BimmerLife: We’re used to seeing the previous generation M2 in SRO, but how did the IMSA program in the VP Racing SportsCar Challenge series come about with the new car?
Adam McGregor: The M2 has historically been in the SRO TC America series and we’re going to continue there, but this year we’re also expanding to bring it to IMSA, which was initiated from the IMSA side. They had an idea to expand the M2 into IMSA competition. It was outside the traditional IMSA weekend for us so at first it was sort of different, but we looked into it more and we thought it would be a good outlet to get more cars into the hands of customer teams. It’s good having the car in SRO, but there’s a lot of customers that like IMSA too, so having the car in both series helps us. We’re trying to keep the spec of the car as close as possible in both series so that customer teams can easily move from series to series. Not having to change the spec of the car to go from one series to the next opens it up for customers to use the cars more.

BL: Can you comment at all on how much interest there has been in the car from U.S. teams?
McGregor: At the end of the day, the interest has been high and it’s mostly been from race teams, which is really where we want these cars to go. The M2 gives teams a great opportunity to race a car that has lower running costs, a lot less than GT4. There’s also interest from track day guys, but the priority for car deliveries is for race teams first. Right now (the interview was on December 22nd), we have nine cars being delivered after Christmas. We think three of those cars will end up in IMSA and the rest in SRO. That’s based on what people are telling me, but what people tell me and what actually happens could be different.

BL: Will BMW of North America have support at IMSA events for the car?
McGregor: For IMSA the level of support will depend on how many cars there are, but there will be an engineer at every race to support teams, which is what we’ve always done.

BL: Has there been any pushback on the car since it’s a four-cylinder and the M2 street car is a six-cylinder?
McGregor: There are some people that look at the car and say ‘oh, it’s a four-cylinder and doesn’t have as much horsepower,’ but once you drive it, that can change the narrative. I always go back to the E30 M3, which was a four-cylinder homologation special. The new M2 Racing is also a four-cylinder, so is really going back to our roots almost, with the E30. In terms of speed, the lap times at the Nürburgring last summer were by and large similar to the previous six-cylinder M2, but the big thing is really the running costs. With the previous generation M2, the running costs were almost at the GT4 level. The new car is definitely bringing the running costs down and is attractive to teams that want to control costs more. There’s a lot of the race car that is taken from the M2 street car, and I really think that’s a reflection of how robust the M2 street car is. The race car has a different motor of course, but overall, a lot of what’s in the race car comes from the M2 street car. Another cool thing about this car is that it’s the first race car that we’re producing on the production line.

BL: Does having a four-cylinder in the M2 Racing create any marketing challenges with the six-cylinder M2 street car?
McGregor: There’s some perception that it’s a lesser car, but that’s coming from the more casual street car people, who always want more car and more horsepower. For those guys, it’s been hard to sort of get the message across of what this car is for. We could certainly build a GT4-level M2 but then it would be competing with the M4 GT4, so there’s no point to that (a six-cylinder would also make the M2 Racing ineligible for SRO TC America). The whole point of this car is to fit in the window of another class.

—David Haueter
[Photos courtesy BMW, Gruppe C Photography]

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Krohn first joined BMW M Motorsport in 2014 in the Junior Program. Over the years, he has raced in many different series and in many different cars, including the Z4 GT3, the M6 GT3, the M8 GTE, the M4 GT3 and the M Hybrid V8. Here in the U.S., Krohn drove for BMW M Team RLL in a handful of IMSA seasons, most recently in 2024 in the M Hybrid V8, where he won at Indianapolis with Philipp Eng. In 2020, he won the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup Championship in the GTLM class with John Edwards in an M8 GTE.

In 2025, Krohn was behind the wheel of M4 GT3 EVOs, competing in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup as well as the Italian GT Championship. Krohn also won the Nürburgring 24 Hour race in 2025. “It has been a long, successful time at BMW M Motorsport and I am very grateful for all the opportunities it has given me,” said Krohn. “I have competed in over 200 races around the world with great teams and team-mates and have had many successes along the way. All good things come to an end, but new and exciting challenges await me. I would like to thank all the teams; team-mates and all the BMW M Motorsport staff I have had the pleasure of working with over the past twelve years. I will miss you, but we will meet again on the race track in the future.”

