The BMW M Team Rahal Letterman Lanigan GTP entrants reflected on finishing in the last two places in-class after not being able to match their competitors’ pace by the end of a disrupted IMSA Petit Le Mans season finale.

BMW M Team RLL were title contenders with the #25 BMW M Hybrid V8, although were not able to showcase competitive pace during the closing stages after finishing in last two places in GTP.

The #24 GTP started third after Augusto Farfus put in a promising qualifying performance, as the #25 started sixth.

Drivers Sheldon van der Linde, Connor De Phillippi, and Nick Yelloly competed in the #25, which showed promising form during most of the race, though finished in seventh at the end.

De Phillippi said: “It was definitely not the result we wanted and not the result we could have gotten.

“We just did not play it aggressive enough at the end when it counted, unfortunately. I feel sorry for the guys.

“Everybody worked so hard all year. We can be proud of the results we achieved this season.

“We will come back next year and fight even harder.”

Andreas Roos, head of BMW M Motorsport, added: “In the first nine hours, things were looking very promising for us, and at times, we were right up there competing for the lead and a top result.

“Unfortunately, we were set back in the closing stages due to numerous yellow flags, and we couldn’t achieve the positions we had set out for.

“This also means we didn’t end up where we had hoped to be in the championship.

“It was a disappointing conclusion to the season, but we can look ahead positively. In nine races, we made it to the podium five times, which is a great record.

“A big thank you to everyone who made this possible. Now the work continues at home, and we’re hoping for a strong start to the 2024 season in Daytona.”

The 26 edition of Petit Le Mans was characterised by frequent incidents throughout, resulting in an IMSA-joint record 13 caution periods.

De Phillippi was given a drive-through penalty after passing a red light at the end of the pitlane, having to also replace the front end after Alexander Sims did the same and braked, thus forcing the #25 to hit the #31’s rear end.

In the final hour, the BMWs were not able match the pace of the surrounding Porsche 963s, and most crucially were not able to match the #31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V Series.R, as they continued still after their clash with the #10 Konica Minolta of Filipe Albuquerque.

With the championship at stake, the #25 needed to make up places and overtake the #31. Ultimately, Derani got the better of both BMWs and finished ahead in sixth place, which was enough to win the 2023 GTP title.

The race ended under caution after the #16 Wright Motorsports Porsche GTD caught fire, moments only after the track went back to green flag racing, as the stop-start disruptions gave little opportunity for BMW M Team RLL to fight back.

Despite this, team principal Bobby Rahal concluded on a positive note after the completion of their maiden season in GTP.

“Overall, the season was pretty successful. We had five podiums, including the victory at Watkins Glen.

“When we look back where we were a year ago it has been crazy and we reacted well to the challenges we had.

“Like it is in every first year, there was a lot to learn and we learnt a lot.

“Thanks to everyone for their hard work.

“Now we are looking forward to next season and it will be a very exciting year.”

Rene Rast claimed a dominant, unchallenged DTM Race 2 victory ahead of teammate Sheldon van der Linde, as Preining reclaimed the championship lead at the Red Bull Ring.

Round 14 of the 2023 DTM championship continued the excitement from yesterday, bringing the curtain down on this weekend’s racing action before a nearly month-long wait for the season finale at Hockenheim.

Unlike yesterday’s rain-stricken event, the Red Bull Ring was dry status which welcomed quicker lap times and less weather-related tension.

Rene Rast took a record-breaking 26th DTM pole position for Schubert Motorsport, and the team locked out the front row in qualifying thanks to Sheldon van der Linde.

In regards to the close championship title fight, second-placed Thomas Preining started fourth at his home race and standings leader Mirko Bortolotti started ninth in his Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2.

If they finished where they started, then the pair would have drawn equal on 187 points, though with Bortolotti in P1 on countback.

At lights out, the Schubert Motorsport drivers started well and controlled the lead, whilst Race 1 winner Kelvin van der Linde dropped back from his starting position when he spun his #3 Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO2, triggered by contact with Tim Heinemann’s #9 Toksport WRT Porsche.

There was disaster for Bortolotti, as he fell to the back of the field after picking up a puncture from contact with the other Toksport WRT Porsche of Marvin Dienst.

This forced Bortolotti to make a non-mandatory pit stop, in addition to the mandatory pit stop he’d later have to take during the 20-minute pit window.

Meanwhile, his rival Preining had the upper hand after he moved up into third, taking advantage of Jack Aitken’s uncompetitive getaway at the green flag and distancing himself from the contact behind.

