BMW M4 GT3 EVO Clinches First IMSA Victory at Watkins Glen
This landmark victory marks the first time the BMW M4 GT3 EVO has topped the podium in IMSA competition, as well as Harper and Hesse’s first North American win—delivering a weekend of celebration for BMW fans.
A Rollercoaster Race for the BMW M4 GT3 EVO
Starting from second place in class, Harper and Hesse faced early challenges. Harper was handed a 60-second stop-and-go penalty for crossing the red pit-exit light after a pit stop, which dropped the #48 BMW M4 GT3 EVO to last place. Despite this setback, the team fought back, helped by numerous yellow flags and perfect pit strategies, ultimately taking the lead and sealing a memorable win.
Sharing his excitement, Dan Harper stated: "We kept a cool head in a hot race. Unfortunately, I made a mistake at the pit exit early on, which earned us the penalty. I’m very glad we were able to make up for it during the race. Max did the hard work in the middle of the race to bring us back to the front. The team had a perfect strategy and fantastic pit stops. I asked the team to let me drive the final stint to make up for my earlier mistake. Luckily, we managed to do that together, and we were able to celebrate our first win of the season. We’ve had good pace in almost every race so far, and now we’ve finally been rewarded with the right result. Hopefully, this is the start of a strong second half of the season."
Max Hesse highlighted the weekend’s highs and lows: "It was an incredibly good weekend for us at Watkins Glen. The team told us beforehand that they’ve often been strong here in the past, so we were really looking forward to it, but the race was anything but easy. With second place in qualifying by Dan and a good start, things initially went great, but then the rain came, and we got the 60-second penalty, which dropped us to last place. We were frustrated because we thought we had thrown away a top result but there were many yellow flags, and our car was very strong on restarts. I gradually worked my way back to first place, and Dan did an amazing job in the final stint. I’m very proud and happy for the team. Unfortunately, the #1 car had the penalty at the end. The team deserved a one-two finish. After five races, we are now third in the championship and have two podiums. Things are going well for us here in North America."
Mixed Emotions for BMW M Team RLL
While the GTD PRO class brought joy, the race was less kind to BMW M Team RLL in the GTP class. The #25 BMW M Hybrid V8, driven by Sheldon van der Linde and Marco Wittmann, retired after a crash. Meanwhile, the #24 BMW M Hybrid V8, driven by Philipp Eng and Dries Vanthoor, finished eighth after a challenging day.
Philipp Eng summed up the frustrations: "Unfortunately, it was a frustrating race. From the start of the weekend, we knew we were going into the race with difficult conditions compared to some competitors. We simply didn’t have the necessary pace. On top of that, we didn’t have a perfect race. Especially in the final stint, there might have been some opportunities through strategy, but we didn’t make the optimal decisions."
BMW Leadership Remains Upbeat
Andreas Roos, Head of BMW M Motorsport, offered a candid reflection: "This was a race with mixed emotions for us at BMW M Motorsport. I am absolutely thrilled about the first victory of our BMW M4 GT3 EVO in the IMSA series! Paul Miller Racing has shown strong performances throughout the season and was often close to victory. Now it finally happened! Congratulations to Dan Harper and Max Hesse on their first win in North America! It’s unfortunate that the sister car and the #96 BMW M4 GT3 EVO from Turner Motorsport couldn’t make it to the podium despite also having strong races. Overall, our GT3 programme in the U.S. is in excellent shape. Our BMW M Hybrid V8 had to fight with blunt weapons at Watkins Glen. BMW M Team RLL and our drivers gave it their all, but unfortunately, we didn’t have the flawless race we needed to make the most of the circumstances. Now we are determined to return to our former strength at the next GTP class race in Road America."
BMW enthusiasts can catch the next chapter as the brand looks ahead to Road America, eager to build on this historic victory. Learn more at www.bmw-m.com/motorsport.