Krohn (left) won at Indianapolis in 2024 with Philipp Eng in the M Hybrid V8.

We wish the best of luck to Jesse with whatever the future holds for him.

—David Haueter
[Photos courtesy Gruppe C Photography, BMW]

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Works driver Auberlen and BMW Brand Ambassador Samantha Tan will pair up in the #38 M4 GT4 EVO in a partnership between ST Racing and Random Vandals Racing, under the name ST Racing by Random Vandals Racing. Auberlen is the winningest driver in BMW history and Tan has proven to be very competitive in both GT4 and GT3 cars. “I’m incredibly excited to step into the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge GS class for the 2026 season,” said Tan. “It’s one of the most competitive GT4 championships in North America, and it feels like the right challenge at this point in my career. Being able to share the car with Bill Auberlen makes this opportunity even more special—he’s a true BMW legend and having the chance to learn from his experience while pushing together at the front is something I’m really looking forward to.”

Auberlen and Tan will be joined in the GS class by the #92 Random Vandals Racing M4 GT4 EVO of Robert Megennis and Nicky Hays. Megennis has prior experience in the series in a BMW with Turner Motorsport, and Hays is the recipient of the 2026-27 IMSA Diverse Driver Development Scholarship. “I have known Rob for a while, so I am really pleased to finally get him in a Vandals car,” said Team Principal Paul Sparta. “We are chuffed to have Nicky as Rob’s teammate. Nicky put in some great drives last year in Lamborghini Super Trofeo, so I can’t wait to see how Rob and Nicky will go in our M4. Fast is my expectation.”

The Random Vandals Racing entries bring more BMW representation into the Michelin Pilot Challenge series in 2026, with the season opener at Daytona on January 23rd. We also expect that Random Vandals Racing will be competing in the SRO GT4 America championship with the M4 GT4 EVO in 2026 as well, in addition to the IMSA program.

—David Haueter
[Photos courtesy Random Vandals Racing]

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In the FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK), factory rider Toprak Ratzgatlioglu won the World Championship for a second consecutive year with a BMW M 1000 RR and the RoKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK team.

“Toprak’s successful title defense in WorldSBK will remain unforgettable, with no fewer than 21 wins in 36 races,” said Head of BMW Motorrad Motorsport Sven Blusch. “In the FIM Endurance World Championship, we were also on course for the title in a dramatic finale until just minutes before the finish, before a technical issue prevented this potentially historic success for the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team. But next year we will have another chance to become world champions in endurance racing as well.”

Toprak Ratzgatlioglu won his second consecutive FIM Superbike World Championship.

BMW Motorrad customer teams had great success around the world with the M 1000 RR, winning 12 titles, including two here in the U.S. Cameron Beaubier won the MotoAmerica Superbike championship with Tytlers Cycle Racing, and Andrew Lee won the MotoAmerica Superstock championship with the Orange Cat Racing team. “The BMW M 1000 RR is one of the best bikes in international racing—and this season once again showed that our customers can rely on it in championships around the globe,” said Uwe Geyer, Head of BMW Motorrad Customer Racing. “We are proud to be able to provide private teams and riders with such a strong package.”

Davey Todd on his way to a win on the streets of Macau.

BMW Motorrad Motorsport was also victorious in some of the most prestigious standalone road races in 2025. Davey Todd and Michael Dunlop finished one-two in the Isle of Mann Tourist Trophy, and Todd also won three of the five races that make up the North West 200, while Dunlop won the other two. Todd also won the Macau Motorcyle Grand Prix, with BMW riders Peter Hickman and Erno Kostamo finishing second and third to make it a BMW podium sweep. “All these successes fill us with great pride,” said Sven Blusch. “They prove that the BMW M 1000 RR is a true winning motorcycle and that our global BMW Motorrad Motorsport family is stronger than ever.”

