The BMW M Team Rahal Letterman Lanigan GTP entrants reflected on finishing in the last two places in-class after not being able to match their competitors’ pace by the end of a disrupted IMSA Petit Le Mans season finale.
BMW M Team RLL were title contenders with the #25 BMW M Hybrid V8, although were not able to showcase competitive pace during the closing stages after finishing in last two places in GTP.
The #24 GTP started third after Augusto Farfus put in a promising qualifying performance, as the #25 started sixth.
Drivers Sheldon van der Linde, Connor De Phillippi, and Nick Yelloly competed in the #25, which showed promising form during most of the race, though finished in seventh at the end.
De Phillippi said: “It was definitely not the result we wanted and not the result we could have gotten.
“We just did not play it aggressive enough at the end when it counted, unfortunately. I feel sorry for the guys.
“Everybody worked so hard all year. We can be proud of the results we achieved this season.
“We will come back next year and fight even harder.”
Andreas Roos, head of BMW M Motorsport, added: “In the first nine hours, things were looking very promising for us, and at times, we were right up there competing for the lead and a top result.
“Unfortunately, we were set back in the closing stages due to numerous yellow flags, and we couldn’t achieve the positions we had set out for.
“This also means we didn’t end up where we had hoped to be in the championship.
“It was a disappointing conclusion to the season, but we can look ahead positively. In nine races, we made it to the podium five times, which is a great record.
“A big thank you to everyone who made this possible. Now the work continues at home, and we’re hoping for a strong start to the 2024 season in Daytona.”
The 26 edition of Petit Le Mans was characterised by frequent incidents throughout, resulting in an IMSA-joint record 13 caution periods.
De Phillippi was given a drive-through penalty after passing a red light at the end of the pitlane, having to also replace the front end after Alexander Sims did the same and braked, thus forcing the #25 to hit the #31’s rear end.
In the final hour, the BMWs were not able match the pace of the surrounding Porsche 963s, and most crucially were not able to match the #31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V Series.R, as they continued still after their clash with the #10 Konica Minolta of Filipe Albuquerque.
With the championship at stake, the #25 needed to make up places and overtake the #31. Ultimately, Derani got the better of both BMWs and finished ahead in sixth place, which was enough to win the 2023 GTP title.
The race ended under caution after the #16 Wright Motorsports Porsche GTD caught fire, moments only after the track went back to green flag racing, as the stop-start disruptions gave little opportunity for BMW M Team RLL to fight back.
Despite this, team principal Bobby Rahal concluded on a positive note after the completion of their maiden season in GTP.
“Overall, the season was pretty successful. We had five podiums, including the victory at Watkins Glen.
“When we look back where we were a year ago it has been crazy and we reacted well to the challenges we had.
“Like it is in every first year, there was a lot to learn and we learnt a lot.
“Thanks to everyone for their hard work.
“Now we are looking forward to next season and it will be a very exciting year.”
