Paul Miller Racing BMW Wins Strategic GTD Pro Battle
Photo: Brandon Badraoui/IMSA
BMW outfit Paul Miller Racing claimed GTD Pro class victory in the Rolex 24 at Daytona after coming out on top of a tense strategic battle against 75 Express.
The No. 1 BMW M4 GT3 EVO shared by Connor De Phillippi, Dan Harper, Max Hesse and Neil Verhagen triumphed by a margin of just 2.223 seconds over the No. 75 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo of Kenny Habul, Will Power, Chaz Mostert and Maro Engel.
Heading into the final 90 minutes of a race punctuated by a caution period in the night-time hours lasting more than six hours due to fog, Engel appeared to be in a strong position to capture victory having passed several cars on-track.
However, at the last round of pit stops with one hour and 20 minutes to go, Paul Miller turned around Harper 13 seconds faster than 75 Express managed with Engel, giving Harper a small cushion he was able to manage to the finish.
As well having to conserve fuel, Harper faced the additional challenge of not having a working radio for the run to the flag, but managed to hang on to secure BMW’s first Rolex 24 win in the GTD Pro class and its first in any class since the 2020 edition.
It marked Paul Miller Racing’s first triumph since it won the 2020 race in GTD with Lamborghini, as well as De Phillippi’s second Rolex 24 win following his 2019 triumph in GTLM — and the second consecutive WeatherTech Championship win for he, Hesse and Harper, following on from their triumph in last year’s Motul Petit Le Mans.
Despite missing out on victory, 75 Express nonetheless completed a strong comeback having lost multiple laps early on due to penalties.
The final place on the podium went to the No. 48 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG of Scott Noble, Jason Hart, Maxime Martin and Luca Stolz.
Corvette Racing had looked like a strong bet for victory for much of the race, its pair of Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs running 1-2 when the race resumed after the prolonged fog-induced caution, but saw its chances fade in the morning hours.
The first blow arrived when the No. 3 Corvette of Antonio Garcia suffered right-rear suspension failure with just over five hours on the clock, losing 45 minutes.
When the race went under caution for the ninth and final time, a result of the No. 64 Ford Mustang GT3 expiring in a cloud of smoke, the No. 4 Corvette led the way, but lost the advantage to the Paul Miller BMW in the pits before Nico Varrone lost positions as a result of being forced off track by James Calado’s Triarsi Competizione Ferrari.
The incident, for which Calado was penalized, prompted the No. 4 Corvette crew to go off-strategy, short-filling at the penultimate stop, but a longer final stop meant Varrone finished fifth together with Nicky Catsburg and Tommy Milner.
Manthey came away with a top-five on its WeatherTech Championship debut with the Grello-liveried No. 911 Porsche 911 GT3 R shared by Thomas Preining, Klaus Bachler, Ricardo Feller and Ayhancan Guven.
Pfaff Motorsports faded from fourth to sixth late on in the No. 9 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo driven by Mirko Bortolotti, Andrea Caldarelli, James Hinchcliffe and Sandy Mitchell on what was the car’s final WeatherTech Championship race as the marque’s flagship GT3 machine before it is superseded by the new Temerario GT3.
The sole surviving Mustang GT3, the No. 65 car of Seb Priaulx, Christopher Mies and Frederic Vervisch, was seventh ahead of the No. 033 Triarsi Competizione Ferrari, which was the final car to finish on the lead lap.
Besides the No. 64 Mustang, the only other non-finisher in the GTD Pro class the No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari, which was involved in a collision with the No. 033 car early in the race while Daniel Serra was at the wheel.
Winward Racing Wins in GTD After Thrilling Magnus Racing Duel
A frenetic battle for GTD honors culminated in victory for the No. 57 Winward Racing machine of Philip Ellis, Russell Ward, Indy Dontje and Lucas Auer.
That followed a wheel-to-wheel battle between Ellis and the Magnus Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo of Nicki Thiim that raged for much of the final hour and included multiple instances of contact between the two drivers.
Thiim led into the final hour, having earlier passed the No. 27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin of Mattia Drudi — only to then be closed in on rapidly by Ellis, who found a way by at Turn 6 and into the Le Mans chicane after slight contact between the two leaders.
That was the opening salvo in a ferocious battle that peaked when Ellis touched Thiim as the pair ran side-by-side on the start/finish straight, for which Ellis was given a warning.
The Swiss driver was able to hold firm and hang on to win by 1.367 seconds after rebuffing another late attack from Thiim at Turn 1.
Aston Martin made it two cars on the podium with the pole-winning No. 27 Vantage GT3 of Drudi, Tom Gamble, Zach Robichon and Eduardo Barrichello, followed by the No. 13 Autosport Corvette of Orey Fidani, Matt Bell, Lars Kern and Ben Green.
That was despite Green being turned around in a late battle with the Turner Motorsport BMW of Robby Foley, who was awarded a penalty for both that and then a subsequent pit stop infraction for an improperly attired crew member.
The top five was completed by the No. 21 AF Corse Ferrari that was a contender for much of the race but appeared to lack the pace of the frontrunners in the closing stages.
DXDT Racing’s No. 36 Corvette also appeared to be a strong contender for victory in the morning hours after the long fog-induced delay, only to drop out of contention with a gearbox leak that led to the car’s eventual retirement.
Both the Myers Riley and Gradient Racing Mustang GT3s were non-finishers, the latter due to a holed radiator, along with the Wright Motorsports Porsche that was involved in an early incident with the AF Corse LMP2 car that led Adam Adelson to be taken to hospital as a precaution, although he escaped injury.
RS1’s Porsche was the only other DNF in the GTD ranks owing to Eric Zitza’s early crash against the wall at pit exit.
RESULTS: Rolex 24 at Daytona
Source: Sports Car 365