During the opening laps, Rast built upon his 1-second lead ahead of teammate S. van der Linde.

Several battles took place across the midfield, such as yesterday’s pole-sitter Laurin Heinrich who fought for P16 with Patric Niederhauser.

The highest-placed #63 Grasser Racing Lamborghini of Clemens Schmid was passed by Marco Wittmann in his #11 Project 1 BMW, having taken fourth position with a swift overtake.

Both Emil Frey Racing Ferrari 296 GT3s rode in eighth and ninth, looking to fend off Bortolotti’s SSR Performance teammate – Franck Perera – who dropped to 10th after he started in seventh position.

After 20 minutes of racing, a 20-minute-long pit window opened for drivers to strategically conduct their mandatory pit stop, like third-placed championship contender Ricardo Feller in his #7 ABT Sportsline Audi.

A few raindrops began to fall on the track, but not enough for drivers to prefer the grooved wet tyres over slicks during the pit window.

Wittmann’s pit stop was slightly prolonged as his pit crew struggled to fit his new tyres, although he emerged ahead of Schmid who pitted as well, to initiate a duel for ninth, before Preining climbed his way past.

S. van der Linde pitted from second and maintained the position before his teammate Rast did the same from the lead, continuing a confident, mistake-free run at the front.

Twenty minutes remained of the 1-hour race, which marked the closure of the pit stop window.

The positions at the sharper end of the field settled as further back, Lucas Auer in the #22 Team Winward Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO attacked his teammate, Maro Engel, and jumped into 11th position.

K. van der Linde was among the four retirees from this race, not being able to match his race-winning performance from yesterday.

The same could be said for the other Audis, as Feller resided in the highest place of P15, and was challenged by Luca Engstler’s #8 Mercedes-AMG behind during the final minutes.

After dominant form since starting on pole, Rast claimed victory ahead of S. van der Linde, securing a 1-2 finish for the Schubert Motorsport team.

Third place was taken by Preining who took 16 championship points, re-taking the championship lead from Bortolotti.

He occupies a 10-point lead in the standings with 190 points, against Bortolotti’s 180 after scoring no points in Race 2.

Feller finished in 15th place, and so claimed one point to take his championship points total to 159.

In fourth position was Wittmann, ahead of Preining’s Manthey EMA teammate, Dennis Olsen.

Schmid was in sixth position, the highest finishing spot out of the five participating Lamborghinis.

Ayhancan Güven took seventh place in the #24 Team75 Motorsport Porsche.

Both Emil Frey Racing Ferraris finished in eighth and ninth positions, with Aitken ahead of Thierry Vermeulen.

Arjun Maini’s #36 Team HRT Mercedes-AMG rounded out the top-10 finishers at the Red Bull Ring.

The final two races take place next month at the Hockenheimring, on 20-22 October, where a champion will be crowned.

Three-time champion Rene Rast took his record-breaking 26th DTM pole position for Schubert Motorsport ahead of his teammate Sheldon van der Linde for Race 2 at the Red Bull Ring.

Unlike yesterday’s qualifying session, drivers took to a dry track surface on slick tyres, even if the sky was overcast above the Spielberg circuit.

The fight for the DTM championship title remained close, as SSR Performance Lamborghini driver Mirko Bortolotti leads on 180 points, with rival Thomas Preining just six points behind.

Red Bull Ring is a medium-speed, engaging circuit with fewer overtaking opportunities compared to other venues, which placed emphasis on starting high up.

Preining’s objective will be to close the points gap in the race, whilst Bortolotti’s aim runs in the opposite direction, to extend his lead.

Traffic was a factor in qualifying, as 28 drivers set their best efforts around the 4.318 km configuration, whilst attempting to distance themselves from one another for their flying laps.

After 10 minutes out of 20, Thierry Vermeulen of the #69 Emil Frey Racing was at the top of the order with a 1:28.312 lap time.

The Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 package showed promising form, with three provisionally situated in the top-five, and Bortolotti putting in his quickest efforts in the final minutes.

During the closing stages, where the track evolution was at its quickest, the lap times began their descent into the 1:27 margin.

Moreover, the entirety of the top-10 drivers’ lap times resided in the 1:27 threshold which demonstrated a close fight where the gaps were separated by tenths-of-a-second.

Schubert Motorsport claimed the front row with their two BMW M4 GT3 cars, marking a strong qualifying outing for the team.

Rast took his 26th pole position with a time of 1:27.671, a record-breaking feat in the history of DTM ahead of S. van der Linde’s time of 1:27.782.

