A perfect season opener for the BMW M Hybrid V8 and BMW M Team RLL. In qualifying for the 24 Hours of Daytona (USA), Dries Vanthoor (BEL) drove to first place with a time of 1:33.895 minutes, securing the first pole position since the start of BMW M Motorsport’s LMDh programme. The BMW M4 GT3 EVO also impressed in qualifying. Dan Harper (GBR) drove the #48 Paul Miller Racing car to third place on the starting grid in the GTD PRO class with a time of 1:46.005 minutes.
While the crew of the #24 BMW M Hybrid V8 with Vanthoor, Philipp Eng (AUT), Kevin Magnussen (DEN), and Raffaele Marciello (SUI) celebrated, the team of the sister car was less fortunate. The #25 BMW M Hybrid V8 driven by Sheldon van der Linde (RSA), Marco Wittmann (GER), Robin Frijns (NED), and René Rast (GER) encountered a technical issue with the high-voltage system and was unable to set a lap time.
In the GTD PRO class, alongside Harper, his teammates Max Hesse (GER), Jesse Krohn (FIN), and Augusto Farfus (BRA) were pleased with securing a second-row start. The #1 BMW M4 GT3 EVO from Paul Miller Racing, with Madison Snow, Neil Verhagen, Connor De Phillippi (all USA), and Kelvin van der Linde (RSA) in the cockpit, will start from position 13. Similarly, the #96 BMW M4 GT3 EVO from Turner Motorsport, driven by Robby Foley, Patrick Gallagher, Jake Walker (all USA), and Jens Klingmann (GER), will also start from position 13 in the GTD class.
The opening race of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship begins on Saturday at 13:40 local time (19:40 CET) and will be streamed live on www.imsa.tv.
Andreas Roos (Head of BMW M Motorsport)
“We are thrilled about the first pole position in the LMDh programme of BMW M Motorsport. To achieve it at a major event like the 24 Hours of Daytona is simply fantastic. Congratulations and thank you to Dries Vanthoor, BMW M Team RLL, and everyone at BMW M Motorsport involved in this success. Now, we need to translate our strong performance into the race, because that’s where it really counts. It’s unfortunate that car #25 couldn’t set a lap time due to an issue with the high-voltage system. Congratulations to Dan Harper and Paul Miller Racing for securing a strong third starting position in the GTD PRO class. A very good result for our BMW M4 GT3 EVO.”
Dries Vanthoor (#24 BMW M Hybrid V8, BMW M Team RLL)
“I am very pleased to have secured the first pole position with the BMW M Hybrid V8. It’s a great result and a deserved reward for the hard work of everyone involved in this project. It’s a good start to the season that we can be proud of. But for the race, pole position doesn’t say much. We will continue to give our all to have a reason to celebrate on Sunday as well.”