—David Haueter
[Photos courtesy BMW]

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I sat down with Kenton after the October Indianapolis SRO finale and he had some very insightful comments about GT4 racing and the M4 GT4 EVO, including how it compares to the GT3 EVO. We expect to see Koch back in BMWs in both GT4 and GT3 classes in 2026, though his BMW programs have yet to be announced.

Koch on what makes GT4 racing so close:

The racing is really good in GT4. Some of that just comes from the spec that the cars are built to, with a lack of aero and relatively small tires in comparison to the car. The formula for GT4 is kind of like big Mazda MX-5’s. The M4 GT4 EVO has enough power and enough downforce to make it fun to drive, but the aero is not something the cars are heavily relying on to stay on the track like in GT3. In GT4, you can follow other cars really closely, which allows you as a driver to take more advantage of opportunities, and that’s why the racing is so close.

On the competitiveness of SRO GT4 America

You can go down the list in GT4 America and there’s a lot of good drivers. When you put in that GT4 formula the racing can get really interesting. I’ve always loved GT4. If I had to spend the rest of my life in one category, it would be GT4, just because it’s so much fun and the racing is always super strong. If we had twice the amount of GT3 cars (in GT World Challenge America), you might have similar situations, just because of the amount of traffic that may create more opportunities. With the number of cars we have there now, we get kind of stretched out and it’s not quite as entertaining.

M4 GT4 EVO compared to M4 GT3 EVO

They’re very different. The only thing that’s the same is the steering wheel, and even there the buttons have different functions. The M4 GT4 EVO actually feels nicer to drive than the M4 GT3 EVO. The front end always feels really good in the GT4 car versus the GT3 car. In the M4 GT3 EVO, you’re constantly battling trying to have enough front grip without making the rear feel too loose. It’s really hard to get the setup on the GT3 car in the right window where the front and the rear work in unison together, so you’re always compromised on the setup to manage one axle or the other. In the M4 GT4 EVO, the window is wider, so it’s easier to get the setup right. Going from GT4 qualifying to GT3 qualifying is always the trickiest part of an SRO weekend I would say.

[Photos by David Haueter]

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Team WRT has two entries in the ALMS, with the #69 M4 GT3 EVO driven by Dan Harper, Parker Thompson and Anthony McIntosh, and the #28 driven by Augusto Farfus, Fabian Duffieux and Mathieu Detry. For Harper, Thompson and McIntosh, the ALMS is a warm-up for the FIA WEC championship, where the trio will drive together for WRT in the LMGT3 class for the full season.

Both BMWs performed fairly well in qualifying for the pair of four-hour races that comprised the Malaysia race weekend. For race one, the M4 GT3 EVOs qualified fourth (#28) and fifth (#69). For race two, the #69 once again qualified in fourth, but the #28 ended up down in 11th.

One big challenge all the teams had in Malaysia was the changing weather. “With tropical weather, conditions have been wildly unstable,” said Farfus after the second practice session. “Free practice one was hot, and we managed to put together a solid session, but free practice two was hit by rain, making everything more complicated.”

Anthony McIntosh (left), Parker Thompson (middle) and Dan Harper celebrate their second place finish in race two.

Rain continued to be a factor in both races. Race one was mostly dry but had a brief rain shower, but neither of the BMWs had a good result, with the #69 ending up in twelfth and the #28 in seventeenth. The #69 car had some issues with a lack of power during race one, so decided to change the engine oversight for the second race on Sunday.

The engine change in the #69 proved to be a good call, as Harper, Thompson and McIntosh put in a strong race to move up into second and were closing on the leader toward the end. Unfortunately, the race was called to a premature end when heavy rain fell on the circuit with thirteen minutes left in the race. The #69 finished second, while the #28 ended up in eleventh. “P2 in the final race of 2025!,” said Harper on social media. “Another very tricky race with the changing conditions, but the WRT boys stayed cool and made the perfect strategy calls.”

