BMW M Motorsport has kicked off its 2025 season in style, with a standout performance during qualifying for the 24 Hours of Daytona. Dries Vanthoor delivered an exceptional lap time of 1:33.895 minutes in the #24 BMW M Hybrid V8, claiming pole position and securing a historic milestone as the first pole since the inception of BMW M Motorsport’s LMDh program. Unfortunately, the #25 car didn’t have the same performance. Track activity was limited when the #25 BMW M Hybrid V8, piloted by Sheldon van der Linde, came to a halt on the circuit, so it did not set a time.

The pole-winning #24 BMW M Hybrid V8, piloted by a new driver lineup of Vanthoor, Philipp Eng, Kevin Magnussen, and Raffaele Marciello, demonstrated good pace and performance. Vanthoor’s best lap, achieved in a shortened qualifying session due to a stoppage caused by the sister car was set on his final flying lap. The Belgian driver’s time was 0.291 seconds faster than Acura Meyer Shank Racing’s Nick Yelloly, who qualified second.

Felipe Nasr secured third position in the No. 7 Penske Porsche 963, followed by Jack Aitken in the No. 31 Action Express Racing Cadillac V-Series.R in fourth place. The No. 85 JDC-Miller Motorsports Porsche driven by Gianmaria Bruni rounded out the top five.

BMW M4 GT3 EVO Impresses in GTD PRO

BMW’s success extended beyond the prototype class, with the BMW M4 GT3 EVO making a strong impression in the GTD PRO category. Dan Harper clocked a lap time of 1:46.005 minutes in the #48 Paul Miller Racing car, securing third place on the starting grid. Harper’s teammates Max Hesse, Jesse Krohn, and Augusto Farfus celebrated the promising qualifying result, which positions them well for the grueling race ahead.

Mixed Fortunes in GTD Class

The GTD class saw varied results for BMW teams. The #1 BMW M4 GT3 EVO from Paul Miller Racing, driven by Madison Snow, Neil Verhagen, Connor De Phillippi, and Kelvin van der Linde, will start from 13th on the grid. Similarly, the #96 BMW M4 GT3 EVO fielded by Turner Motorsport, with Robby Foley, Patrick Gallagher, Jake Walker, and Jens Klingmann, will also line up in 13th position in their respective class.

The opening race of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship will start at 13:40 local time (19:40 CET) on Saturday. Fans around the globe can catch all the action live on IMSA TV.