De Phillippi: Top Five Would Be “Dream Weekend” for M3 Touring

Photo: Gruppe C Photography/BMW

Connor De Phillippi says a top-five overall finish for the unique BMW M3 Touring 24H in the Nürburgring 24 would be a “dream weekend” for the program that started as an April’s Fools joke just over a year ago.

The 2017 N24 winner has teamed up with his IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship co-driver, and fellow American, Neil Verhagen, plus Ugo de Wilde and Jens Klingmann in the unique racer based on the BMW M4 GT3 EVO.

BMW first flirted with the idea of taking an estate/wagon car to the Nordschleife with a post on April 1, 2025, but then made it a reality when the green light was given.

“We kind of got some sniffs of it at the end of last year,” De Phillippi told Sportscar365. “We were told we’re going to drive it in January. When we found out we were going to do it, we were over the moon about it.

“It’s obviously a very, very special car and program and the fact that they built it and did it and it’s performing the way it is…

“The first laps in it were unbelievable. In some areas it even has more stability than the M4 because of the regulations, us being in SP-X.

“It’s going to be fun to race it. This is my first time driving on the Yokohama tire, which is a new experience for me.

“Overall, it’s a fun project for the N24. In this race, anything can happen. If we can just stay close in the mix and stay on the lead lap, it would be nice to get a good result for the program.”

De Phillippi so far has limited laps in the one-of-a-kind car, which will race in the SP-X class for un-homologated machinery, due to the suspension of the first Nürburgring 24 Qualifiers following a serious multi-car accident and death of Juha Miettinen.

He was unable to take part in the second Qualifiers event the following day due to WeatherTech Championship testing commitments at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, although Verhagen took part in the second race.

When asked about their expectations, De Phillippi believes the M3 Touring could definitely play a factor in the overall top-ten, despite the sizable 41-car grid in SP9.

“It’s in the SP-X class, so we’re not going to be able to go out there and likely fight for a top-three but I think if we do a good job, and for sure the car is competitive enough, I think we definitely have a chance to at least be top-ten,” he said.

“When cars start falling out, and craziness happens, and the race if it turns into a top-five, it would be a dream weekend for the program.”

For De Phillippi, who last took part in the race in 2023, the longtime BMW factory driver said he feels privileged to have been chosen to be part of the one-of-a-kind program.

“The history and the exclusivity of that program, I think there’s multiple factory drivers on the roster that almost wished they were in the Touring than the M4!,” he said.

“To be one of those guys is really neat. Having two Americans in that program is really cool as well. We generally don’t get to see all the Touring models in the U.S.

“They’ve started with the M5, which is really cool having that in a Touring, and hopefully maybe in the future the M3.

“It’s just really neat to be a part of it. There’s not a lot of those projects that come along.

“I’ve been able to be a part of the GTP program, which is already a big deal with BMW having come back to the top level.

“And now to be part of this Touring program, it means a lot to me and it shows the faith that they have in my abilities and me as a driver.

“To represent BMW and be part of that is really nice.”

Source: Sports Car 365