BMW Ends IMSA Season with Triumph and Transition at Petit Le Mans

BMW closed out the 2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with a mix of celebration and sentiment at Road Atlanta. For Paul Miller Racing it was a big night, claiming a commanding GTD PRO class victory and the 2025 IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup title. However for BMW M Team RLL, the night was bittersweet.

The race marked an emotional finale for BMW M Team RLL, which wrapped up its 17-year partnership with BMW M Motorsport. The #24 BMW M Hybrid V8 was on course for a strong top-four finish until a late puncture dropped it to ninth. The sister #25 car, hampered by two drive-through penalties, finished eleventh. Despite the results, both cars showed genuine pace, underscoring the competitiveness of the M Hybrid V8 in its final outing with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.

After nearly two decades together, the collaboration between BMW and RLL has yielded 25 victories, more than 100 podiums, and a deep legacy of success across GT and prototype eras. Starting in 2026, the factory GTP program transitions to BMW M Team WRT, signaling a new phase in BMW’s top-level endurance racing strategy.

In contrast to the heartbreak in GTP, Paul Miller Racing’s day was close to flawless. Harper, who secured pole position for the second consecutive race, led the charge as the #48 BMW M4 GT3 EVO dominated from start to finish. With a clean race and faultless execution from the team, the trio’s win came by a comfortable margin—an exclamation point on a debut IMSA season that saw the young pairing of Harper and Hesse arrive in the American endurance scene with immediate impact.

“Petit Le Mans is one of the toughest races to win,” said Hesse. “The fact that we did it on our first attempt, and took the Endurance Cup title too, is incredible.” Harper echoed the sentiment, adding, “It was a perfect race. The car doesn’t have a scratch on it—unheard of for a ten-hour run at Road Atlanta.”

BMW M Motorsport boss Andreas Roos praised the team’s performance while reflecting on RLL’s final outing. “Congratulations to Paul Miller Racing, Dan Harper, Max Hesse, and Connor De Phillippi on a fantastic victory and title win. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as we hoped in the GTP class. For nine hours and fifty minutes we were on course for second in the standings, but luck wasn’t on our side. Still, I want to sincerely thank BMW M Team RLL for their dedication and loyalty over so many years.”

Turner Motorsport rounded out the BMW effort in the GTD category, with Robby Foley, Patrick Gallagher, and Jake Walker taking eighth in class after a clean if uneventful run.

Petit Le Mans often delivers both glory and heartbreak, and this year was no exception. For BMW, it was a night that celebrated the next generation of endurance talent while closing the book on one of its longest and most successful partnerships in modern racing.

2026 will usher in a new era with BMW M Team WRT leading the GTP program—armed with the lessons, spirit, and momentum built over nearly two decades with RLL. And for Harper, Hesse, and Paul Miller Racing, their story is only just getting started.