BMW M Team WRT has its first IMSA GTP victory, and it arrived in the most dramatic way possible. At Indianapolis on 20 September 2026, the No. 24 BMW M Hybrid V8 of Dries Vanthoor and Sheldon van der Linde moved into the lead with less than six minutes remaining and held on to win.
For BMW, this is more than another sports-car trophy. WRT entered the IMSA GTP class only this season, taking over the factory BMW M Hybrid V8 programme in North America. The team had already shown speed and collected podiums, but Indianapolis is the first time that pace has converted into an outright IMSA win.
A victory that was still undecided in the final minutes
The closing phase was the kind of race finish endurance racing does especially well: strategy had done most of the shaping, but the result still came down to a pass on track. Vanthoor put the No. 24 BMW into first place with fewer than six minutes left. Cadillac finished second and Porsche third.
That matters because the M Hybrid V8 has spent much of its LMDh life looking competitive without always collecting the results its pace suggested were possible. A late-race victory against Cadillac and Porsche changes the tone of the programme. It gives WRT a reference point: not theoretical potential, but proof that the package can win when the race compresses into a final sprint.
Why WRT’s first IMSA win matters
WRT is one of the most accomplished GT and endurance teams in Europe, but IMSA’s GTP class has its own rhythm. Traffic, caution periods, pit timing and the intensity of American endurance racing create a different problem from a European WEC weekend. Winning in the first season says something about how quickly the operation has adapted.
It also arrives at a useful moment for BMW Motorsport. The current M Hybrid V8 is the centrepiece of BMW’s prototype programme, and every strong race result helps connect the road-car M brand with top-level endurance racing again. The visual link is obvious, but the more important connection is cultural: BMW is once again fighting for overall victories in a category where engineering decisions are visible on the stopwatch.
One race left to make the season count
The IMSA GTP title will be decided at Petit Le Mans on 3 October. Indianapolis does not erase every missed opportunity from the season, but it gives WRT momentum at exactly the right time. More importantly, it validates the team-car combination before the finale.
The most interesting part of this win is therefore not just that BMW won. It is how late it happened. Endurance races are often described as tests of patience, but Indianapolis ended with a move that demanded the opposite. Six minutes from the flag, BMW stopped waiting and took the race.
Sources: RACER, 20 September 2026; BMW Group PressClub. Hero image: BMW M Team WRT No. 24 BMW M Hybrid V8 at Indianapolis, © BMW Group, official press-media asset.
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