BMW M Team WRT takes first IMSA overall win with M Hybrid V8 at Indianapolis
BMW M Team WRT broke through for its first IMSA victory in North America as Dries Vanthoor and Sheldon van der Linde won the 2-hour 40-minute GTP race at Indianapolis.
- 2 hours 40 minutes
- 4
- More than two years
- 10th
What Happened
BMW M Team WRT claimed its first overall victory in North America with the #24 BMW M Hybrid V8 at the penultimate round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season at Indianapolis in the USA. Dries Vanthoor (BEL) and Sheldon van der Linde (RSA) triumphed in the 2-hour 40-minute 'Battle on the Bricks', giving the team its first IMSA season win in its debut season in the GTP class. Vanthoor secured a strong starting position with third on the grid in qualifying, while van der Linde took the lead with a determined overtaking manoeuvre just a few minutes before the end and drove home to claim his first IMSA victory. The win was the fourth podium of BMW M Team WRT's debut GTP season and the team's first trip to the top step.
4
The fourth podium delivered the team's first IMSA victory with the BMW M Hybrid V8.
Dries Vanthoor wins with BMW M Team RLL alongside Philipp Eng at Road America in the USA.
BMW M Team WRT holds its first discussions about an IMSA GTP programme at Indianapolis.
BMW M Team WRT's Silver crew claims title wins in the GT World Challenge Europe at Zandvoort.
Vanthoor and van der Linde win the 2-hour 40-minute IMSA race at Indianapolis for the #24 BMW M Hybrid V8; Turner Motorsport wins the GTD class.
IMSA season finale at Road Atlanta, where Turner Motorsport and Paul Miller Racing fight for titles in the BMW M4 GT3 EVO.
Turner Motorsport also had reason to celebrate: Robby Foley and Patrick Gallagher (both USA) crossed the finish line first in the GTD class in the #96 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, the team's first victory in more than two years, and the pair took the lead in the GTD overall standings ahead of the season finale at Road Atlanta in two weeks' time. Paul Miller Racing, in the #1 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, was in contention for a podium finish in the GTD PRO class for much of the race but was struck by several rivals in the closing stages and was ultimately even forced off the track; Neil Verhagen and Connor De Phillippi (both USA) finished sixth. That cost them the lead in the GTD PRO overall standings, though they still have every chance of winning the title at the season finale. In the #25 BMW M Hybrid V8, Marco Wittmann (GER) and Philipp Eng (AUT) finished tenth in GTP after Wittmann lost control while trying to overtake the Aston Martin and made contact, for which he accepted the drive-through penalty as justified.
- Won the race outright, the fourth podium of the team's debut GTP season
- Won the class and took the lead in the GTD overall standings
- Finished sixth; lost the GTD PRO lead but remains in title contention
“Congratulations to BMW M Team WRT on their first victory with the BMW M Hybrid V8 in the GTP class of the IMSA Series. It was about time! We've come close a few times, but were unable to convert our potential into a win. We've finally cleared that hurdle. We're all absolutely delighted and relieved. Dries Vanthoor and Sheldon van der Linde drove a brilliant race. Many thanks to everyone who worked tirelessly to make this triumph possible. I'd also like to extend my warmest congratulations to Turner Motorsport on their victory in the GTD class. The team has thus ended a long dry spell and, just like Paul Miller Racing, will be battling for the title in the BMW M4 GT3 EVO at Petit Le Mans in two weeks' time. I can't wait to experience what is sure to be a thrilling IMSA season finale live at Road Atlanta.”
“My first IMSA win – amazing! I had goosebumps when I overtook Earl Bamber a few laps from the end. I really had to make sure I stayed focused. I had a bit of bad luck with traffic during my stint at first, but I knew my time would come. The car and our strategy were perfect today. I'm absolutely delighted for the team, who more than deserve this victory. People often forget that WRT are competing in their first season in the IMSA Series. What they're achieving here and in the FIA WEC with their victories this year is fantastic. I'm proud to be part of this team.”
Previously from BMW
BMW M Team WRT arrived at Indianapolis on the back of European title success: our earlier coverage reported that Matisse Lismont and Ignacio Montenegro clinched the GT World Challenge Europe Silver Cup hat-trick at Zandvoort, adding the Sprint Cup and Overall titles to their Endurance Cup crown. That Silver Cup title triple for BMW was published on 20 September 2026.
Background drawn from MotorClaw's earlier coverage of BMW's official releases.
Why this matters
The result ends a season of near-misses for BMW M Team WRT in its debut GTP year and gives BMW a first overall IMSA victory in North America with the M Hybrid V8. It also sets up a multi-class title fight: Turner Motorsport now leads GTD, while Paul Miller Racing lost the GTD PRO lead but stays in contention, so the season finale at Road Atlanta will decide championships for BMW teams.
Terms in This Story
- GTP
- The top class of IMSA's WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, contested by the fastest prototype racing cars.
- GTD
- An IMSA class for GT3-specification, production-based race cars.
- GTD PRO
- An IMSA class for GT3-specification cars entered with professional driver line-ups.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.