IMSA Road Atlanta: BMW M Team RLL unlucky in farewell.

• BMW M Team RLL was on course for fourth place in their farewell race with the BMW M Hybrid V8 but was set back by a puncture shortly before the finish.

Road Atlanta. BMW M Motorsport concludes the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IMSA series) season. BMW M Team RLL delivered a strong farewell race with the BMW M Hybrid V8 but was denied the deserved result due to a puncture on the #24 car shortly before the finish.

Philipp Eng (AUT), Dries Vanthoor (BEL), and Kevin Magnussen (DEN) were on course for fourth place after a consistently strong race, but around ten minutes before the finish, Eng reported a right-rear tyre puncture. The subsequent pit stop dropped the crew back to ninth place. In the #25 car, Sheldon van der Linde (RSA), Marco Wittmann (GER), and Robin Frijns (NED) finished eleventh. The trio lost touch with the leaders due to two drive-through penalties. The Petit Le Mans marked the final race for BMW M Team RLL with the BMW M Hybrid V8. After 17 years, 25 victories, and more than 100 podium finishes, the collaboration with BMW M Motorsport comes to an end. Starting in 2026, BMW M Team WRT will take over the racing operations in the GTP class.

Comments after the race:

Andreas Roos, Head of BMW M Motorsport: Unfortunately, things didn’t go as we had hoped in the GTP class. For nine hours and 50 minutes, we were on course for second place in the drivers’ standings, which would have been a great result. Then, the #24 car suffered the misfortune of a puncture. The #25 car was set back by two drive-through penalties. Unfortunately, the results don’t reflect our performance. The BMW M Hybrid V8 was strong in the race and had the potential for much better results. This was the final race for BMW M Team RLL with us in the GTP class. I want to sincerely thank the team for their dedication and loyalty over so many years and wish them all the best for the future. A big thank you also to everyone at BMW M Motorsport and to our customer teams, Paul Miller Racing and Turner Motorsport, for a great season.”

Philipp Eng (#24 BMW M Hybrid V8, BMW M Team RLL, 9th place): “It’s unbelievable that we suffered a puncture just ten minutes before the finish. We were in a good position, had a strong package, and were on course for fourth place in the race. That would have meant second place in the drivers’ standings for Dries and me. It’s really disappointing, but life goes on. A big thank you to Dries for being such an incredible teammate this season. I especially want to thank BMW M Team RLL for eight great years together. Our first race at Daytona in 2018 was my debut in a works programme. Since then, we’ve experienced so much, and I’ve made many friends in the team. That makes this farewell emotional for me. Thanks also to BMW M Motorsport for all the hard work throughout the season.”

Sheldon van der Linde (#25 BMW M Hybrid V8, BMW M Team RLL, 11th place): “A tough end to a tough season – that probably sums up our year best. We often had the potential but didn’t manage to put everything together. We’ll take many lessons from this season. We didn’t get everything right, so maybe we didn’t deserve to be at the very top. But 2026 is a new year, and hopefully, we’ll come back stronger.”