BMW M Team Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) has confirmed a largely unchanged IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship lineup, as Jesse Krohn becomes a full-season GTP driver.
The GTP outfit are running the #24 and #25 BMW M Hybrid V8 LMDh cars once again in 2024, which will mark the second season for the GTP era.
Krohn takes over from Augusto Farfus’ former role as a full-season driver in the #25, and will partner up with Philipp Eng.
Instead, Farfus will be the endurance driver in the #25 at the five endurance races, additionally joined by Dries Vanthoor for the 24 Hours of Daytona.
Connor De Phillippi and Nick Yelloly pair up once again as full-season drivers in the #24, with Maxime Martin as their Endurance Cup driver, and Rene Rast joining the trio for the Daytona season-opener.
Krohn said: “I’ve never waited for any season as much as I have for the 2024 one.
“This is truly a special opportunity for me and I can’t be more grateful to BMW M Motorsport for putting their trust in me.
“This is basically what I’ve worked my whole life for, driving at the pinnacle of sportscar racing in the top class, being the fastest car out on track.
“I think it’s also good that I have the IMSA experience from the past from the GT cars because I can put myself on both sides and know what to expect from the GT drivers as we pass them in traffic.
“There is a lot I can bring in from the past and going back to racing with BMW M Team RLL is super fun.
“I always enjoyed racing in the US and everybody at BMW M Team RLL is like my second family there, so it’s really exciting to go back there and team up with Philipp for the full IMSA season.
“I can’t wait to get started; it’s going to be an awesome season.”
The Finnish driver returns to IMSA since driving with BMW RLL in their GTLM programme – piloting a BMW M8 GTE car – and in the GTD Pro class at the 2022 Daytona and Petit Le Mans events.
Amidst his efforts, he claimed the GTLM class win at the 2020 Daytona race with teammates John Edwards, Chaz Mostert and Farfus.
Furthermore, he has tested the LMDh car throughout the past year in private testing.
Andreas Roos, Head of BMW M Motorsport, added: “We were happy with the first season with the BMW M Hybrid V8 in the GTP class of the IMSA series – particularly given the difficult preparations.
“Despite that, there is obviously plenty of room for improvement when we take the next important step towards our goal to be constantly in contention for race wins and fight for the title in our second season.
“Our drivers will play a big role in this, and we believe we have found a good balance, with a mix of continuity and fresh impulses.
“Jesse Krohn is the only newcomer among the regular drivers.
“He has a wealth of experience in the IMSA series and impressed us in his test outings in the BMW M Hybrid V8.
“We are convinced that he and Philipp Eng will complement each other nicely.
“In the #25 car, Connor De Phillippi and Nick Yelloly have proved to be a strong and successful duo.
“Augusto Farfus, Maxime Martin, Dries Vanthoor and Rene Rast have all gained experience in our LMDh car and are very strong additions in races for the Michelin Endurance Cup, the profile of which has been raised once again.”
The 24 Hours of Daytona commences on 27-28 January, which will begin another campaign in which BMW RLL will seek out the championship title.
