BMW takes its first pole position in GTP at Daytona

BMW M Team RLL secured pole position in the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class for the 63rd edition of the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Despite a challenging start with the stoppage of BMW No. 25 on track, the team bounced back with help from Dries Vanthoor, who placed BMW No. 24 in the top spot with a time of 1:33.895. This marks BMW's first GTP pole since joining the category three years ago.

Challenging qualifying conditions

Cold and windy weather at Daytona International Speedway created tough conditions for teams. Despite these challenges, Vanthoor maximized the potential of the BMW M Hybrid V8 to surpass the Acura of Meyer Shank Racing driven by Nick Yelloly, who qualified second, and the Porsche Penske Motorsport of Felipe Nasr, who finished third.

“The red flag complicated things, especially with tire warming,” explained Vanthoor after the session. “However, we've worked hard to improve, and these efforts are paying off. Now the focus is on the race, which is our true goal.”

LMP2: Goldburg ends Keating's streak

In the LMP2 class, Daniel Goldburg of United Autosports secured pole with a time of 1:38.676. This achievement ends Ben Keating's streak of five consecutive poles in this category at the Rolex 24. Goldburg will share the ORECA No. 22 with Paul di Resta, Rasmus Lindh, and James Allen.

“I've been chasing this pole for a long time,” said Goldburg. “This is a great starting step, but now our focus is on consistency throughout the race.” Keating, who qualified second, will split the grid with the ORECA No. 2 of Nick Boulle, who took third place.

GTD PRO: Rockenfeller leads a dominant front for Ford

In the GTD PRO class, Mike Rockenfeller took the Ford Mustang GT3 of Multimatic Motorsports to pole position with a time of 1:45.523. This marks his first IMSA pole since 2006. Rockenfeller, along with Frederic Vervisch, secured a front-row spot for Ford in this class, positioning themselves as strong contenders for the 24-hour race.

“The team has worked tirelessly to be in this position, but we know managing performance throughout the entire race will be a bigger challenge due to tire degradation,” noted Rockenfeller.