For more than 23 hours, BMW M Team RLL and Paul Miller Racing had their sights set on victory at the 24 Hours of Daytona (USA), but a dramatic final stage dashed all hopes of a well-deserved reward for a great performance by BMW M Motorsport at the season opener of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IWSC).
Dries Vanthoor (BEL), who had secured pole position in the #24 BMW M Hybrid V8, collided with a competitor while fighting for second place and fell to fourth place due to the subsequent repairs. A similar fate befell Kelvin van der Linde (RSA) in the #1 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, who was also contending for the win but ultimately had to settle for fourth position in the GTD-PRO class after an incident.
Despite the disappointment over the frustrating final stage of the race, BMW M Motorsport looks back on a very strong race weekend at Daytona. Both the BMW M Hybrid V8 and the BMW M4 GT3 EVO demonstrated their enormous potential and made a significant impact on the track. Vanthoor, starting as the lead driver for the #24 from pole position – the first for BMW M Motorsport’s LMDh project – built a 25-second lead in his first double-stint.
Although this was levelled by numerous yellow flag periods, it underscored the strength of the vehicle. The same applies to the fastest race lap, which Sheldon van der Linde (RSA) drove in 1:35.868 minutes in the #25 BMW M Hybrid V8 which also showed impressive speed but fell back due to several incidents, finishing in seventh place. Both BMW M Hybrid V8s had no technical issues.
In the GTD-PRO class, Paul Miller Racing played several leading roles. The #48 BMW M4 GT3 EVO led the race into the evening but was then hit by an opponent in a mass collision. The heavily damaged vehicle was repaired thanks to the great efforts of the mechanics but lost many laps and crossed the finish line in twelfth place.
The sister #1 car stepped up, moved up from its 13th starting position, and fought for the win until just before the end. Kelvin van der Linde had the podium in sight at his race debut for BMW M Motorsport until he was forced into a spin by an opponent and fell back to fourth place. In the GTD class, Turner Motorsport also gave a strong performance, finishing the race with the #96 BMW M4 GT3 EVO in fifth place.
