in a BMW Z4 GTE and then a BMW M6 GTLM. In November 2017, he was named a BMW Brand Ambassador, but transitioned to a part-time role in GTLM for 2018, continuing to compete in endurance races for RLLR and shorter events for Turner Motorsports in the IMSA GTD class. He returned to full-time competition for BMW in 2019, partnering with Robby Foley in the Turner BMW #96 in the GTD class.