BMW M Team RLL has secured the first victory of the season for the BMW M Hybrid V8 at Road America with Philipp Eng and Dries Vanthoor triumph in the #24 car. Their teammates in the #25 car, Sheldon van der Linde and Marco Wittmann, completed the one-two finish by securing second place. After four pole positions and two podium finishes earlier in the season, the joy over the first win was immense. There was also great celebration at Paul Miller Racing as Neil Verhagen and Madison Snow claimed victory in the #1 BMW M4 GT3 EVO in the GTD PRO class.

📷 © IMSA. Philipp Eng and Dries Vanthoor triumph in the #24 car

Both BMW M Hybrid V8 triumph

The two BMW M Hybrid V8s of BMW M Team RLL started the race from second and third on the grid after strong lap times in qualifying. Over the course of the 2:40-hour race, both crews experienced a rollercoaster of emotions. Initially, both cars dropped to the back of the GTP field due to an incident during a pit stop. An RLL mechanic was lightly injured after being struck by another prototype which extended the pit stop times. However, with an hour remaining, the team decided to bring both cars in early for their final refuelling stop, aiming to gain a strategic advantage during one of the race's many yellow flag periods. This strategy paid off, and after the final race neutralisation, closing drivers Eng and Wittmann led the race. They maintained this one-two lead clinching the first victory and double of the season for the BMW M Hybrid V8.

📷 © IMSA. #24 BMW M Team RLL, BMW M Hybrid V8: Philipp Eng, Dries Vanthoor ahead of sister #25 BMW M Team RLL, BMW M Hybrid V8: Marco Wittmann, Sheldon van der Linde.

Philipp Eng (#24 BMW M Hybrid V8, BMW M Team RLL, 1st place): "A fantastic day for the entire team. A flawless job. Thankfully, nothing more serious happened during the pit lane incident, and I’m very glad our mechanic is okay. Beyond that, it was simply a strategic masterpiece by the entire team, and the car’s balance was extremely strong. We were strong in clean air, strong in traffic, and positioned ourselves very well. In the end, it was all about making no mistakes and controlling the race. Thankfully, we managed to do that. It was an incredibly strong team effort. Every single person on the team can be extremely proud of themselves."

Dries Vanthoor (#24 BMW M Hybrid V8, BMW M Team RLL, 1st place): "This is a fantastic result for BMW M Motorsport with the one-two finish in the GTP class and the victory in the GTD PRO class. Our weekend started well, and this time we finally managed to turn it into a win after struggling earlier in the season to fully capitalise on our speed. The team was amazing, and the strategy call was perfect. In the end, we had enough speed to bring home first place. Philipp did an excellent job. Now we’ll keep pushing and hopefully finish the season with more strong results."

📷 © IMSA. #25 BMW M Team RLL, BMW M Hybrid V8: Marco Wittmann, Sheldon van der Linde.

Marco Wittmann (#25 BMW M Hybrid V8, BMW M Team RLL, 2nd place): "A great result for us as BMW M Motorsport and BMW M Team RLL. It’s a bit of a relief after the last few races, where we were strong in qualifying but couldn’t deliver in the race. This time, everything worked out well. Ultimately, a good strategy brought us forward, but we also showed strong pace during the race. The team success with the one-two finish is, of course, fantastic. We’re super happy. I think it’s a relief for everyone on the team. Now we can head into the final two races with momentum and hope to finish the season on a high note." Source: BMW Group.

Acura Meyer Shank Racing's #93 third

Acura Meyer Shank Racing's #93 duo of Nick Yelloly and Renger van der Zande scored a third-place finish today in the SportsCar Grand Prix at Road America.

The pair started from pole in the hands of Yelloly and survived a race strewn with cautions—22 of the 66 laps were run under yellow-flag conditions—to cross the line P3 after van der Zande took over.

This is the third podium for the #93 Acura ARX-06 in IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship competition this year. Yelloly and van der Zande previously scored victory at the Detroit Grand Prix and finished third at the 12 Hours of Sebring with third driver Alex Palou in March..

📷 © IMSA. #93: Acura Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian, Acura ARX-06, GTP: Renger van der Zande, Nick Yelloly

Nick Yelloly (#93 Acura Meyer Shank Racing with Curb Agajanian Acura ARX-06) Finished third: “P3 for us, and at the end of the day it was a good haul of championship points. We’re closing the gap in the manufacturers’ championship to the leaders, which was always the aim from the get-go. Obviously, a bit disappointed not to win the race after having started on pole. But overall, a solid weekend, another podium for the #93 crew and something to build on leading up to Indianapolis.”

Renger van der Zande (#93 Acura Meyer Shank Racing with Curb Agajanian Acura ARX-06) Finished third: “Road America is always exciting, but it's always a bit of a gamble with the strategy here. That’s how it turned out to be again today. I mean, I think the BMWs were dead last and they took a gamble and they won. Congrats to them. We did a good job, we had good pace in the #93 Acura and it was a good result for the points in the manufacturers’ championship, so I think it's a good day for us at HRC and Meyer Shank Racing.” Source: Acura

Solid points day for Cadillac Whelen Racing

The #31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R gained two positions from its starting spot to finish fourth.

