The No. 25 BMW M Team RLL BMW M Hybrid V8, driven by Connor De Phillippi and Nick Yelloly, secured an impressive third-place finish through clever strategy at the Chevrolet Grand Prix today. This marks the team’s fourth podium of the 2023 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar season and the 100th podium in their history. Over the course of the two-hour-and-forty-minute event at the Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, De Phillippi and Yelloly completed 119 laps, finishing just 19 seconds behind the No. 60 Acura ARX-06 during the fourth caution period.
The race strategy began with an early pit stop on lap 14 for fuel only, putting Yelloly out of sync with the other GTP class competitors. As the field made their first pit stops, Yelloly found himself in the lead. Unfortunately, the anticipated caution period that could have worked in their favor didn’t materialize. Yelloly then handed over the car to De Phillippi on lap 55 under green flag conditions. Finally, on lap 66, the first caution occurred, and De Phillippi made a fuel-only pit stop on lap 68. With three more cautions in the final one-hour-and-forty-minute stretch, De Phillippi moved up to third position and secured the last podium spot as the race ended under yellow with the final caution.
The No. 25 car has had an impressive season so far, with a win at Watkins Glen, two second-place finishes at Sebring and Long Beach, and now a third-place finish at CTMP. De Phillippi and Yelloly currently hold second place in the GTP driver point standings, while BMW stands second in the GTP class manufacturer points.
Augusto Farfus and Philipp Eng faced challenges during the race, ultimately finishing eighth. They struggled to move up in the field, and both drivers received drive-through penalties during their stints. Farfus and Eng currently sit in eighth place in the driver points, with their best finish of the season—a fourth place at Long Beach—coming in the No. 24 car.
