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Laguna Seca (USA), 08-11 May 2025. IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, IWSC, #25 BMW M Hybrid V8, GTP, LMDh, BMW M Team RLL, Marco Wittmann, Sheldon van der Linde.

IMSA: Pole position and podium finish for the BMW M Hybrid V8 again at Laguna Seca.

Jeff Seabrook 2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Monday May 12, 2025

The impressive streak in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IWSC) continued at Laguna Seca. Dries Vanthoor in the BMW M Team RLL #24 BMW M Hybrid V8 once again was the fastest man in qualifying. He claimed his and teammate Philipp Eng’s fourth pole position in as many races this season. In the race itself, the #24 car battled for victory right up to the end and secured third place after a dramatic finish.

Andrea Schwab
BMW Group

Laguna Seca. The impressive streak in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IWSC) continued at Laguna Seca (USA). Dries Vanthoor (BEL) in the BMW M Team RLL #24 BMW M Hybrid V8 once again was the fastest man in qualifying. He claimed his and teammate Philipp Eng’s (AUT) fourth pole position in as many races this season. In the race itself, the #24 car battled for victory right up to the end and secured third place after a dramatic finish. This marks the second podium of the IMSA season for Vanthoor/Eng, following their result at Long Beach (USA). In the #25 BMW M Hybrid V8, Marco Wittmann (GER) and Sheldon van der Linde (RSA) also delivered a strong performance, taking fourth place – their best result of the season so far.

At the start of the two-hour and 40-minute race, Vanthoor maintained the lead and held a several-second advantage over the field for the first 50 minutes. Only when lapped traffic began to factor in were the chasing cars able to close the gap, kicking off a tight battle for the top three. After a late first pit stop, Eng rejoined the race in third place with car #24. Both he and later Vanthoor managed to stay close to the leading two Porsches. In a tense and uninterrupted final phase without any full course yellows to neutralise the field, the outcome remained wide open. Vanthoor was only a few tenths of a second behind in third place, waiting for his opportunity to attack. In a dramatic fight for the win, he was touched in the final corner and spun off the track. Nonetheless, Vanthoor was able to get the #24 car going again and cross the finish line in third.

In the sister car #25, van der Linde and Wittmann also confirmed the competitiveness of the BMW M Hybrid V8. Starting from sixth on the grid, they pursued an alternate strategy and made an early first pit stop, which initially dropped them further down the field. However, after around 90 minutes of racing, Wittmann climbed from seventh to fourth within just a few laps. The #25 ultimately crossed the line right behind its sibling car, rounding off a strong showing for BMW M Team RLL with fourth place.

The BMW M4 GT3 EVO crews faced a tough race at Laguna Seca. In the GTD-Pro class, Dan Harper (GBR) and Max Hesse (GER) took fifth place in the #48 car from Paul Miller Racing. Their teammates Madison Snow and Neil Verhagen (both USA) were tenth in the #1 car. In the GTD class, the #96 BMW M4 GT3 EVO from Turner Motorsport, driven by Robby Foley and Patrick Gallagher (both USA), finished ninth.

Comments after the race:

Spa-Francorchamps (BEL), 7th to 10th May 2025. BMW M Motorsport, FIA World Endurance Championship, FIA WEC, BMW M Team WRT, Hypercar, LMDh, hybrid, #15 BMW M Hybrid V8, Kevin Magnussen, Raffaele Marciello.

FIA WEC in Spa: Highs and lows for BMW M Motorsport on the Ardennes rollercoaster.

Jeff Seabrook 2025 FIA WEC Saturday May 10, 2025

The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps (BEL) is known as the Ardennes rollercoaster, and BMW M Motorsport experienced an emotional rollercoaster of its own there this weekend. At the third round of the 2025 FIA WEC and the home round for BMW M Team WRT, the “6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps,” both BMW M Hybrid V8s once again demonstrated their potential following the podium finish in Imola (ITA). This time, however, it went unrewarded.

Andrea Schwab
BMW Group

Spa-Francorchamps. The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps (BEL) is known as the Ardennes rollercoaster, and BMW M Motorsport experienced an emotional rollercoaster of its own there this weekend. At the third round of the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) and the home round for BMW M Team WRT, the “6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps,” both BMW M Hybrid V8s once again demonstrated their potential following the podium finish in Imola (ITA). This time, however, it went unrewarded. The #20 Hypercar was in the fight for another podium finish until shortly before the end. A slow puncture set the car back before it had to retire for safety reasons due to a brake issue. The #15 BMW M Hybrid V8 also showed strong performance, but, after an eventful six hours, it was only enough for tenth place.

