BMW M Motorsport ended the 2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season with a mix of celebration and frustration at Petit Le Mans. The 10-hour finale at Road Atlanta brought an outstanding victory for Paul Miller Racing’s #48 BMW M4 GT3 EVO in the GTD PRO class – but also a painful late setback for BMW M Team RLL in its final race with the M Hybrid V8.
Paul Miller Racing takes charge
Dan Harper, Max Hesse and Connor De Phillippi were untouchable in the #48 BMW M4 GT3 EVO. Harper started from pole position for the second consecutive year, and the car led for most of the race and rarely appeared to be in danger. The team secured the GTD PRO victory by a comfortable margin, securing the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup title for Harper and Hesse – both in their first full IMSA seasons.
It was a more difficult day for the No. 1 sister car, which fell behind early due to a technical problem and finished ninth. Turner Motorsport’s #96 BMW M4 GT3, driven by Robby Foley, Patrick Gallagher and Jake Walker, finished eighth in GTD.
The BMW victory capped a tough battle in the GTD PRO ranks. Behind the #48 were the Corvette Racing/Pratt & Miller Z06 GT3.R entrants on the podium. Nicky Catsburg, Tommy Milner and Nico Varrone finished second, while Alexander Sims, Antonio Garcia and Daniel Juncadella finished third – enough to secure Sims and Garcia the season title.
A tough farewell for the BMW M Team RLL
For BMW M Team RLL, the race marked the end of a long partnership with BMW M Motorsport. After 17 years, 25 victories and more than 100 podium places, the collaboration ended with another hard-fought race that didn’t go the way the team wanted. The #24 BMW M Hybrid V8, shared by Philipp Eng, Dries Vanthoor and Kevin Magnussen, was in fourth place when a rear right tire puncture occurred just ten minutes before the end. Due to the unscheduled pit stop, they fell back to ninth place at the finish. The number 25 car, driven by Sheldon van der Linde, Marco Wittmann and Robin Frijns, finished eleventh after two drive-through penalties cost them a place on the track.
From 2026, BMW M Team WRT will take over the brand’s GTP program and build on its success with the M4 GT3 in GT racing.
Cadillac wins the race, Porsche takes the title
At the front of the field, the #31 Action Express Racing Cadillac V-Series.R took the overall standings after ten hours of racing, finishing 5.1 seconds ahead of the #23 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Valkyrie LMH, driven by Ross Gunn, Roman De Angelis and Alex Riberas.
Third place went to the #6 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 LMDh of Mathieu Jaminet, Matt Campbell and Laurens Vanthoor – enough to secure Campbell and Jaminet the IMSA SportsCar Championship drivers’ title. Porsche also secured the Manufacturer, Team and Endurance Cup titles in the GTP category, the latter with Nick Tandy and Felipe Nasr in the No. 7 sister car.
Petit Le Mans closed a chapter and opened a new one for BMW in North American endurance racing. The M4 GT3 EVO ended its season as winner, while the M Hybrid V8 left with unfinished business. With BMW M Team WRT set to lead the next phase of BMW’s IMSA campaign, the focus now shifts to 2026 – and the pursuit of further titles.
