BMW M Team RLL Wins at Indy!
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by BMW M Team RLL has ended its long winning drought with an exceptional week at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Just days after the BMW M Hybrid V8 secured its first podium finish in the FIA World Endurance Championship, the LMDh car triumphed with an impressive 1-2 finish in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
During the 6-hour race at Indianapolis (USA), Philipp Eng (AUT) and Jesse Krohn (FIN) in the #24 BMW M Hybrid V8 edged out their teammates Connor De Phillippi (USA) and Nick Yelloly (GBR). This marked their inaugural 1-2 finish since joining the GTP class and their first victory of the current season.
At their home event, close to company headquarters, BMW M Team RLL reached a significant milestone following a difficult season. The team navigated challenging conditions at the “Battle on the Bricks,” which began with rain and transitioned to a drying track. They maintained flawless performance and made strategic decisions that paid off. Notably, the #24 team was the first to switch to slicks among the top contenders, positioning themselves ahead. In the final laps, both BMW M Hybrid V8s fended off competitors amidst dense traffic, ensuring that victory belonged to them. Eng and Krohn not only celebrated their maiden win but also their first podium finish in the IMSA series’ top class. Previously, De Phillippi and Yelloly had secured the only other GTP category win during the 2023 season at Watkins Glen (USA).
In the GTD class, Turner Motorsport earned another podium with Robby Foley, Patrick Gallagher, and Jake Walker (all USA) driving the #96 BMW M4 GT3 to second place. In the GTD PRO category, Madison Snow, Bryan Sellers, and Neil Verhagen (all USA) in the #1 BMW M4 GT3 from Paul Miller Racing finished in eighth place.
Andreas Roos (Head of BMW M Motorsport): “This has been an incredibly successful week for our LMDh programme with the first podium in the FIA WEC and the first one-two finish in the IMSA series. Congratulations to BMW M Team RLL, which, despite the difficult season so far, has continued to push together with our BMW M Motorsport engineers, making this great success possible. I am very pleased that we have now managed to convert the potential that our BMW M Hybrid V8 has shown frequently this season into corresponding top results twice in a row. This is the deserved reward and a great motivation for everyone involved in our LMDh project. Congratulations also to Turner Motorsport for another podium in the GTD class, where the team is having an outstanding season with the BMW M4 GT3.”
Bobby Rahal (Team Principal BMW M Team RLL): “This is a great day for us. I’m happy for everyone on our team, but even more for our joint project with BMW M Motorsport. We’ve had good and bad days this season, kept fighting, and never gave up. Now we have rewarded ourselves with this one-two result – right here, on one of the best racetracks in the world. I am incredibly happy.”
Philipp Eng (#24 BMW M Hybrid V8, 1st place): “I am almost speechless. I am extremely happy for everyone at BMW M Motorsport and BMW M Team RLL. Everyone has more than earned this success. For me personally, this win is very emotional because I have experienced hard times here in North America when the hoped-for results just didn’t come. Today was our day. Now it’s time to celebrate.”
Jesse Krohn (#24 BMW M Hybrid V8, 1st place): “This is my eleventh year with BMW M Motorsport, and now I stand here, at one of the most legendary places in motorsport, having won a race in the top class. That is incredible. I am very grateful for the journey I have been allowed to take all this time. I have now won in every race car that BMW M Motorsport has put me in.”
Nick Yelloly (#25 BMW M Hybrid V8, 2nd place): “What a fantastic team result! I am incredibly happy for the team, which after a good season in 2023 with a win and five podiums had to go through hard times this year. To be able to reward them with this one-two result is great. I am also happy for Philipp and Jesse, who really deserved their first win.”
Connor De Phillippi (#25 BMW M Hybrid V8, 2nd place): “A phenomenal weekend for the entire team. We all did a great job together, and everyone contributed their part to this success. The first one-two for the BMW M Hybrid V8 is fantastic, even though I would have liked a different order, of course. But as long as one of our cars is at the very front, everything is great!”
