BMW M4 GT3 Celebrates Class Victory And Podium Finish At IMSA Road America

Published: Monday, August 5, 2024, 23:51 [IST]

Mixed emotions were evident for BMW M Motorsport teams after the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race at Road America. The BMW M Team RLL faced a tough weekend with their two BMW M Hybrid V8s, while Turner Motorsport celebrated a class victory in the GTD category.

Turner Motorsport's win in the GTD category marked a significant moment. Robby Foley and Patrick Gallagher, both from the USA, ended a long dry spell for the team. Their last victory was in 2022 at Mid-Ohio. This was also the first triumph of the current IMSA season for the BMW M4 GT3.

Their success followed previous podium finishes this season, including second place at Long Beach and third at Laguna Seca. This positions Foley and Gallagher favourably in the GTD drivers' standings.

Paul Miller Racing also had reasons to celebrate with a second-place finish in the GTD PRO category. Madison Snow and Bryan Sellers, both from the USA, secured their first podium since finishing third at the 24 Hours of Daytona earlier this season.

This result marked an end to a challenging period for Paul Miller Racing, providing a much-needed boost to their campaign.

Challenges for BMW M Team RLL

The BMW M Team RLL did not achieve their desired results with their two BMW M Hybrid V8s. Philipp Eng from Austria and Jesse Krohn from Finland missed qualifying due to an accident during practice but managed to climb from the back of the GTP class field to finish seventh.

Connor De Phillippi from the USA and Nick Yelloly from Great Britain were initially in contention for podium positions. However, Yelloly lost control of his car, slid into a track barrier, and had to retire from the race. Fortunately, he was uninjured.

New Partnership Announcement

BMW M Motorsport announced Champion Ignition as an Official Partner. The new logo will feature on both BMW M Hybrid V8s in IMSA series and René Rast’s BMW M4 GT3 in DTM. Franciscus van Meel, CEO of BMW M GmbH, expressed excitement about this collaboration.

Ananth Parameswaran, Vice President and General Manager of Champion Ignition, highlighted that this partnership would enhance awareness and build excitement around Champion’s brand heritage in racing.

Comments After The Race

Andreas Roos, Head of BMW M Motorsport, expressed disappointment over not achieving the hoped-for breakthrough with their BMW M Hybrid V8 crews at Road America. He acknowledged that despite good practice sessions, they couldn't convert them into results.

"The #24 car managed an improvement from the very back of the GTP starting grid to seventh place after missing qualifying," said Roos. He also congratulated Turner Motorsport on their class win and Paul Miller Racing on their second place in GTD PRO class.

Jesse Krohn commented on their strategy after missing qualifying: "We were obviously on the backfoot and tried a strategy that would move us forward." Despite showing good pace on a clear track, they could only manage seventh place due to unfavourable yellow phases.

"There's not much to say about my accident," stated Nick Yelloly. "I went a bit too far on the curb on cold tyres; luckily I wasn't hurt."

Driver Reactions

"What a great day for the entire team!" exclaimed Robby Foley after winning first place in the GTD class with Turner Motorsport. He expressed immense happiness for giving his team this victory after several ups and downs during the race.

"We stayed strong in this turbulent race," said Madison Snow regarding their second-place finish in GTD PRO class. He praised his team's efforts in keeping themselves within the leading group throughout the race.

The recent performances have provided optimism for these teams as they look forward to more successes in upcoming races this season.