BMW hails Rolex 24 as a success after GTD Pro win, GTP podium

BMW’s 2026 Rolex 24 At Daytona has been hailed as a success by the brand after the combination of Paul Miller Racing and Team WRT delivered two standout results in two classes.

The headline was Paul Miller’s success in GTD Pro, with its No. 1 M4 GT3 Evo coming out on top in the tough-as-nails GT3-based category. Dan Harper crossed the line just 2.2s clear of the 75 Express Mercedes-AMG, which formed part of a double podium for BMW's rival brand that was completed by the No. 48 entry from the team that went on to win the GTD class, Winward Racing.

Early on in the race, Corvette Racing appeared to be in control with both its Z06 GT3.Rs, but neither Pratt Miller car would end up on the podium. The No. 3 suffered a suspension issue, and the No. 4 was shoved off the circuit at a late race restart, which could drop the car outside of the top five.

That paved the way for a redemption story for the Paul Miller team. Back at Daytona, a year on from the messy scrap with Corvette that ended with the iconic image of Tommy Milner flipping the bird to Augusto Farfus, the team returned with a single car. Scaling back its effort didn’t prevent the team from executing a race strategy that worked perfectly though, and its formidable line-up of Dan Harper, Max Hesse, Connor de Phillippi and Neil Verhagen flourished.

“The team throughout the whole race were doing a great job managing all the pit stops. The strategy was always good,” said Harper, who was in for the final chunk of the race when the pressure was at its highest.

“We decided to go full push, I think it was my second-to-last stint. I came out a good bit behind the three leaders, which at that time was the Manthey car, one of the Corvettes, and the Merc, so we decided to go full push behind them, cut the stint short to get enough fuel to get to the end, and just hope there was no yellow where those guys would stop and get fresher tires.

“We took that gamble, and it paid off. We got the track position, which, to be honest, has been really key for us this weekend. We've struggled when we've been behind those cars to get a move done. We've always sort of come close to getting it done, and then maybe on the brakes or the infield section, they'd just gap us a little bit again.

“It was crucial to get that track position for the last stint, and yeah, the boys pulled it off.”

Adding to Paul Miller's GTD Pro triumph, Team WRT managed to take home trophies for third place overall in its first IMSA GTP start with the updated M Hybrid V8.

A solid start for Team WRT with third place in GTP. Brandon Badraoui/IMSA

Winning on debut was always going to be a tough ask for the Belgian team, especially in such a competitive category loaded with factory entries. It is still getting up to speed with both the IMSA ruleset and operating a second flagship factory program from a brand-new base thousands of miles away from its main headquarters, so it would be unfair to expect too much too soon.

That didn’t stop the long-standing, highly decorated team from going for broke in pursuit of silverware, though. Both cars had their moments, but by the end of the race, it was the No. 24 that crossed the finish line first, in third overall with Dries Vanthoor at the wheel. They were unable to take the fight to Penske, but their efforts ensured three different manufacturers were represented on the podium.

“We could not dream of anything better,” Team WRT boss Vincent Vosse told RACER. “Our expectations were not so high after qualifying, but we kept our heads down, and we turned the situation around. To have a competitive car to deliver a podium was great. Both cars could have made it, but unfortunately, we went with a different strategy with the No. 25 that didn’t work for the drivers, who drove a flawless race.

“The biggest learning point is that Porsche has been dominant, and this is what we expected from the first day of the Roar. After Quali, we knew they’d be strong. Luckily, we understood our issues in time for the race and gave ourselves a strong car for the race.

“It wasn’t the fastest, but we were in the fight. At the end, you see how many mistakes and penalties come. You have two races: a 22-hour race, then a 2-hour race, and I feel we ultimately succeeded in both.”

The Rolex 24 provided the LMDh manufacturers with a first test for their updated cars. It’s still very early days, despite the abundance of track time the event offers teams. Nevertheless, Vosse feels that the new-look M Hybrid V8 showed encouraging signs, adding to the team’s confidence ahead of the Sebring 12 Hours and WEC opener at Qatar in March.

“It’s difficult to judge, but I think we made a step,” he concluded. “It’s working, but we need to understand the car. Luckily, we are doing WEC and IMSA, so we are learning twice as fast.”