Dramatic finale of the 24h Daytona deprives BMW M Hybrid V8 and BMW M4 GT3 EVO of chances to win.

Daytona. 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.

Note to editors:

You can find video interviews with BMW M Motorsport head Andreas Roos and the BMW M factory drivers, as well as footage from Daytona for editorial use at the following link: https://f.io/bX42CP2u.

Comments after the 24h Daytona:

Franciscus van Meel (CEO of BMW M GmbH): "Of course we had hoped for a different outcome of the Daytona weekend. With 50 minutes left, we were in the fight for the win in all categories. Everyone could see how fast and reliable our car is. The drivers and the teams did a great job and made no mistakes. But that's racing."

Andreas Roos (Head of BMW M Motorsport): "A big thank you to the entire team. Unfortunately, we had a weekend of ups and downs. If we only look at the race results, we cannot be satisfied with the fourth places in the GTP and GTD PRO classes. We started the weekend well, achieving very good results in both the free practice sessions and in qualifying - with Dries Vanthoor on pole position (GTP) and Dan Harper in third place (GTD PRO). That was very promising. For much of the race, we were able to compete for class victories and even the overall win. That's the positive we want to take with us. When you fight for the top positions in a 24-hour race for so long though, it is ultimately sad and disappointing for the teams and drivers who have invested a lot of work to get there - it would have been deserved to win at least one, if not the winner's trophy. Nevertheless, we must take the positives: the strong trend from 2024 clearly continues, we were able to build on it and field a competitive car in the GTP class here. The BMW M4 GT3 EVO has also shown in its third race that it can compete against the toughest competition - also in IMSA."

Dries Vanthoor (#24 BMW M Hybrid V8, BMW M Team RLL, 4^th place): "I want to say a massive congratulations to my brother. If there is someone who should win the race if it is not me then it is my brother. He has had a good time in the last couple of races and seasons and I am very happy for him. I for sure am very gutted with this result. We showed a great pace and that the car is capable of doing it. Obviously finishing in P4 in a 24 hour race is not the end of the world, but at the end of the day it is very sad to fight for 22 hours and not come home with a podium, which we for sure deserved. I feel sorry for the guys, who have been working very hard and also to my teammates. I would have loved to gift them with something, but most important is that we showed that we were strong and able to fight. We will make sure to come back and we will win this race."

Sheldon van der Linde (#25 BMW M Hybrid V8, BMW M Team RLL, 7^th place): "It was a very disappointing ending to the race for us. We had a very good package to fight for the win, which we showed all week long so we were quite positive heading into the race. Unfortunately we had a small issue in the pit stop with the brake change. That cost us three laps and we never really manage to make it back again. Obviously that was not the reward we wanted to give all the guys for the hard work all over the winter trying to make sure we have a fast car that is able to fight for the win. But we will definitely take a lot of notes from the race weekend, try to improve for Sebring and really bring that podium home."

Kelvin van der Linde (#1 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, Paul Miller Racing, 4^th place GTD PRO): "It is a proud moment for me, fighting the whole race for the win. It was a good mileage for me, learning the car for the first time. To narrowly have missed out on the win is more than I could have ever expected. It was unfortunate as we led the race for the last two hours. The last pit stop was where we unfortunately lost track position and we weren't really able to overtake looking forward. The rest is history. We will come back and try again next time."

Max Hesse (# 48 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, Paul Miller Racing, 12^th place GTD PRO):

"First of all, I would like to express a huge thank you to BMW M Motorsport and Paul Miller Racing. It was the first time I was able to start here. It's a very cool event and it remains my dream to win here someday. This year, we definitely had the package to do it. Unfortunately, we were involved in a big crash, which was not our fault. I was very well warned by my team, but unfortunately, our competitors behind us were not. That's part of it. Our car ran great. The mechanics did a top job getting us back on track. I think we've gained good experience for Sebring - and there we'll try to go full attack again."

Augusto Farfus (#48 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, Paul Miller Racing, 12^th place GTD PRO): "The situation with the Corvette and our sister car was very difficult. My intention was to support my teammate in the sister car in the fight for victory. I was aware that it was hard racing. The situation that led to the collision between the Corvette and Connor De Phillippi behind me was very unfortunate - but I had nothing to do with it directly. I stayed on my inside line."

Jens Klingmann (#96 BMW M4 GT 3 EVO, Turner Motorsport, 5^th place GTD):

"Looking solely at the result, fifth place for Turner Motorsport was the best 24-hour race at Daytona. On the other hand, we entered to win. Therefore, we are very frustrated. Half an hour before the end of the race, we were in second place and had done many things right up to that point. When you then finish in fifth place, at first glance you tend to see the negatives, but we gave it our all, and that was the maximum we could achieve with the overall package. I am still proud that after the BMW M4 GT3 was already capable of winning in its first two dress rehearsals in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, we also had the cars in the lead for a long time here and once again proved that the car has the potential to win races. This gives me a positive outlook; we will take this experience home, continue working, and then I think it will still be a very successful season."

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