Jack Aitken finished third in his #14 Emil Frey Racing Ferrari 296 after he set a 1:27.873.

In fourth place, Preining in his #91 Manthey EMA Porsche 911 GT3.R completed a fastest time of 1:27.882, as fifth place was taken by Marco Wittmann’s Project 1 BMW, which laid down a 1:27.948.

Sixth position was secured by Grasser-Racing Team’s Clemens Schmid in the #63 Lamborghini, with a time of 1:27.958.

Another Lamborghini landed seventh position, as Franck Perera completed a fastest time of 1:27.960.

Ayhancan Güven’s #24 Porsche was in eighth place, with a time of 1:27.974, ahead of ninth-placed Bortolotti and his 1:27.985 time.

Dennis Olsen completed the top-10 order after his fastest time of 1:27.989 in the #90 Porsche.

Race 2 will take place later today at 12:30 pm UK time, for Round 14 on the 2023 schedule.

BMW M Team RLL scored their fifth GTP podium finish at the Battle of the Bricks after an eventful sprint race as the two Porsche Penske cars finished in first and second places.

The #25 BMW M Hybrid V8 qualified in seventh position in the hands of Nick Yelloly, before him and his teammate Connor De Phillippi climbed up to become podium finishers, a sharp contrast to the fate of their #24 sibling GTP.

At the green flag, the GTP field started in tangled fashion as Philip Eng in the #24 triggered the #01 Cadillac V Series.R of Sebastien Boardais into a spin.

Yelloly was aware, like many of the starting drivers, about the GTPs all entering Turn 1, although made it through with little to no damage incurred before engaging in traffic management over the other prototypes and GTs.

He said: “We knew it was going to be about keeping it clean today which we were able to do throughout the whole race.

“Turn 1 was also always going to be a tricky task. We also managed to make it through the first corner and then it was about keeping it clean through traffic.

“All credit to the team for a great strategy. Great driving by Connor as always, and yeah, I’m super happy to keep this podium roll going.

“That’s five this year in GTP so it’s something that we, as a team, can be very pleased about.”

Philippi added: “We really extracted everything we had in our package today.

“From the strategy side to car preparation side, I think we really executed. I’m really proud of everybody on the team.

“Nick drove a brilliant first stint that got us a great track position. The team had spot-on strategy and I just had to wheel it to the finish.”

Towards the final half-hour remaining, it was clear that the leading Porsches were unchallenged in race pace, and so it was third place which was up for contention.

The #31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac promptly fought with the Porsches for the lead before they sped away, building a gap.

They encountered struggles in their final and thus prolonged pit stop, enabling the #25 BMW to take third place to the chequered flag.

Furthermore, the #25 sits fourth in the championship title fight on 2422 points, although just 38 points covers them to the leading #31 Cadillac on 2460 points.

Team WRT has made “very good progress” following testing the BMW M Hybrid V8 at Spa-Francorchamps, ahead of the team’s maiden 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship campaign in Hypercar, in conjunction with preparations for an evo kit for the M4 GT3 for 2025.

In total, there were eight BMW factory drivers who were present at a rain-soaked Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, and shared driving duties across both the BMW M Hybrid V8 LMDh and the latest development of the BMW M4 GT3, to be introduced in 2025, known as the M4 GT3 EVO.

Robin Frijns, Maxime Martin, Rene Rast, Marco Wittmann, and Nick Yelloly drove the carbon black BMW Hypercar, whilst Augusto Farfus, Jens Klingmann and Bruno Spengler drove behind the wheel of the M4 GT3 EVO.

The latter two drivers already take part in the first BMW LMDh campaign with an ongoing IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season, due to attend Indianapolis later this month.

Andreas Roos, Head of BMW M Motorsport, said: “Our testing work with the BMW M Hybrid V8 for the WEC entry continues to make very good progress. We are right on schedule.

“It’s clear that having the vehicle in both race action in the IMSA series and testing here in Europe is a benefit.

“The dual pool of experiences benefits all sides, BMW M Team WRT as well as BMW M Team RLL and our BMW M Motorsport engineers.

“The fact that we had Marco Wittmann and Nick Yelloly testing the LMDh car here at Spa-Francorchamps, drivers who are already very familiar with the BMW M Hybrid V8 from their race experiences in North America, underscores this valuable synergy.

“In the GT3 segment, we are already looking ahead. We started very early with the EVO version of the BMW M4 GT3 and we’re intentionally taking the time to improve our already highly successful model for the 2025 season.

