The BMW M -Team RLL finally turned into the results in the Road America. After a season of Near Misses, the BMW M Hybrid V8 achieved the first victory of the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship 2025 and added a second place for a good degree. Philipp Eng and Dries Vanthoor first brought the car #24 over the line, followed by Sheldon van der Linde and Marco Wittmann in No. 25. It is a breakthrough for the GTP program after four pole positions and two earlier podium, which did not quite turn out.
Early difficulties, late strategy
Things did not start smoothly. Both BMWs qualified well – second and third – but an incident in the pit lane mixed them backwards. During a routine stopping, a competing prototype contacted that a BMW crew member slightly injured and the team cost valuable time. From there it was damage control. In about an hour before the end, BMW called both cars to achieve its final fuel stops and to lower a yellow flag to reset the race. The caution came and the strategy worked. Eng and Wittmann appeared before the restart after the restart and held it there to the goal, despite detached traffic and pressure from behind.
Paul Miller Racing takes GTD per victory
BMW also won a class victory in GTD Pro. Neil Verhamen and Madison Snow drove the #1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 Evo to first place – their first victory this season and the second for the team. Dan Harper and Max Hessen, who had won in Watkins Glen, were more difficult in sister No. 48 and took seventh place after a shabby race with contact and traffic.
In GTD, Robby Foley and Patrick Gallagher came close to another BMW podium and took fourth place in #96 Turner Motorsport M4 GT3 EVO.
BMW and Rahal to go separate paths after 2025
This result also comes at a turning point. After 17 years, the BMW M Motorsport and Bobby Rahal team will separate at the end of the season. It was one of the most constant partnerships in the IMSA paddock with 24 wins and more than 100 podium. The highlights include Back-to-Back-Daytona 24 victories in 2019 and 2020 with the M8 GTE and a dominant run in the GT class with the M3 GT in 2010 and 2011. In recent times, the M-HYBRID-V8 BMW brought back to the prototype in 2023.
BMW says that it will continue in the Hypercar class in the coming years, but it will not be with Team RLL.
