Road America. The breakthrough has been achieved. BMW M Team
RLL has secured the first victory of the season for the BMW M Hybrid
V8 – and what a victory it was! In the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar
Championship (IMSA series) race at Road America (USA), Philipp Eng
(AUT) and Dries Vanthoor (BEL) triumphed in the #24 car. Their
teammates in the #25 car, Sheldon van der Linde (RSA) and Marco
Wittmann (GER), completed the one-two finish by securing second
place. After four pole positions and two podium finishes earlier in
the season, the joy over the first win was immense. There was also
great celebration at Paul Miller Racing as Neil Verhagen and Madison
Snow (both USA) claimed victory in the #1 BMW M4 GT3 EVO in the GTD
PRO class
.
The two BMW M Hybrid V8s of BMW M Team RLL started the race from
second and third on the grid after strong lap times in qualifying.
Over the course of the 2:40-hour race, both crews experienced a
rollercoaster of emotions. Initially, both cars dropped to the back of
the GTP field due to an incident during a pit stop. An RLL mechanic
was lightly injured after being struck by another prototype which
extended the pit stop times. However, with an hour remaining, the team
decided to bring both cars in early for their final refuelling stop,
aiming to gain a strategic advantage during one of the race’s many
yellow flag periods. This strategy paid off, and after the final race
neutralisation, closing drivers Eng and Wittmann led the race. They
maintained this one-two lead even amidst heavy traffic with lapped
cars. Following four pole positions at the start of the season and
podium finishes at Long Beach and Laguna Seca (both USA), the first
victory of the season for the BMW M Hybrid V8 marked a significant breakthrough.
Paul Miller Racing added another reason to celebrate on this highly
successful day for BMW M Motorsport. Neil Verhagen and Madison Snow
(both USA) claimed victory in the #1 BMW M4 GT3 EVO in the GTD PRO
category. It was the first win of the season for the driver duo and
the second for the team, following the triumph of Dan Harper (GBR) and
Max Hesse (GER) at Watkins Glen (USA). This time, Harper and Hesse
finished seventh in the #48 BMW M4 GT3 EVO after some intense battles
in a chaotic race. Turner Motorsport narrowly missed the podium in the
GTD class, with Robby Foley and Patrick Gallagher (both USA) finishing
fourth in the #96 BMW M4 GT3 EVO.
Comments after the race:
Andreas Roos, Head of BMW M Motorsport: “What a
fantastic IMSA race at Road America! Congratulations to BMW M Team
RLL, Philipp Eng, and Dries Vanthoor on their first victory of the
season with our BMW M Hybrid V8. Both have delivered outstanding
performances, especially at the start of the season, but were unable
to convert them into a win until now. Finally, it has worked out, and
the hard work of everyone involved has paid off. I am equally thrilled
for Sheldon van der Linde and Marco Wittmann, who made it onto the
podium for the first time this season. We are clearly moving in the
right direction with our Hypercar project, and it’s great to see this
reflected in the results. Another heartfelt congratulations to Paul
Miller Racing for their second win of the season with the BMW M4 GT3
EVO. This triumph not only underscores the strength of our GT3 car
worldwide but also makes an already incredible race day even better.
Thank you to everyone!”
Philipp Eng (#24 BMW M Hybrid V8, BMW M Team RLL, 1st place):
“A fantastic day for the entire team. A flawless job.
Thankfully, nothing more serious happened during the pit lane
incident, and I’m very glad our mechanic is okay. Beyond that, it was
simply a strategic masterpiece by the entire team, and the car’s
balance was extremely strong. We were strong in clean air, strong in
traffic, and positioned ourselves very well. In the end, it was all
about making no mistakes and controlling the race. Thankfully, we
managed to do that. It was an incredibly strong team effort. Every
single person on the team can be extremely proud of themselves.”
Dries Vanthoor (#24 BMW M Hybrid V8, BMW M Team RLL, 1st
place): “This is a fantastic result for BMW M
Motorsport with the one-two finish in the GTP class and the victory in
the GTD PRO class. Our weekend started well, and this time we finally
managed to turn it into a win after struggling earlier in the season
to fully capitalise on our speed. The team was amazing, and the
strategy call was perfect. In the end, we had enough speed to bring
home first place. Philipp did an excellent job. Now we’ll keep pushing
and hopefully finish the season with more strong results.”
Marco Wittmann (#25 BMW M Hybrid V8, BMW M Team RLL, 2nd
place): “A great result for us as BMW M Motorsport and
BMW M Team RLL. It’s a bit of a relief after the last few races, where
we were strong in qualifying but couldn’t deliver in the race. This
time, everything worked out well. Ultimately, a good strategy brought
us forward, but we also showed strong pace during the race. The team
success with the one-two finish is, of course, fantastic. We’re super
happy. I think it’s a relief for everyone on the team. Now we can head
into the final two races with momentum and hope to finish the season
on a high note.”
Neil Verhagen (#1 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, Paul Miller Racing, 1st
place GTD PRO): “My first IMSA win feels fantastic. We
had great momentum with Paul Miller Racing, starting with the win for
our sister car at Watkins Glen and my pole position in Canada, even
though we couldn’t make it to the podium there. To finally achieve it
now is incredible. I can’t thank everyone at Paul Miller Racing and
BMW M Motorsport enough for their support. We had a very strong
package here and executed it perfectly. Hopefully, we can carry this
momentum into the remaining races.”
Madison Snow (#1 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, Paul Miller Racing, 1st place
GTD PRO): “Finally, we have our first win of the
season. It’s such a relief. This was a great race for us. I’ve been
part of this fantastic team for so long. Seeing how it has grown and
now standing here celebrating this GTD PRO victory is big.”