The third and fourth rounds of the ALMS will take place at the Dubai Autodrome Circuit on January 31–February 1.

—David Haueter
[Photos courtesy WRT]

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In IMSA, the teams will remain the same. Paul Miller Racing will compete in GTD Pro, but with a single car, the #1 M4 GT3 EVO. Neil Verhagen and Connor De Phillippi will co-drive for the full season, with Max Hesse joining for the longer endurance races and Dan Harper joining as a fourth driver for the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

Turner Motorsport will return to the IMSA GTD class with Robby Foley and Patrick Gallagher in for the full season.

Verhagen was with Paul Miller Racing for the full 2025 season, and De Phillippi moves from being third driver for the endurance races to a full season in 2025. Madison Snow will not be with Paul Miller Racing in 2026. Snow was part of the team nearly continuously since 2016. He won two championships with them, including the 2023 GTD championship with BMW. Snow will be driving an Aston Martin at Daytona, though his full season plans are not yet announced.

Turner Motorsport also returns to IMSA in the GTD class, with Robby Foley and Patrick Gallagher once again taking on the full season in the #96 M4 GT3 EVO. Francis Selldorff will replace Jake Walker as third driver for endurance races. Walker, who also drove for Turner in the VP Racing SportsCar Challenge championship in 2025, will be driving a Ford Mustang GT3 in IMSA in 2026. Selldorff drove for Turner in the Michelin Pilot Challenge series in an M4 GT4 EVO in 2025, and 2026 will be his first in a GT3 car. Works driver Jens Klingmann will join the #96 as a fourth driver at Daytona. Turner Motorsport will not be returning to the VP Racing SportsCar Challenge series in 2026.

Team WRT will contest the FIA WEC LMGT3 class with two cars, including one for Darren Leung, Augusto Farfus and Sean Gelael, who drove together in 2024.

In FIA WEC, Team WRT will once again field a pair of M4 GT3 EVOs in the LMGT3 class. The #69 car will be anchored by works driver Dan Harper, who drove for Paul Miller Racing in IMSA last year. He will be joined by Parker Thompson (who has driven for Lexus in IMSA the last two years) and Anthony McIntosh. The #32 M4 GT3 EVO will be driven by Augusto Farfus, Sean Gelael and Darren Leung, a trio that drove together for WRT in 2024 and had two podium finishes. A notable change to the FIA WEC program for 2026 is that Valentino Rossi will no longer be competing in the series, though we do expect that he’ll be driving for BMW in the GT World Challenge Europe championship.

The IMSA season opens with the Rolex 24 at Daytona on the weekend of January 23rd-25th. The FIA WEC season opens at Qatar on the weekend of March 26th-28th.

—David Haueter
[Photos courtesy LAT Images, BMW]

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Rothberg had a fantastic 2025 season, winning the SRO GT World Challenge America championship with Robby Foley and also winning the SRO GT America championship on his own. “Super thrilled to be winning the Sports Trophy again this year,” he said. “The BMWs are great race cars and there’s so many talented drivers so it’s an accomplishment I’m proud of. It’s a testament to the great work from all the guys at Turner Motorsport: Will Turner for running such a well-oiled machine, Robby Foley for always putting in great drives and giving me the help and advice I need – and my parents for supporting me and putting me in a position to succeed.”

The team trophy went to FK Performance Motorsport, which became the first team to win the overall standings of the Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS) with the BMW M4 GT4. The team also had a podium finish in the Nürburgring 24-hour race and competed in the ADAC GT Masters series, where they finished second in the standings. The Turner Motorsport team, which won the team trophy last year, finished third behind FK Performance Motorsport and Schubert Motorsport.

