The BMW Store/Yahoo! take on the 25 Hours of Thunderhill

After many months of hard work preparing two cars for this year's epic endurance race, the 25 Hours of Thunderhill, the cars and crew are just hours from leaving for California.

Returning this year will be the BMW 330 that successfully completed last year's race in its maiden outing, except this year the car will benefit from a full year of development that includes a lighter overall weight and more horsepower out of the BMW 3.0 litre inline-6.

Joining the roster this year will be the brand-new BMW E92 M3 that saw it's track debut this past Sunday in a shakedown at Mission Raceway Park. While much development is still to be done, hopes are high that this car will survive the 25.

Competition will be heavier than ever before this year with 73 entrants contesting the world's longest non-stop endurance race.