RLL to Revert to Backup No. 25 BMW After De Phillippi Crash

Photo: Jake Galstad/IMSA

BMW M Team RLL will revert to a backup car for its No. 25 GTP class entry in Sunday’s Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen following Connor De Phillippi’s crash in second practice at Watkins Glen International.

The car will miss qualifying for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship round as a result.

De Phillippi made heavy contact with the barriers at the exit of Turn 1 in the closing moments of the session, sustaining damage to the car that could not be be fixed on-site, according to a BMW spokesperson.

It has resulted in the team reverting to its test car, which is located at its shop in Indianapolis.

The spokesperson confirmed that the car left Rahal Letterman Lanigan’s headquarters around 3 p.m. EDT for the 600-mile, ten-hour trip to Upstate New York, and is expected to arrive in the early morning hours of Sunday.

Per IMSA rules, components of the crashed car, including the powertrain, must then be transferred into the spare chassis.

It’s unclear if the De Phillippi and Nick Yelloly-driven entry, which won last year’s race, will be given any hardship laps prior to the 11:10 a.m. EDT start time on Sunday, with no warmup session scheduled.

Source: Sports Car 365