“All with the aim of celebrating more years of victories and titles for our drivers and teams, both in the LMDh and GT3 categories.”

Along with the BMW debut into the WEC Hypercar category in partnership with Team WRT, the ongoing GTE category will be replaced by LMGT3 in 2024, which will enable GT3-specification cars to enter the championship albeit limited to two cars per manufacturer.

Testing with the LMDh focused around testing the systems and optimising performance around the wet Belgian race track, which held the fourth WEC round earlier in the year.

The BMW M4 GT3 has proven to be a successful package, acquiring several wins since its debut two years ago, and its most recent win residing from the IMSA GT Challenge at VIR in the GTD class.

A 2025 evolution variant will explore vehicle functionalities, component reliability, and intends on improving handling for the teams and drivers who use it.

Frijns added his thoughts after driving the LMDh: “As I have only recently become a part of this fantastic project, I am still in the process of comprehending the BMW M Hybrid V8 in all its complexity.

“I am learning with each lap. However, things have gone very well here at Spa-Francorchamps, and we have made significant progress with the car.

“I am looking forward to the upcoming tests.”

Spengler said: “I am thrilled to be involved in the development of the BMW M4 GT3 EVO right from the beginning.

“I have always enjoyed this aspect, also during my DTM days.

“The EVO represents progress in many areas compared to the current BMW M4 GT3.

“Drivability is a crucial factor, as well as tyre durability over longer distances. We definitely see improvements in this regard.

“Here at Spa-Francorchamps, we drove the BMW M4 GT3 EVO in wet conditions for the first time, and the car is proving to be a true all-rounder.”

Development on the M4 GT3 EVO will continue throughout 2024, whilst its Hypercar sibling is set to take on the WEC and the decorated 24 Hours of Le Mans race.

The next outing for BMW’s M Hybrid V8 will be at the IMSA Battle on the Bricks, taking place at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (road course) on 17 September.

Connor De Phillippi has suggested his initial spin into the gravel led to an unforeseen effect on the car’s balance which accompanied his contact into the concrete barrier.

Last Sunday’s IMSA SportsCar Weekend at the famed Road America venue was a challenging weekend for the BMW M Team RLL as both GTP entries retired for the first time this year.

Whilst the #24 managed only 55 laps before reliability issues put a stop to their running, the #25 did not pass the opening green flag due to an off-track excursion on the formation lap, followed by contact into the concrete wall at Turn 11 which stopped the BMW shortly afterwards.

De Phillippi, who was driving the #25 BMW M Hybrid V8 at the time, explained: “In the formation lap, unfortunately, I spun while trying to warm up the cold tyres and ended up in the gravel.

“The marshals pulled me out, and I was able to continue. It seems that the action significantly altered the balance of my car, which I didn’t notice at first.

“It was only when I had overtaken all the GTD vehicles and went through ‘The Kink’ at full speed for the first time that I suddenly lost the rear of the car and hit the wall.

“Fortunately, I’m okay, but I feel really sorry for the entire team. However, I’m confident that we will come out stronger from this experience.”

The #25 entry inherited their first GTP win at the 6 Hours of the Glen, and De Phillippi and teammate Nick Yelloly secured third place at the Chevrolet Grand Prix, which meant they held second in championship heading into Road America.

The fight still remains close, and they only fall to third on 2098 points, although just 45 points ahead of the nearest three cars behind them in the standings.

Andreas Roos, Head of BMW M Motorsport, added: “That was a very disappointing race for BMW M Team RLL and BMW M Motorsport.

“Losing the (#25) car shortly after the start, which was in second place in the championship, is tough.

“The GTP prototypes are particularly challenging to drive on cold tyres, as we have seen throughout the season.

“Such things can happen, even though it’s very frustrating. That’s racing.

“The #24 car had an issue with its electronics. We still need to analyse exactly what happened.

“Although we are all disappointed today, we will work hard from tomorrow onwards to get back to our proven strength at the next race in Indianapolis.

“We had a good test there and are accordingly confident.”

Their debut GTP season has not been without its struggles as BMW sit last in the GTP Manufacturers’ Championship Standings.

Following a positive outing at the recent Indianapolis test, their efforts remain on ironing out reliability issues in order to contest for podiums at the final two races of 2023, the latter of which is the grueling 10-hour-long Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta.

