IMSA: BMW M Team WRT narrowly misses another podium – second place for Paul Miller Racing.

Watkins Glen. Laguna Seca, Detroit (both USA), Spa-Francorchamps (BEL), and Le Mans (FRA): four times in a row, BMW M Team WRT made it onto the podium with the BMW M Hybrid V8. The success streak has now come to an end at the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IMSA Series) six-hour race at Watkins Glen (USA). Sheldon van der Linde (RSA) and Dries Vanthoor (BEL) fought for third place in the #24 BMW M Hybrid V8 until shortly before the finish, but ultimately had to settle for fourth. In contrast, Connor De Phillippi and Neil Verhagen (both USA) were able to celebrate on the podium after taking second place in the GTD-PRO clas s with the #1 BMW M4 GT3 EVO from Paul Miller Racing.

BMW M Team WRT experienced a challenging weekend after their recent successes. Neither car was able to find the optimal set-up for the demanding Watkins Glen circuit. Nevertheless, car #24 managed to qualify in sixth place and even moved up into the top three during the race. Only a few minutes before the end, van der Linde lost the battle for third place and crossed the finish line in fourth. Philipp Eng (AUT) and Marco Wittmann (GER) struggled even more with balance and were further set back by a tyre puncture and a drive-through penalty. They finished ninth.

There was reason to celebrate in the GTD-PRO class. Connor De Phillippi and Neil Verhagen started third in their class and finished second after six hours. As a result, the Paul Miller Racing duo now leads the IMSA standings in their class. In the GTD class, Turner Motorsport with Robby Foley, Patrick Gallagher, and Francis Selldorff (all USA) led at times, but dropped back to seventh place after a late pit stop.

Comments after the race:

Andreas Roos (Head of BMW M Motorsport): “Unfortunately, our podium streak with the BMW M Hybrid V8 has come to an end after four races. That’s a shame, but the fact that we’re disappointed with a fourth place says a lot about the generally very positive trend of our LMDh project. At Watkins Glen, we weren’t able to find the optimal set-up for our two cars. Nevertheless, the team and drivers fought hard. Many thanks to everyone for their efforts! In just two weeks, we’ll have the chance to do better at the FIA WEC race in São Paulo. Congratulations to Paul Miller Racing, Connor De Phillippi, and Neil Verhagen on their well-deserved podium in the GTD-PRO class!”

Dries Vanthoor (#24 BMW M Hybrid V8, BMW M Team WRT, 4th place GTP): “It’s a pity that we lost the podium in the last ten minutes, but to be honest, a podium finish would have been a bonus today. We didn’t have the pace in the race to really fight at the front. Hats off to Sheldon. He drove a great race. Thanks also to the team, who made no mistakes at all. It was a smooth race, but our package just wasn’t fast enough here.”

Philipp Eng (#25 BMW M Hybrid V8, BMW M Team WRT, 9th place GTP): “The whole weekend wasn’t easy for us. We had major problems with the car’s balance. Still, we went into the race aiming for a good result. Unfortunately, we then had the tyre puncture and the penalty. On a day like this, everything comes together. The team still did a great job, and together we tried everything to understand the problems. I’m sorry that the sister car lost third place shortly before the end, but you can’t always be on the podium. We’ve managed it so many times in a row now, and I’m sure we’ll be back up there soon.”

Connor De Phillippi (#1 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, Paul Miller Racing, 2nd place GTD PRO): “We got the maximum out of today. The strategy was spot on, and we executed our plan perfectly. We knew we didn’t have the fastest car, but we also knew that with a smart strategy and fuel efficiency, we could stay at the front. In the end, it worked out, and we’re leaving Watkins Glen with the championship lead. I’m very happy about that.”

Robby Foley (#96 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, Turner Motorsport, 7th place GTD): “It looked pretty good for a while, but we were on a different strategy to our competitors and knew we’d need a yellow flag to make it work. That did come, but unfortunately too late for us. We didn’t have the pace to run right at the front, so we took a bit of a gamble. Unfortunately, it didn’t pay off, but we still scored important points for the championship.”