Cadillac Racing teams took advantage of pit stop strategy in the first half of the race to have all three GTP entries running in to top six. Quick work by the Action Express Racing crew got Earl Bamber off pit lane in second place with 1 hour, 37 minutes left as he took over from Jack Aitken.

Bamber ran second for 39 minutes and through two more caution periods before the final service stop for tires and energy with 47 minutes left. Competitors got the jump off pit lane, but Bamber was able to gain two spots in the 37-minute green flag run to the end.

📷 © IMSA. #31: Cadillac Whelen, Cadillac V-Series.R, GTP: Jack Aitken, Earl Bamber

Jack Aitken: “It was generally good. I think we played it pretty smart. I tried to save as much energy as I could and still managed to capitalize on getting some positions in traffic. The first half of the race actually worked out really well for us. And being better on energy allowed us to jump up to second. Things were looking pretty positive. We were better than most of the people on energy and were showing decent pace. Unfortunately, the yellow came at a time when it was beneficial for the BMWs. They hit the nail on the head with the timing of their stop. Unfortunately for us, on the race on pit road we lost out a few positions and it’s tough to come back from that. I think ultimate pace wasn't the best of the field this weekend, so we did what we could. Fourth is still a lot of points but just a real shame. It could have been one better to get on the podium, but overall, not a bad day for us.”

Earl Bamber: “It was really stop and start. We lost out on position on that final stop and were able to gain two back, but not enough for a podium that we all want. It was a bit hairy at the end when the No. 6 Porsche hit us from behind and damaged the rear wing. Survived that and just came home the best we could.” Source: Cadillac Racing

Porsche still ahead in all GTP classifications

Matt Campbell and Mathieu Jaminet further extended their lead in the GTP drivers’ standings at the eighth round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. After a hard-fought race, the two former Porsche Juniors crossed the finish line in fifth place at Road America in their Porsche 963.

The two Porsche Penske Motorsport factory team took advantage of the second yellow phase to make an early pit stop just 23 minutes into the race. Following the refuelling, starting drivers Matt Campbell from Australia and Felipe Nasr from Brazil rejoined the race in tenth and eleventh positions, stuck behind a slower LMDh car that held them up. Nevertheless, the bold strategic decision paid off. When the safety car returned to the track just over an hour into the race, the leading GTP cars headed into the pit lane for scheduled service stops. Thanks to a shorter refuelling time and the excellent work of the pit crew, both factory Porsche 963 capitalised on the situation: Mathieu Jaminet from France – who had taken over from Campbell in the #6 car – emerged in the lead, while Nick Tandy, replacing Nasr, moved up into fourth place.

After his pit stop, Jaminet rejoined the race in fourth place. Following further difficulties in overtaking situations, which were often fiercely contested, and a fair duel with Earl Bamber, he ultimately had to settle for fifth place in the closing minutes.

📷 © IMSA. #6 Porsche Penske Motorsports, Porsche 963: Mathieu Jaminet, Matt Campbell

Mathieu Jaminet (Porsche 963 #6): “The positive news for us is that we were able to further extend our lead in the championship. With two races remaining before the season’s end, our future is in our own hands. It was a bit of a rollercoaster here at Elkhart Lake – at times we were almost last, then we took the lead and felt in control. But a yellow flag phase cost us positions once again, and a collision damaged the front left steering. Shortly before the finish, there was also an incident with a GTD Pro car, followed by a funny duel with my friend Earl Bamber. A lot happened. Ultimately, fifth place means it was a good day for us.” Source: Porsche

Paul Miller Racing wins GTD PRO

Paul Miller Racing added another reason to celebrate on this highly successful day for BMW M Motorsport. Neil Verhagen and Madison Snow claimed victory in the #1 BMW M4 GT3 EVO in the GTD PRO category. It was the first win of the season for the driver duo and the second for the team, following the triumph of Dan Harper and Max Hesse at Watkins Glen.

📷 © IMSA. #1: Paul Miller Racing, BMW M4 GT3 EVO, GTD PRO: Madison Snow, Neil Verhagen, Checkered Flag

Neil Verhagen (#1 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, Paul Miller Racing, 1st place GTD PRO): "My first IMSA win feels fantastic. We had great momentum with Paul Miller Racing, starting with the win for our sister car at Watkins Glen and my pole position in Canada, even though we couldn’t make it to the podium there. To finally achieve it now is incredible. I can’t thank everyone at Paul Miller Racing and BMW M Motorsport enough for their support. We had a very strong package here and executed it perfectly. Hopefully, we can carry this momentum into the remaining races."

Madison Snow (#1 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, Paul Miller Racing, 1st place GTD PRO): "Finally, we have our first win of the season. It’s such a relief. This was a great race for us. I’ve been part of this fantastic team for so long. Seeing how it has grown and now standing here celebrating this GTD PRO victory is big."