BMW was very successful worldwide with customer teams competing in the M4 GT4 EVO and M4 GT3 EVO. In 2025, there were 56 GT3 and 88 GT4 cars competing worldwide, covering over 700,000 kilometers in racing miles and achieving around 180 wins and 250 additional podium finishes across various classes. “It is truly special to welcome our most successful customer racers to Garching, where the heart of BMW M beats,” said CEO of BMW M Franciscus van Meel. “They perfectly embody the DNA of our brand and, with their performances on racetracks around the world, serve as ideal ambassadors. While we celebrate the victories and titles of our works drivers and teams, our emotional connection to customer racing is equally profound. Without it, BMW M Motorsport would not be the same. It is a central pillar of our racing program and will remain so in the future.”

—David Haueter
[Photos courtesy BMW]

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The M Racing Academy program is in its second year, with the goal of developing young drivers for careers in motorsport. The 12 candidates for the program went through two days of screening in Germany at the end of October, which included driving contests in BMW M models, mental and fitness tests, an Esports challenge on a simulator and driver and media interviews. Three BMW M Motorsport factory drivers acted as mentors for the candidates, including Robby Foley, Jens Klingmann and Max Hesse.

Josh Green, Thomas Rackl and Ryder Quinn were chosen from a pool of twelve candidates. (BMW Photo)

If you followed the SRO GT4 America series in 2025, it should come as no surprise that Josh Green made the final cut for the 2026 program. Driving a Random Vandals Racing M4 GT4 EVO, Green and co-driver Sam Craven scored nine podium finishes last season, including five wins, to capture the SRO GT4 America Pro-Am class championship. “Being part of the BMW M Racing Academy is a big step in the right direction for my career as a racing driver,” said Green. “Everyone entering sports car racing dreams of being associated with a manufacturer – especially one with as much tradition and history as BMW M Motorsport. From the ‘Class of 2026,’ I hope to improve in terms of car dynamics and development, areas that interest me greatly.”

Josh Green on the simulator during the M Racing Academy screening process. (BMW Photo)

Green will be joined in the 2026 program by Thomas Rackl and Ryder Quinn. Rackl drove an M4 GT4 EVO for the ME Motorsport team in the ADAC GT4 Germany series over the last two seasons and finished second in the Germany Kart Championship in 2023. Quinn competed in an M4 GT4 EVO in the GT4 Australia championship in 2025, finishing fourth overall in the Silver-Am class standings. Quinn also competed in the Australian Porsche Carrera Cup series in 2023 and was a Formula Ford champion in 2021.

Josh Green and Sam Craven won the SRO GT4 America Pro-Am championship in 2025 with Random Vandals Racing. (David Haueter photo)

Josh Green is the second American driver to participate in the M Racing Academy program. Matt Million, who drove for the Auto Technic Racing team in SRO GT4 America the last two seasons, was part of the program in 2025 and found it very rewarding. “My key takeaways fall into three categories: professionalism, performance, and in-depth knowledge of BMW M and BMW M Motorsport,” said Million. “The mentors in particular gave me a clear understanding of how to act as a BMW M driver and brand ambassador, both on and off the track. The conversations with Robby Foley and Max Hesse helped me build a framework for planning my next career steps. Overall, the program elevated me in every aspect as a driver and ambassador – from physical and mental training to recovery and team feedback.”

—David Haueter
[Photos courtesy BMW, David Haueter]

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Here’s a look at the champions.

GT World Challenge America Pro Class: Random Vandals Racing, Kenton Koch & Connor De Phillippi

Connor De Phillippi (left) and Kenton Koch had seven Pro class wins in GTWCA this season. Team Principal Paul Sparta is on the right. (Photo courtesy SRO)

Random Vandals Racing has come on strong in the SRO America championships, with multiple entries in both the GT4 America series with the M4 GT4 EVO and in GT World Challenge America (GTWCA) with the M4 GT3 EVO. Kenton Koch and works driver Connor De Phillippi drove the #99 M4 GT3 EVO to seven class wins and five additional podium finishes in the GTWCA championship, capped off by a fourth-place overall finish in the Indy 8 Hour finale, first place among the GTWCA Pro class entries.

