While most people know BMW as the premier maker of luxury vehicles, this is just one component of this brand. For decades, it has also been involved in motor sports, and the drivers behind the wheels of their vehicles routinely come home with hardware, especially when driving BMW M Performance® cars. Catch up on a recent event with this rundown from BMW of Catonsville.
Dramatic Finish in California
After being the fastest driver in qualifying at Laguna Seca in Salina, CA, it looked as though Dries Vanthoor and teammate Philipp Eng, who were sharing driving duties for the #24 BMW M Hybrid V8, would cruise to victory. For the first 50 minutes of the race, Vanthoor kept the lead, but soon it became a real battle. Late in the race, when he was only a few tenths of a second behind two Porsche models, Vanthoor was hit and the car spun off the track. Undaunted, he was able to return to the track and crossed the finish line in third place. The #25 car – also a BMW M Hybrid V8 – finished just behind in fourth.
More Work to be Done
After the race, Vanthoor said he was content with where he placed, but acknowledged that there’s more to be done. “We did the best we could. That I was pushed off in the last corner was unfortunate. It was a racing incident, even though I think it was unnecessary. We still have work to do but having had two podiums in two races is a very nice achievement.”
Eng echoed his teammate’s sentiments: “It was a very exciting race and a very good weekend overall. Qualifying again was great from Dries and the entire team. The race was tricky but good fun. P3 is another good result but of course we wanted to get the victory. We had the pace and the package but in the end it didn’t quite work out. We will just work harder from here.”
Have Your Own BMW M Performance® Experience in Baltimore, MD
Most of us will never experience driving in an IMSA race. However, BMW truly gives you the next best thing. Come down to BMW of Catonsville to take any of our models out for a spirited test drive.