The BMWs steal the spotlight in a thrilling Saturday night race! 🏎️
The IMSA-sanctioned test at Daytona International Speedway witnessed a spectacular display of speed and precision. In the fifth session, the Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8s dominated, with Marco Wittmann taking the lead after an intense two hours of night-time racing.
Wittmann, behind the wheel of the No. 25 BMW, showcased his prowess with a breathtaking 1:36.697 lap, narrowly surpassing his teammate Dries Vanthoor in the No. 24 BMW by a mere 0.073 seconds. But here's where it gets interesting... The Porsche 963s weren't far behind, with Julien Andlauer in the No. 6 Penske entry securing second place with a time of 1:36.780.
And this is the part most fans were eager to see: the privateer JDC-Miller Motorsports car, driven by Nico Pino, proved its mettle by finishing third, despite running to the 2025 specification. The Acura ARX-06 from Meyer Shank Racing, which topped the charts earlier on Saturday, settled for fifth in the GTP class with Tom Blomqvist at the helm.
In the LMP2 category, Alex Quinn in the No. 04 CrowdStrike Racing by APR Oreca 07 Gibson emerged victorious with a remarkable 1:40.340 lap time.
The Winward Racing team also had a night to remember, as their Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evos topped both the GTD and GTD Pro classes. Lucas Auer, driving the GTD class No. 57 car, demonstrated exceptional skill, outpacing the team's new GTD Pro entry by half a second, which was also leading its class with Maxime Martin behind the wheel.
With 36 out of 38 entries setting times, the session was action-packed, except for two brief red flag incidents, which, thankfully, were not major.
As the GTP and LMP2 entries concluded their tests on Saturday evening, all eyes now turn to the final two sessions on Sunday, dedicated solely to the GTD Pro and GTD cars. Will the BMWs maintain their dominance, or will another team rise to the challenge? Stay tuned to find out!
Controversial Take: Is it fair to say that the BMWs' performance was a result of superior engineering, or did the night-time conditions play a significant role in their success? Share your thoughts below!
