Dries Vanthoor and Philipp Eng delivered a standout performance at the incident-filled 2025 IMSA SportsCar GP at Road America to lead BMW M Team RLL to a remarkable 1-2 victory.
Right from the start, anticipation was high as the flagship GTP class lined up on the grid, the atmosphere electric with the knowledge that every point mattered in an ultra-competitive championship landscape.
Nick Yelloly in the No. 93 Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-06 claimed pole and led the field to green, only for the drama to begin almost immediately.
A first-lap incident saw United Autosports’ Dan Goldburg spun out in turn 1, triggering an early full-course caution that set the tone for a race defined by tactical battles and incident management.
The strategy cards began falling fast and early with the BMW M Team RLL camp playing a masterstroke that would ultimately define the outcome.
The No. 24 BMW M Hybrid V8 piloted by Philipp Eng and Dries Vanthoor set the initiative by diving for a green-flag pit stop with just over an hour to go.
This would prove prescient as a full-course caution emerged when the Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac driven by Ricky Taylor spun after contact with Nick Tandy’s Porsche.
The timing of the caution allowed both BMW machines—the No. 24 of Eng/Vanthoor and the No. 25 of Marco Wittmann and Sheldon van der Linde—to vault to the front of the field as the other GTP contenders opted to pit under yellow.
From the ensuing restart with just 37 minutes left, Eng controlled the pace impeccably despite mounting pressure from teammate Wittmann. Vanthoor’s consistency as co-driver was instrumental throughout, ensuring the BMW duo suffered no significant drop-off as tires wore and fuel loads dropped.
Their teamwork paid dividends when the final laps ticked down and rivals closed in, holding off a late charge to clinch victory with a 2.524-second margin over the sister No. 25 car—marking the first win for BMW M Team RLL in the 2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season.
Full 2025 IMSA SportsCar GP at Road America Race Results (GTP, LMP2, GTD PRO & GTD)
Meanwhile, the No. 93 Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-06 of Renger van der Zande and Nick Yelloly secured the final step on the GTP podium after a tenacious effort, resisting advances in the closing minutes and staying out of trouble through repeated caution periods.
A critical call during the penultimate pit sequence positioned them for a strong finish, and van der Zande’s robust defensive driving kept faster cars at bay, delivering valuable championship points for Acura MSR.
Behind the top three, the Cadillac-powered Action Express Racing duo of Jack Aitken and Earl Bamber crossed the line in a hard-fought fourth, falling just shy of the podium after trading places with Porsche Penske Motorsport and Acura MSRs in the final stages of the race.
Matt Campbell and Mathieu Jaminet completed the GTP top five for Porsche, a result that extended their points lead despite a fraught contest that saw teammate Nick Tandy penalized sixty seconds for contact with the Wayne Taylor Cadillac—an error that dropped the No. 7 Porsche well down the order.
Looking further down the GTP roster, the No. 23 Aston Martin Valkyrie steered by Ross Gunn and Roman De Angelis delivered its best performance yet by finishing sixth overall, breaking new ground for the British marque in prototype competition and signaling growing competitiveness.
The No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura of Tom Blomqvist and Colin Braun recovered to claim seventh after suffering a costly drive-through penalty for pit lane infraction.
Meanwhile, the Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillacs endured a rugged afternoon with the No. 10 of Taylor and Filipe Albuquerque coming home eighth after early-race dramas, immediately followed by the No. 40 machine of Jordan Taylor and Louis Deletraz.
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