The 2025 IMSA Weathertech Sports Championship season continues from BMW Motorsport to show a strong qualified performance, but the team is still chasing its first victory. In the third race of the season in Long Beach, DRIES VANTHOROR Agricultural No. 24 BMW M Hybrid V8 placed on the pole, and completed the hat hoax after the previous pole sites in DayTona and Sebring. Sheldon Van der Lindy ranked second in the 25th car, giving BMW another front lock.
Although he was driving early in the race, both BMW M TEAM RL’s entries were lost while the hole stops under the first yellow flag. Philip Eng, who took on the 24th of Vanthooor, finished third, giving the team his first platform this season. Marco Whitman, who replaced Van der Lind in car No. 25, recovered from tenth place to finish fifth.
Although one BMW pace is still strength, the team has struggled to convert strong qualified results into victories. To date this season, BMWS has started from the pole in every race but has not yet been limited to victory. Porsche Penske Motorsport team, which was led by Felipe Nasr and Nick Tandy, won his third consecutive victory in the first model category (GTP) in the IMSA Weathertech sports championship.
In the championship ranking, BMW is currently in second place in the race for manufacturers, before Acura, but more than 130 points behind Porsche. In the ranking of the drivers, Vanthoor and Eng are third with 875 points, while Van Der Linde and Wittmann are 832 points. The pioneering duo in Porsche scored 150 points.
Andreas Ross, president of BMW M Motorsport, acknowledged both progress and challenges: “The third pole in the third race of the season for Dries Vanthooor and the full front grade of BMW M Motorsport – this was great.
In the GTD category, Turner Motorsport ranked fifth with #96 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, driven Robby Foley and Patrick Gallagher.