The championship was the first as a BMW factory driver for Connor De Phillippi and Kenton Koch became the first driver to win championships in both GTWCA and GT4 America in the same year.

“We had some things that crept up on us at the beginning of the year, but those were growing pains,” says Koch. “There was some luck involved and we were able to salvage some good results, while learning to better execute in the next race. The team did a good job in figuring things out. We wouldn’t have been where we were at the Indy 8 Hour without going through some of the things we went through during the season.”

Random Vandals is likely to return to both the GTWCA championship next season, though they have also been actively looking at entering the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD Pro class with BMW.

GT World Challenge America Pro-Am Class: Turner Motorsport, Robby Foley & Justin Rothberg

Turner Motorsport scored five Pro-Am class wins in GTWCA in 2025. (Photo by David Haueter)

Turner Motorsport came into 2025 as defending champions in the GTWCA Pro-Am class with drivers Robby Foley and Justin Rothberg. They were in a tight points race toward the end of the season with a Corvette team but won their second consecutive championship with a third-place finish among all entries in the Indy 8 Hour (which includes European teams) and a first-place finish among GTWCA Pro-Am entries. Overall, the duo had five class wins and five additional podiums on the season with the #29 M4 GT3 EVO.

Works driver Foley was happy with the season and with the development of co-driver Rothberg. “We finished up Indy in the best way possible,” he said after the Indy race. “We had a clean race. Obviously, weather played a factor, but we wrapped up the championship, finished third overall in Pro-Am, and first in the American class – so it was a great day. I’m happy to get two in a row. Justin has made incredible progress this season – he’s on a great trajectory. Our second year working together has been awesome; we were faster, more consistent, and racked up more wins.”

The GTWCA championship for Turner Motorsport was especially impressive since they were dealing with added weight and other penalties to atone for having Rothberg in the Pro-Am class, a move the series made since Rothberg has proven to be faster than most of the FIA Bronze-rated drivers he competes against. The team is looking to move into the GTWCA Pro class in 2026 since the series will not allow Rothberg to compete in the Pro-Am class for another year.

GT America SR03 Class: Turner Motorsport, Justin Rothberg

Justin Rothberg clinched the GT America SR03 class championship with a fourth place finish at Indy. (Photo by David Haueter)

Turner Motorsport driver Justin Rothberg also won the GT America SRO3 championship for GT3-spec cars in the #29 M4 GT3 EVO (same number, different car than what they raced in GTWCA). On the season, Rothberg score six wins and five additional podiums despite carrying added weight and grid penalties for his driver rating (see previous paragraph). Rothberg started his final race at Indy in ninth place after a five-place grid penalty, but his fourth-place finish in the race gave him the championship in 2025 after finishing second in 2024.

GT4 America Silver Class: Random Vandals Racing, Kenton Koch & Kevin Boehm

Kenton Koch and Kevin Boehm clinched the GT4 America Silver class championship at Indy when they started the first race.
Photo: David Haueter

The driving duo of Kenton Koch and Kevin Boehm was the most dominant BMW driver pairing in 2025. Driving the Random Vandals Racing #97 M4 GT4 EVO, Koch and Boehm scored seven Silver class wins in the GT4 America championship as well as three additional podium finishes. The two had an incredible five-race win streak between the Sebring race weekend in mid-May and the Road America weekend in mid-August.

Koch and Boehm only had to start the penultimate race at Indianapolis to clinch the championship. They finished eighth in class in the first race there after having to replace a flat tire but finished the season strong with a second-place finish in the final race. “Hats off to the whole Random Vandals Racing team this year,” said Boehm after the race. “They’ve given us a rocketship every single race, I think we’ve consistently been one of the fastest BMWs this whole season. I think it just goes into the preparation that they do behind the scenes. What a day!”