BMW has signed Robin Frijns to its factory driver programme, and will take a role in testing the German manufacturer’s M Hybrid V8 prototype, which Frijns’s current team WRT will race in the FIA World Endurance Championship ‘s Hypercar class next year.

Frijns previously raced in Formula BMW Europe, and won the title in 2010, the series’ last year of operation. Since then, he’s raced in a variety of machinery, making a name for himself as a works Audi driver in DTM and GT3 racing.

BMW, meanwhile, has been ramping up its squad of factory drivers, ready for its WEC assault next year together with WRT. In particular, the Munich manufacturer has signed many former Audi drivers, and Frijns’ former teammates, including Dries Vanthoor, Rene Rast, and Charles Weerts. 

Additionally, BMW has other drivers on its roster, including Sheldon van der Linde, Maxime Martin, and new Formula E world champion Jake Dennis. The final lineup for the programme has not been confirmed, but is extremely likely to include Frijns.

Frijns has been racing in the WEC this year, in the #41 WRT Oreca 07-Gibson, alongside Sean Galael and Ferdinand Habsburg. The trio lie eighth in the standings, with 52 points. Frijns, Habsburg and former teammate Charles Milesi won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2021 with WRT, along with the LMP2 title.

He’s also been racing in Formula E for Abt Sportsline this year, but it has not been a successful year for the Dutchman, scoring just six points. He was also injured on the opening lap of the season opener and spent four races on the sidelines recovering. For next season he is heading back to Envision, his former team, to replace Jaguar-bound Nick Cassidy. MotorsportWeek.com has learnt this is in part due to Frijns’s new BMW contract.

“With his versatility and wealth of experience in prototype racing, Robin Frijns is a fantastic addition to our squad of works drivers”, said Andreas Roos, head of BMW M Motorsport.

“He will initially be involved in the test programme with the BMW M Hybrid V8 for WEC. He knows the team and the race series very well and can certainly make a valuable contribution to a successful preparation for the 2024 season. 

A glance at his previous successes shows that Frijns is also an extremely good GT driver. However, we will make a decision regarding any possible race outings at a later date. First of all, we are very pleased to have him with us in the BMW M Motorsport family.”

Frijns, meanwhile, said: “It is fantastic to return to BMW M Motorsport after so many years – the place it all started for me in Formula BMW Europe. I am looking forward to the new challenges, which will include being part of the test programme for the WEC entry in 2024 with the BMW M Hybrid V8. 

“The prospect of driving this car and, in doing so, becoming part of a new golden era of motor racing is great motivation.”

WRT has completed its first test with the BMW M Hybrid V8 Hypercar, which the team will race next year in the FIA World Endurance Championship as part of a works operation for BMW.

The test took place at the Motorland Aragon circuit in Spain, and was completed successfully over the course of three days, with no issues reported by the team or BMW. This allowed the team to collect important valuable data which will assist in the running of further tests.

As well as running in the daylight, the team were able to run the car at night and in adverse weather conditions, allowing more data to be generated and analysed.

Multiple drivers drove the car, including BMW works drivers Jesse Krohn, Dries Vanthoor, Sheldon van der Linde, and Maxime Martin, plus BMW junior drivers Dan Harper and Max Hesse. BMW says as many works drivers will test the car as possible over the ‘numerous additional tests’ as the team and manufacturer prepares for its WEC debut with the car in March 2024.

“The past week was a very good start to our WEC preparation programme,” said Andreas Roos, the head of BMW M Motorsport. 

“The BMW M Hybrid V8 ran smoothly during the first test drives and provided our engineers and the team with the opportunity to gain a wealth of insights right from the start. Many thanks to everyone at BMW M Motorsport in Munich and BMW M Team WRT for making this successful start possible. 

Of course, the experiences we have gathered together with BMW M Team RLL in the IMSA series races have also contributed to this. At the beginning of the LMDh programme, we deliberately chose to compete exclusively in the IMSA series first and later in the FIA WEC. 

“We are now benefiting from this approach. Although the start was successful, there is still a lot of work to be done on the way to the first races. We are all highly motivated for the work throughout the rest of the year.”

Meanwhile, Vincent Voose, WRT team principal, said: “It is a big step and a step that we all have worked very hard for. It is a milestone for the team.

“Being at Le Mans has always been a goal for the team but being at Le Mans representing a manufacturer like BMW in the top category is a dream come true. 

“And I have the feeling that we have the best manufacturer behind us. And the best group of people – the team. The guys did an excellent job building and preparing the car. The rollout went well and then we had the days of testing without any issues and good feedback. 

