Second GTLM class win for BMW at Daytona

BMW Team Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) has won the opening round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship at Daytona for the second season in a row.

The lead changed hands more than 40 times as the race went right down to the wire before triggering wild celebrations. John Edwards, Jesse Krohn, Augusto Farfus, and Chaz Mostert took victory in the GT Le Mans (GTLM) class at the wheel of the #24 Motul BMW M8 GTE at Daytona International Speedway, while the #25 car finished fifth.

At the head of the field, the BMW works drivers thrilled GT fans with magnificent overtaking manoeuvres to finish ahead of two Porsche cars in second and third place.

BMW Team RLL tasted victory at Daytona in 2019. Back then, Farfus gave an impressive final stint to clinch first place at the Florida endurance classic. This time, it was Krohn who took the wheel for the last stint of the race. He overtook the leading #911 Porsche with 46 minutes of the race remaining. Shortly thereafter, he came in for his final pit stop, following which he successfully defended his lead to the finish. Krohn also set the fastest lap of the race with a time of one minute and 42.168 seconds.

This latest triumph sees BMW Motorsport add another chapter to its success story at Daytona, where BMW first won at the 'World Centre of Racing' back in 1976 with the BMW 3.0 CSL. The BMW M3 GTR then took class wins in 1997 and 1998. Daytona prototypes with BMW engines crossed the finish line in first place in 2011 and 2013. This is the fourth GTLM victory in the IMSA series for the BMW M8 GTE.