With perfect spring weather and an impressive crowd of nearly 100,000 spectators over the weekend, the stage was set for an exciting FIA WEC race. Each of the two BMW M Hybrid V8 cars was driven by a duo instead of the usual trio. Kevin Magnussen (DEN) and Raffaele Marciello (SUI) drove the #15, while René Rast (GER) and Robin Frijns (NED) shared driving duties in the #20. Their teammates Dries Vanthoor (BEL) and Sheldon van der Linde (RSA) are competing this weekend with the BMW M Hybrid V8 in the North American IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship at Laguna Seca (USA).

At the start, Magnussen sprinted from 11th on the grid into the top five with the #15 before handing over to Marciello. In the eventful race that followed, with several safety car periods, the car, however, was set back by two drive-through penalties. Rast initially ran outside the top ten in the #20, but he and Frijns made steady progress thanks to a strong performance and good strategy. Frijns eventually pushed the BMW M Hybrid V8 into podium contention with bold moves. But half an hour before the end, he had to return to the pits due to brake problems, and the team decided not to send the car back out.

Even though the race outcome did not meet expectations, BMW M Motorsport and BMW M Team WRT gathered valuable data in preparation for the season highlight – the 24 Hours of Le Mans (FRA). The endurance classic at the Sarthe will be held as the fourth round of the 2025 FIA WEC on 14th /15th June.

In the LMGT3 class, the crews of both BMW M4 GT3 EVOs had a difficult weekend. Ahmad Al Harthy (OMA), Valentino Rossi (ITA) and Kelvin van der Linde (RSA), who had narrowly missed out on victory in Imola with a second-place finish, came ninth in class with the Team WRT #46 car. The race ended early for the #31 The Bend Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 EVO during the second hour. Following contact, damage occurred in the suspension area, and the trio of Augusto Farfus (BRA), Timur Boguslavskiy and Yasser Shahin (AUS) had to retire.

Comments after the race:

Le Castellet (FRA), 11-12 April 2025. GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS, SRO, Circuit Paul Ricard, #98 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, ROWE Racing, Augusto Farfus, Raffaele Marciello, Jesse Krohn.

24h Spa-Francorchamps: Eleven BMW M4 GT3 EVO cars enter the endurance classic race.

Jeff Seabrook 2025 Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Tuesday May 6, 2025

BMW M Motorsport will compete with a star-studded line-up at the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps (BEL) on the last weekend of June. A total of eleven BMW M4 GT3 EVO cars will be on the starting grid at the world's largest GT3 race.

Laura Claesgens

BMW Group

Munich. BMW M Motorsport will compete with a star-studded line-up at the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps (BEL) on the last weekend of June. A total of eleven BMW M4 GT3 EVO cars will be on the starting grid at the world's largest GT3 race. In addition to the two Pro Cup cars that compete throughout the entire Endurance Cup season of the GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS, three more BMW M4 GT3 EVO cars with nine BMW M works drivers in the cockpits will compete in the highest category for BMW's 26^th overall victory. A particularly notable trio will be in car #46: Valentino Rossi (ITA), Kevin Magnussen (DEN), and René Rast (GER).

"72hellride": Three 24-Hour races, two pairs of brothers

“72hellride”: Three 24-Hour races, two pairs of brothers – a film documentary about the wild ride of June 2024.

Jeff Seabrook 2025 FIA WEC Tuesday April 29, 2025

“72hellride.” The three biggest 24-hour races in the world – within just one month. Right in the middle of it all is BMW M Motorsport and two pairs of racing brothers navigating the tension between family and competition on the track. This one-hour documentary vividly and emotionally captures June 2024 and its legendary endurance events at the Nürburgring (GER), Le Mans (FRA), and Spa-Francorchamps (BEL).

Andrea Schwab
BMW Group

Munich. “72hellride.” The three biggest 24-hour races in the world – within just one month. Right in the middle of it all is BMW M Motorsport and two pairs of racing brothers navigating the tension between family and competition on the track. This one-hour documentary vividly and emotionally captures June 2024 and its legendary endurance events at the Nürburgring (GER), Le Mans (FRA), and Spa-Francorchamps (BEL). Central to the story are Sheldon and Kelvin van der Linde (both RSA), as well as Dries and Laurens Vanthoor (both BEL). The film has been available since 14th April 2025 on Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube Movies, and Apple TV.