“It has been an important first step in the preparation for the 2024 season so I am looking forward to it and I want to say a big thank you to all the guys who are involved in this.”

The BMW M Hybrid V8 is similar to the old Class 1 DTM cars from the German championship in terms of driving style, Sheldon van der Linde and Philipp Eng told MotorsportWeek.com.

“I’m lucky enough to have driven the BMW DTM Class 1 car in 2019 and 2020, which is really helped my driving style in this carl, because I feel like those cars are very similar in driving style, – that car even had a bit more downforce. It’s always nice to kind of come from the top and work your way down indownforce levels, as opposed to opposite way,” van der Linde said.

He added, “I think the Class 1 experience also helped them select me for this programme in the first place.”

The Class 1 DTM cars were retired from competition after 2020, as manufacturers, including Audi and Mercedes, left the series to concentrate on other efforts. This left BMW as the only remaining manufacturer, so with the death of Class 1, the series switched to GT3 machinery for 2021 and beyond.

Meanwhile, the South African’s BMW teammate both in DTM and now in IMSA, Philipp Eng, “The car is similar to the old Class 1 DTM car from the past, in terms of downforce and weight,” Eng said, indicating that this had helped him adapt to the M Hybrid V8’s driving style.

In terms of the hybrid unit in the prototype car, Eng also said he was drawing on past experience. “Well, I think I have a slight advantage, because I was test and reserve driver for a BMW in Formula E. I drove the simulator a lot.I had a lot of time to talk to the engineers about how all the systems work,” said the Austrian.

“And to be fair, I’ve learned quite a lot there about regen and how brake by wire works. So this definitely helps me here, even though it’s a hybrid car. But some systems, you know, they have a slight crossover,” he continued.

The BMW M Hybrid V8 is down on pace compared to the other GTP cars in the 24 Hours of Daytona, say BMW Team RLL’s drivers – but they also aren’t too concerned about it impacting their race prospects.

“We were still lacking a bit of pace in qualifying, I think that’s pretty clear for everyone to see, so hoping in the race we can kind of pull that back a bit,” Sheldon van der Linde told MotorsportWeek.com. The two RLL-run cars will start seventh and eighth for the race, some seven or eight tenths off the ultimate pace, and only in front of the #7 Porsche 963, which did not set a time in qualifying.

“I think the race should be a lot better, we just need to be reliable as well. I don’t think it’s going to be a race of pace, but more who can just stay out of the garage for the least amount of time. If we can do that I think we should be pretty good for a nice result ,” the South African continued. 

Unfortunately for BMW, the car’s relative lack of pace compared to its rivals isn’t exactly a secret. ““BMW seems to be a little behind pace but they will absolutely catch back. They are a great manufacturer and they will learn really quick so over the year we will see who has the best reliability,” #60 Meyer Shank Acura driver Filipe Albuquerque told MotorsportWeek.com.

In terms of reliability, the 2021 DTM champion said the Roar was great. “I think the Roar’s been really good in terms of reliability. We haven’t really had any issues in the last two weeks, which has been really good,” said the 23-year-old. “Given that the car, at least the #25, is still pretty new, that was only rolled out a few days before the Roar, so credit to the guys for that,” he added.

However, BMW also had the least amount of testing time compared to the other GTP teams, and van der Linde indicated this is showing at Daytona. “It’s been a short lead up to this race. To be honest, all of us would have liked to be able to do a bit more testing. I think it’s pretty clear that Porsche have done six months more than us. I think that shows on pace at least but in reliability, we’ve been good for the last two weeks so that’s a positive for us.”

However, van der Linde’s BMW teammate in the #24, Philipp Eng, said the team has made progress since the Roar, for practice and qualifying, last week. “I think we’ve made a huge step from the Roar, coming into race week. We made a few setup changes which went very well. So, we are learning very quickly with the car,” he told MotorsportWeek.com reporters.

When pressed on what those setup changes were, the Austrian said, “mostly on driveability. When you’re going into a 24 hour race, the car needs to handle predictably, so you can predict what the car needs and how you should react to it. This was not so much the case at the Roar, but when we went out yesterday, it was much, much better.”

In terms of race prospects meanwhile, IndyCar star Colton Herta – who will drive both the #24 and #25 M Hybrid V8s during the course of the race – told MotorsportWeek.com, “it’s going to be a race of attrition. I’m not really worried on where we’re at until probably the last four hours or so. Hopefully we can just keep our nose clean and not have any problems. That’s going to be the key this year to winning.”