What a day for BMW M Team RLL, what a week for the LMDh programme of BMW M Motorsport! Just a few days after the first podium finish for the BMW M Hybrid V8 in the FIA World Endurance Championship, the LMDh car has scored an impressive 1-2 in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
At the 6-hour race at Indianapolis (USA), Philipp Eng (AUT) and Jesse Krohn (FIN) in the #24 BMW M Hybrid V8 triumphed over their teammates Connor De Phillippi (USA) and Nick Yelloly (GBR). It was the first 1-2 finish since joining the GTP class and the first success of the current season .
At their home event – with the company headquarters just a few kilometres from the racetrack – BMW M Team RLL achieved a major breakthrough after a challenging season so far. The two car crews braved the difficult conditions, especially at the start of the “Battle on the Bricks” with rain and then a drying track, made no mistakes, and made the right strategic decisions. It was the #24 crew that was the first in the top field to switch to slicks, thereby making an important move towards the lead.
In the final laps, the two BMW M Hybrid V8s kept their competitors at bay even in dense lapping traffic and decided first place between themselves. Eng and Krohn celebrated not only their first win but also their first podium finish in the top class of the IMSA series. The only other win in the GTP category had been claimed by De Phillippi and Yelloly at Watkins Glen (USA) in the 2023 season.
In the GTD class, Turner Motorsport was able to celebrate another podium. Robby Foley, Patrick Gallagher, and Jake Walker (all USA) drove the #96 BMW M4 GT3 to second place. In the GTD PRO category, Madison Snow, Bryan Sellers, and Neil Verhagen (all USA) in the #1 BMW M4 GT3 from Paul Miller Racing crossed the finish line in eighth place.