GT4 America Pro-Am Class: Random Vandals Racing, Josh Green & Sam Craven

Josh Green and Sam Craven had three Pro-Am class wins and four additional podium finishes in GT4 America. (Photo by David Haueter)

As if winning championships in GTWCA and the GT4 America Silver class wasn’t enough, the Random Vandals Racing team also won the GT4 America Pro-Am class championship with drivers Josh Green and Sam Craven sharing the #94 M4 GT4 EVO.

Overall, the duo had three class wins and four additional podium finishes on the season, including second and fourth-place class finishes in the final two races at Indianapolis to close out the season.

“We put our heads down and did what we had to do,” said Craven. “It’s been an amazing season for Josh and I. It was our first time in SRO, and Random Vandals Racing did an incredible job. The whole team was just awesome, awesome, awesome!” Craven was also awarded the Rookie of the Year award for the season.

The Green/Craven duo was so quick in the #94 BMW that they often found themselves competing among the Silver class entries, which is a step above the Pro-Am class. They finished in the top three overall at Sonoma, Sebring (both races) and VIR. Random Vandals Racing was also in the hunt for a championship in the Am class going into the final races of the season.

GT4 America Pro-Am Class: BimmerWorld Racing, James Clay & Charlie Postins

BimmerWorld duo James Clay and Charlie Postins ended their season (and Charlie’s racing career) with a second place finish at Indy. (Photo by David Haueter)

The GT4 America Am class had the most BMWs of any class in the series, and BimmerWorld drivers James Clay and Charlie Postins won their third drivers’ championship in the last four years behind the wheel of the #36 M4 GT4 EVO. Overall, the duo had five class wins and four additional podiums in 2025 and capped it off with a second-place finish in the final race at Indy.

“The competition in the Am class was strong this year,” said Clay. “More than half of the field are BMWs and it’s a great car that’s supported very well by BMW. 2022 was our first championship and it almost felt too easy, but it definitely doesn’t feel that way anymore. The field has gotten a lot closer and there’s lots of cars on any given weekend that are very competitive. I’m happy we won this one and it certainly feels like an accomplishment that we worked hard for.”

The BimmerWorld duo of James Walker, Jr. and Tyler McQuarrie also had a strong season in the Pro-Am class and were in contention for the championship until the penultimate round at Indy, when they were caught up in an accident and taken out of the race. The team is planning to be back with two entries in GT4 America in 2026, though Clay will have to find a new co-driver since Charlies Postins retired from racing at the end of the season

Intercontinental GT Challenge: Team WRT, Kelvin van der Linde

Kelvin van der Linde (middle) celebrates the Indy 8 Hour win with Valentino Rossi (left) and Charles Weerts. (Photo courtesy SRO)

Team WRT had a great year of racing with the M4 GT3 EVO in SRO-sanctioned series, though they didn’t have the same success with the car in FIA WEC. The team won the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup and overall championships with Kelvin van der Linde and Charles Weerts, and van der Linde clinched the SRO-sanctioned Intercontinental GT Challenge (IGTC) drivers’ championship with an overall win at Indy, driving with Weerts and Valentino Rossi. Van der Linde four out of five races in IGTC, with wins at Bathurst, the Nürburgring and Suzuka in addition to Indy.

The win at Indy came after an early pit stop put the #46 car that van der Linde was driving ahead of the #777 M4 GT3 EVO that was driven by Augusto Farfus, Al Faisal Al Zubair and Raffaele Marciello. Marciello would have won the IGTC championship if they had finished ahead of the #46. “The #777 deserved the win – they were stronger the whole weekend,” said van der Linde after the race. “But sometimes you just have bad luck in racing. Unfortunately, the weather decided the race today.”

WRT and van der Linde won four out of five ICGT races, including the finale at Indy. (Photo by David Haueter)

Apart from that, four wins in five races make this an extraordinary year for BMW M Motorsport and Team WRT. We need to enjoy and celebrate that – it doesn’t happen every year. I’m very proud to have contributed a small piece of history in my first year with BMW M Motorsport.”

BMW also won the IGTC manufacturers championship for the first time, ahead of Porsche.

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