Daytona. Season two for the BMW M Hybrid V8 in the GTP class
of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IMSA series) begins
on 27th/28th January with the highlight at the
start, the 24 Hours of Daytona (USA). Eight BMW M works drivers will
start for BMW M Team RLL in the two LMDh cars. In the qualifying
session at the conclusion of the ‘Roar before the 24’, the test
weekend immediately before the race, Connor De Phillippi (USA) drove
the #25 BMW M Hybrid V8 to the fourth starting position. In the #24
sister car, Jesse Krohn (FIN) was eighth. Five more BMW M works
drivers will be in action in the two BMW M4 GT3s which compete in
the GTD categories.
De Phillippi was 0.366 seconds off pole position with a qualifying
time of 1:33.022 minutes and has a good start position for the race
from the second row. He shares the cockpit with Nick Yelloly (GBR),
Maxime Martin (BEL), and René Rast (GER). Alongside Krohn, Philipp Eng
(AUT), Augusto Farfus (BRA), and Dries Vanthoor (BEL) will drive the
#24 BMW M Hybrid V8.
For the Paul Miller Racing team, three BMW M works drivers will take
the wheel of the #1 BMW M4 GT3 in the GTD-PRO class. Madison Snow,
Neil Verhagen (both USA), and Sheldon van der Linde (RSA) form a
quartet with Bryan Sellers (USA). They start from position twelve in
their category. Robby Foley (USA) and Jens Klingmann (GER) are part of
the Turner Motorsport crew in the #96 BMW M4 GT3 in the GTD class and,
together with Patrick Gallagher and Jake Walker (both USA), start from
position 16 in their category.
The 24-hour race begins on Saturday, 27th January, at
13:40 local time (19:40 CET). On Friday, 26th January at
13:45 local time (19:45 CET), the BMW M Endurance Challenge takes
place. At the season opener of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, five
BMW M4 GT4s are on the starting grid of the 4-hour race.
Quotes before the race:
Bobby Rahal (Team Principal BMW M Team RLL): “We
arrived at last year’s Rolex 24 having just finished giving birth to
the BMW M Hybrid V8 programme in the last quarter of 2022. While I was
generally pleased with our performance – one of the cars staying on
the lead lap until the 22nd hour – this year we arrive at
Daytona better prepared. If that preparation translates into increased
reliability, we can expect a very good Rolex 24.”
Connor De Phillippi (#25 BMW M Hybrid V8, 4th
starting position): “In qualifying we had the best car of
the whole weekend. We are satisfied that we have made a good step in
the right direction. There is still some optimisation to be done here
and there, but I am happy for the team about the significantly better
result compared to last year. We are slowly but surely getting to
where we need to be to close the gap. The race is long, and a lot can
happen. We are ready for the action.”
Jesse Krohn (#24 BMW M Hybrid V8, 8th starting
position): “This is not the place where I wanted to end the
session. I didn’t get everything together for a fast lap after we had
focussed on race speed and not on qualifying in the test sessions. Of
course, it would be better to start further ahead, but we definitely
have a much better car for the race than the start position suggests.
I think we are very well prepared.”
BMW M Motorsport starters at a glance:
GTP:
#24 BMW M Hybrid V8, BMW M Team RLL:
Philipp Eng (AUT)
Jesse Krohn (FIN)
Augusto Farfus (BRA)
Dries Vanthoor (BEL)
#25 BMW M Hybrid V8, BMW M Team RLL:
Connor De Phillippi (USA)
Nick Yelloly (GBR)
Maxime Martin (BEL)
René Rast (GER)
GTD PRO:
#1 BMW M4 GT3, Paul Miller Racing:
Bryan Sellers (USA)
Madison Snow (USA)
Neil Verhagen (USA)
Sheldon van der Linde (RSA)
GTD:
#96 BMW M4 GT3, Turner Motorsport:
Robby Foley (USA)
Patrick Gallagher (USA)
Jake Walker (USA)
Jens Klingmann (GER)
