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BMW Team RLL revels in successive Daytona GTLM class triumph

Motorsport Technology
27 Jan 2020
4 min read

The Rahal Letterman Lanigan team were left celebrating a second successive triumph in the Daytona Rolex 24 Hours, after John Edwards, Jesse Krohn, Augusto Farfus and Chaz Mostert took a thrilling victory in the GTLM class at the wheel of the MOTUL BMW M8 GTE at ‘Daytona International Speedway’.

In a race that went down to the wire, featuring no less that 40 changes of the lead, Krohn found himself battling for victory against the lead 911 Porsche of Nick Tandy with less than an hour to go. And, just as teammate Farfus pulled off a great final stint in 2019, so Krohn made a bold move stick to overtake the Porsche 911 RSR and defend his position following his final pit stop.

It sparked wild celebrations in the paddock, Krohn rubber stamping the win by also setting the fastest lap of the race with a 1m42.168s effort around the famous circuit.

“What a race! It feels absolutely incredible,” said a jubilant Krohn afterward. “This is my third year in the GTLM class – and my first victory. We have come so close so often, and now we have actually done it here at Daytona. The team was awesome. Thank you very much to BMW Motorsport and RLL for trusting me to take the final stint of the race. Every single person did a mega job. I cannot believe that we are on the very top step of the podium.”

Farfus, who saw the team home to the chequered flag in 2019, actually ranked the 2020 team effort as an even better achievement.

“I am speechless,” added Farfus. “That was the best 24-hour race I have driven in my whole life. It was extremely fast, extremely close, and you could not afford to make any mistakes. We drove a perfect race: team, strategy, drivers, mechanics. The car worked well throughout the entire race. You don’t get through the full 24 hours like that very often. To win this race twice in a row is exceptional.”

Likewise, for Edwards and 2014 Bathurst winner Mostert, wining the opening round of the 2020 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship at Daytona International Speedway ranks as one of the biggest achievements of their respective careers.

“I am very rarely speechless – but that is the case today,” said Edwards. “I had every faith in Jesse bringing it home at the end. And he did it. It was a really hard fight, as always in the GTLM class. The many battles were extremely tiring, particularly during my triple stint. This is definitely the biggest success of my career. I’m overjoyed.

“Incredible! This is my biggest win since Bathurst 2014,” added Mostert. “My world-class team-mates carried me through this race. Thank you very much to BMW Motorsport and RLL for allowing me to be involved. In 2019, the other car won. Back then, I could not imagine how it must feel for those guys. Now it was me stood on the top step of the podium. That is something very special.”

Victory in Daytona continues the amazing success story of BMW Motorsport at the historic circuit, where the famous German marque won at the ‘World Center of Racing’ back in 1976 with the BMW 3.0 CSL before the BMW M3 GTR then took class wins in 1997 and 1998.

Further success followed in 2011 and 2013 when Daytona prototypes with BMW engines took the chequered flag in first position.

“This was a battle for 24 hours,” said Team Principal Bobby Rahal. “The drivers did a fantastic job, and the same goes for the crew. We did not make any mistakes. I feel sorry for the guys in the #25 car, as they would also have finished further up the field without the incident. On the whole, I am delighted for my team and BMW Motorsport. Congratulations to Porsche and Corvette, who were good from the word go with their new cars. We are simply very happy today.”

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