BMW M Team RLL is bringing the heat with eight BMW M works drivers in two LMDh cars and a host of Customer Race teams running BMW M4s.
During the qualifying session after the ‘Roar before the 24’ test weekend, Connor De Phillippi nailed it, securing the #25 BMW M Hybrid V8 in the fourth starting position. Jesse Krohn, in the #24 sister car, landed in eighth place. But there’s more – five more BMW M works drivers will be tearing up the track in the two BMW M4 GT3s competing in the GTD categories.
De Phillippi, just 0.366 seconds off pole position, is all set for the race from the second row. He’s joined by Nick Yelloly, Maxime Martin, and René Rast in the cockpit. Krohn, along with Philipp Eng, Augusto Farfus, and Dries Vanthoor, will be commanding the #24 BMW M Hybrid V8.
Over at Paul Miller Racing, three BMW M works drivers, Madison Snow, Neil Verhagen, and Sheldon van der Linde, team up with Bryan Sellers in the #1 BMW M4 GT3 in the GTD-PRO class. They’re revving up from the twelfth position in their category. Turner Motorsport, featuring Robby Foley and Jens Klingmann, is all set in the #96 BMW M4 GT3 in the GTD class, with Patrick Gallagher and Jake Walker. They’re starting from the 16th position in their category.
The 24-hour race kicks off on Saturday, January 27th, at 13:40 local time (19:40 CET), and don’t miss the BMW M Endurance Challenge on Friday, January 26th, at 13:45 local time (19:45 CET). The IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season opener promises excitement, with five BMW M4 GT4s ready to roar on the starting grid for the 4-hour race.
BMW Customer Race Teams
In the upcoming BMW M Endurance Challenge At Daytona on January 26th, we’ll see five BMW M4 GT4 racing cars revving up from four awesome BMW customer racing teams. This marks the kickoff for the 2024 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season. BMW of North America has been sponsoring this race since 2012, and this year is the 12th consecutive one.
The teams hitting the track are CarBAhn Motorsports, Random Vandals Racing, Stephen Cameron Racing, and Turner Motorsport. Leading the race will be a Signal Green M3 CS, with an XM Hybrid Label carrying the Grand Marshal, Sylvia Neubauer, Vice President Sales and Marketing BMW M. By the way, the BMW XM Label boasts a whopping 748 horsepower, making it the most powerful BMW M model ever offered. The race will kick off with Jochen Neepasch, BMW Motorsport’s first-ever director (1972 – 1979), waving the green flag.
Now, let’s talk results. The first two rounds of the 2024 IMSA VP Challenge Championship were intense. In Round 1, Gregory Liefooghe of Stephen Cameron Racing’s BMW M4 GT4 narrowly missed the top spot. Round 2 had a late-race twist, but Liefooghe secured third place, making it two podium finishes for BMW in the first two rounds.
In the driver lineup news, Madison Snow joins BMW NA as an official driver, returning to Paul Miller Racing and the No. 1 BMW M4 GT3 in the GTD PRO class. Robby Foley and Bill Auberlen are also in the lineup, continuing their impressive racing careers with BMW.
Exciting developments off the track too. BMW NA has rolled out its first mobile parts distribution center at Daytona, ensuring that BMW Customer Racing teams have the support they need during events throughout the 2024 season.
Looking back at the 2023 season, BMW had a stellar performance. The BMW M4 GT4 and M4 GT3 clinched titles in various categories, and Bryan Sellers and Madison Snow secured the GT Daytona Driver championship.
