BMW M Motorsport has chosen the drivers who will drive the M Hybrid V8s in the IMSA SportsCar Championship for the 2024 season.
The only small change is represented by Jesse Krohn, who will be Philipp Eng's crewmate on board the LMDh #24 prepared by Team RLL in place of Augusto Farfus, who will be their companion for the Endurance Cup races having as his main commitment the one in the FIA World Endurance Championship on the M4 GT3 of Team WRT.
“I have never looked forward to a season as much as 2024. This is truly a special opportunity for me and I couldn't be more grateful to BMW M Motorsport for placing its trust in me,” says Krohn.
“It's pretty much what I've worked for all my life: driving at the pinnacle of sportscar racing in the highest class, being in the fastest car on the track. I think it's also good that I have the IMSA experience from the past with the cars GT, because I can get on both sides and know what to expect from the GT drivers when we pass them in traffic.”
“I can use my past a lot and returning to racing with the BMW M Team RLL will be a lot of fun. I have always enjoyed competing in the USA and everyone in the team is like a second family, so it's really exciting to be with Philipp for the entire IMSA season. I can't wait to get started; it's going to be a fantastic season.”
Eng adds: “I am very excited about the trust placed in me by BMW M Motorsport to compete in IMSA again. It is an extremely good race series and it was a lot of fun to race with our new BMW M Hybrid V8 last year.”
“It hasn't been an easy season, but we are going in the right direction and this year the goal can only be one: fighting for victories and the title. I declare it here and I hope we can achieve it. I can't wait to start”.
Photo by: Jake Galstad / Motorsport Images
#24 BMW Team RLL BMW M Hybrid V8: Philipp Eng, Augusto Farfus, Marco Wittmann
Connor De Phillippi and Nick Yelloly are confirmed on car #25, with Maxime Martin third for the longest Stars and Stripes rounds of the year.
“I am very excited to return with BMW M Motorsport in the IMSA GTP category. Furthermore, the fact that Nick continues to be my teammate I believe allows us to build on the basis of the great season we had in 2023 and do even better in 2024”, underlines De Phillippi.
“This is the first year I've had the same teammate two years in a row, so I'm excited to continue our relationship together and deliver what I hope is a perfect season as we continue to fight for another championship in 2024.”
Yelloly is also happy: “Obviously I'm looking forward to continuing with Connor for the second year together in IMSA. It will be much easier for me to get to know all the circuits now, having seen and done weekends at all these different tracks with the BMW M Hybrid V8 for one year, so I'm looking forward to capitalizing on that.”
“We've already had a great season in 2023, with lots of podiums and a race win at Watkins Glen, so we'll definitely be looking to take another step forward. I'm sure the hard work put in over the winter will put us in an even better position to fight for the title, as we already did a year ago, and we have a clear objective: the title in 2024 by trying to win as many races as possible.”
Photo by: Richard Dole / Motorsport Images
#25 BMW Team RLL BMW M Hybrid V8: Connor De Phillippi, Nick Yelloly, Sheldon van der Linde, Colton Herta
Finally, for the 24h of Daytona on January 27-28, the presence of Dries Vanthoor and René Rast is confirmed as the fourth members of the #24 and #25 crews respectively.
On the GTD Classes side, newly hired GT3 official Madison Snow will be with Bryan Sellers competing in GTD PRO with the Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3, assisted by Neil Verhagen for the Endurance Cup plus Sheldon Van Der Linde at Daytona.
Jens Klingmann will instead continue the adventure in Turner Motorsport together with Robby Foley, Patrick Gallagher and Jake Walker.
“We are satisfied with the first season with the BMW M Hybrid V8 in the GTP Class of the IMSA series, especially in light of the difficult preparations. Nonetheless, there is obviously plenty of room for improvement when we take the next important step towards our goal of being consistently vying for race victories and fighting for the title in our second season”, highlights Andreas Roos, Head of BMW M Motorsport.
“Our drivers will play an important role in this regard and we believe we have found a good balance, with a mix of continuity and newcomers. Jesse Krohn is the only newcomer among the starting drivers. He has great experience in the IMSA series and he impressed us in his test rides with the BMW M Hybrid V8. We are convinced that he and Philipp Eng will complement each other.”
“In the #25 car, Connor De Phillippi and Nick Yelloly have proven to be a strong and winning duo. Augusto Farfus, Maxime Martin, Dries Vanthoor and René Rast have all gained experience with our LMDh car and are very strong additions in the races of the Endurance Cup, whose profile has been raised once again.”
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