Dries Vanthoor in BMW M Hybrid set benchmark

IMSA

Jan 18

After 3 of the 7 sessions programmed for the three days of Roar Before the Rolex 24 testing in the lead-up to the 63rd running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona next weekend, Dries Vanthoor and BMW are setting the benchmark time of the first round of the 2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

Dries Vanthoor tops first three sessions

it was Dries Vanthoor who led the way during yesterday’s afternoon session 2 setting the first day best time of 1:35.424 in the #24 BMW Team RLL BMW M Hybrid V8.which turned out to be the fastest of the first three sessions.

📷© IMSA. #24 BMW Team RLL BMW M Hybrid V8 tops the first three sessions.

Both Acura ARX-06 follow

Former BMW Motorsport works driver Nick Yelolly was 0.195 seconds short with MSR’s #93 Acura ARX-06 during that same session, with a 1:35.619. Popular World Rally driver Stig Blomqvist’s sun, Tom, is back in Acura Meyer Shank Racing’s #60 Acura ARX-06 topping the first ROAR session with a 1:35.927, which was the third fastest lap of the 3 sessions.

Badraoui-Roar-IMSA-1-17-25-07906 #93 6.jpg

📷 © Courtesy of IMSA. Both MSR’s #93 and #60 Acura ARX-06 are second and third after 3 sessions.

Lamborghini fourth

Also during yesterday’s second session, Romain Grosjean did set the fourth performance of the combined three sessions in the #63 Lamborghini SC63, while Sheldon van der Linde (BMW M #24) and Marco Wittmann (BMW M #25) completed the top-six for Team RLL with the two BMW M Hybrid V8 respectively in 1:36.093 (during session 2) and 1:36.103 (during session 1).

📷 © Courtesy of IMSA. Romain Grosjean did set the fourth performance of the combined three sessions in the #63 Lamborghini SC63.

Wittman confirmed the velocity of the BMW M Hybrid by dominating Saturday morning’s session (3) in 1'36"798 with BMW #25 much slower than yesterday’s top 14 fastest laps.

Next sessions

This afternoon shall be longer for the WeatherTech Championship’s teams as they’ll be able to drive a night session: