BMW Team WRT earned its first-ever podium in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with a strong third-place finish at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona in January. The Belgian squad’s unexpected success in Florida has reinvigorated their hopes for the season, as their No. 25 BMW M Hybrid V8, piloted by Sheldon van der Linde, Dries Vanthoor, Robin Frijns, and Rene Rast, delivered a performance that exceeded expectations despite stiff competition.
Race Day Performance and Results
The sister car, No. 24 BMW, completed the race in eighth place, while Porsche Penske Motorsport largely controlled the event. Team principal Vincent Vosse highlighted the significance of the podium finish, acknowledging the challenges faced by the team during practice and qualifying. He described the weekend as a turning point after a difficult buildup.
“Of course this helped a lot, to have this podium in Daytona was a big boost for the team as it was our first race there,”
Vosse told Sportscar365.
He noted,
“There is still a lot of work, some improvements, to be done. But we take the podium, we take the points. We had both cars finish the race. I think it was a positive weekend.”
Vosse also emphasized the team’s longer-term ambitions within IMSA.
“Of course, normally, we’re not fighting for P3. But with IMSA, we have to look at it step by step over how we can improve this and to put ourselves in a situation to one day winning.”
Overcoming Early Difficulties to Reach the Podium
The journey to the podium was not smooth, as the team struggled during the build-up, including practice sessions and qualifying rounds. Vosse admitted the frustration shared by drivers and crew, but noted a successful turnaround on race day thanks to strategic decisions and adjustments.
“Everyone could feel the frustration of the team, the drivers, during the week. We had a very difficult Roar,”
Vosse said.
“We had a very difficult practice and qualifying. We were not there. The turnaround for the race was a big boost. We finally found something. It was a combination of things and we were able to turn around. We were strong in terms of strategy. We were making the right calls.”
He acknowledged the novelty of the challenge, stating, “Everything is new for us.”
Expanding American Presence for Upcoming Races
Looking ahead to the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, WRT is increasing its American-based support staff significantly. Vosse explained that the team had only a small U.S.-based contingent during Daytona but plans to have the majority of crew members stateside for Sebring and beyond.
“Last September we had four or five people out of 47 [in America],”
he said.
“It’s stressful when you know that we had to build up a car, which we did in collaboration with RLL. We did the sanctioned test in collaboration with RLL. Then we had to take the decision on who would be the crew for Daytona, so we did a mix of WEC and IMSA people.”
Vosse expressed pride in the progress made despite these challenges but underlined that the organization sees this as just the beginning.
“Taking this into account, we can be very proud of what we achieved in Daytona. It doesn’t mean it is what we want but it’s a first big step. Sebring will be probably something like 90 percent [U.S. crew]. It was planned like that. Now we have everyone but we still want to support our knowledge [from WEC].”
He also looked ahead to the Long Beach event, which will mark WRT’s first fully separated IMSA program, while their WEC drivers and crew compete at Imola.
“Long Beach will be the first [fully separated] program as we will be in Imola.”
Implications of the Daytona Podium for IMSA Campaign
BMW Team WRT’s surprising podium finish at Daytona represents a significant milestone in the team’s adaptation to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The early success highlights their potential to compete among more established teams, despite initial struggles. With a greater U.S.-based workforce and refined strategies in place, the team is positioned to build on this momentum heading into key endurance events like Sebring and Long Beach. Their progress signals a meaningful evolution in their IMSA campaign and raises expectations for future challenges in the series.
