2025 IMSA Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen

German Marques Weather the Storm

Introduction

The 2025 Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen will be remembered as a race of wild weather swings and high drama, from an opening deluge to a sweltering finish. Amid the chaos, Porsche, BMW, and Mercedes-AMG each experienced a rollercoaster of fortunes across the classes. The overall win went to the Meyer Shank Racing Acura after a late fuel-mileage twist snatched victory from Cadillac’s grasp, but the German manufacturers had their own stories of triumph and tribulation. Porsche’s prototypes showed flashes of dominance in the wet before fate dealt a harsh blow; BMW’s new-generation crew clinched GTD Pro honours after a gutsy comeback; and Mercedes-AMG secured a GTD podium through grit and consistency. Throughout all classes, key teams and drivers, German and otherwise, had to adapt on the fly in a six-hour contest that tested everyone’s limits.

Prototype Drama: Porsche’s Pace Peaks Early, BMW Struggles for Speed

The changeable conditions at Watkins Glen played havoc with the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) field. Porsche Penske Motorsport’s pair of 963s initially thrived when rain hammered down in the first half-hour. Starting deep in the pack, Felipe Nasr sliced the No. 7 Porsche from tenth on the grid to the race lead within five laps during the treacherous wet spell. “We were strong in the early stages when conditions were tricky and even managed to take the lead,” noted Urs Kuratle, Porsche’s LMDh programme boss. However, Porsche's performance advantage evaporated once the skies cleared around the 90-minute mark and the track rapidly dried. As temperatures soared, the opposition, led by Acura and Cadillac, had the measure of the German machines. “From that point on, the race took on a familiar picture from qualifying: the frontrunners moved past every Porsche 963... Porsche Penske Motorsport could no longer rejoin the battle for victory,” Porsche’s race report admitted bluntly.

Both factory Porsche prototypes remained in contention through the middle hours thanks to flawless driving and strategic calls. But with just under 80 minutes remaining, Nick Tandy suffered a heavy crash in the No. 7 at Turn 1, ending the hopes of the car that had won IMSA’s opening three rounds. Tandy walked away unhurt from the 25g impact, a testament to modern safety, but the retirement was a “severe setback” for him and Nasr. The sister No. 6 Porsche, driven by Mathieu Jaminet and Matt Campbell, avoided drama and soldiered on to finish fourth, the best result for a German marque in GTP. “Fourth place is much more than we were expecting before the race,” Campbell admitted, pleased that luck and a solid strategy helped salvage valuable points despite lacking raw pace. Indeed, that fourth-place finish remarkably vaulted Campbell and Jaminet to the top of the drivers’ championship, overtaking their erstwhile leading teammates. Still, Campbell conceded the result “does not reflect our pace” and hoped they’d be “back at the front in the next race”.

For BMW, Watkins Glen proved an uphill battle in the prototype class. A late Balance of Performance tweak added 10 kg to the BMW M Hybrid V8 cars before the race weekend, and in dry conditions, the lack of pace was evident. Neither BMW ever threatened the podium on Sunday. The No. 24 BMW (Philipp Eng/Dries Vanthoor) qualified only sixth and eventually finished eighth in GTP. “From the start of the weekend, we knew we were going into the race with difficult conditions… we simply didn’t have the necessary pace,” Eng remarked frankly after coming home a distant eighth. The No. 25 BMW’s race ended even more unhappily, Marco Wittmann and Sheldon van der Linde retired after an accident in the chaotic middle stint. BMW’s fortunes contrasted sharply with the overall leaders: by race's end, Acura’s No. 60 ARX-06 claimed victory, and a jubilant Wayne Taylor Racing locked out the remaining podium spots for Cadillac. In fact, a late splash for fuel by the leading No. 31 Cadillac with only two minutes to go handed Acura the win in a dramatic finish. That twist of fate kept Porsche off the overall podium and underscored how challenging the race had been for the Stuttgart marque. As Kuratle summed up, “the sister car ran cleanly and delivered a pretty good result” in fourth, but ultimately “our chances diminished” once the weather normalised and rivals could exploit their superior dry-weather pace.

GTD Pro Glory for BMW, Porsche’s “Rexy” Shows Fight

If Porsche and BMW left the prototype class somewhat unsatisfied, the GTD Pro class provided a major highlight, courtesy of BMW’s Paul Miller Racing. The New Jersey-based outfit, long a stalwart of IMSA’s GT ranks, achieved a landmark victory in the Pro category after a race that was anything but straightforward. Young BMW factory drivers Dan Harper (UK) and Max Hesse (Germany) took the No. 48 BMW M4 GT3 to the GTD Pro win despite incurring a one-minute stop-and-hold penalty mid-race. Hesse ran a red light at the pit exit during the frenzied tyre changes for rain, costing the team 60 seconds in the penalty box. That dropped their BMW to the back of the pack, undoing an early stint in which Harper had led laps and even set the second-fastest qualifying time in class. “We thought we had thrown away a top result, but there were many yellow flags, and our car was very strong on restarts,” Hesse said of their spirited comeback. Over 30% of the race ran under safety car, and caution periods allowed the BMW to claw back lost ground. Hesse charged back to the front, and Harper closed the deal in the final stint. It marked the duo’s first win in IMSA competition and the team’s first triumph of the season. “I gradually worked my way back to first place, and Dan did an amazing job in the final stint,” Hesse noted, praising his teammate’s composure under pressure. The achievement was nearly a one-two for BMW as Paul Miller’s sister car (No. 1) ran second in the closing stages with Madison Snow, Neil Verhagen, and Connor De Phillippi driving, only to be penalised for low tyre pressure and relegated to eighth in class just before the finish. Even so, the GTD Pro victory by the No. 48 BMW, earned on pure pace and perseverance, was one of the standout results for any German manufacturer at the Glen.

The fan-favourite AO Racing team carried Porsche’s hopes in GTD Pro, running their Jurassic-themed No. 77 Porsche 911 GT3 R (fondly nicknamed “Rexy”). AO’s all-pro duo of Laurin Heinrich and Klaus Bachler showed immense tenacity in a race “filled with incidents”. After starting at the back of the GTD Pro grid (due to a ride-height infraction in qualifying), Heinrich capitalised on the wet opening stint to storm up the order. “We got lucky: the rain really played in our favour, highlighting the strengths of the Porsche 911 GT3 R,” Heinrich said, after charging from second-to-last to lead the class at one stage in the damp conditions. Once the track dried, however, AO Racing had to lean on strategy to compensate for the Porsche’s slightly weaker dry pace. A bold call put them in contention again late, until contact in a tight three-way battle inflicted rear-end damage on “Rexy”. As if that wasn’t enough, fuel became a concern; the team had to conserve heavily and pray for one more caution. “We tried to make up ground again with a bold strategy, but we had to conserve too much fuel. Unfortunately, there weren’t enough safety car periods for us to reach the finish without an extra stop,” Heinrich explained, the disappointment evident in his voice. In the end, AO Racing slipped to sixth in GTD Pro, ceding their championship lead in the process. It was a case of damage control for the Porsche squad, who at least managed to see the chequered flag and bank some points after an exhausting day.

Ahead of them, the class podium featured two non-German rivals: the Corvette Racing No. 3 C8.R took second place (enough to move Garcia and Sims atop the GTD Pro standings) and Ford’s new Mustang GT3 scored a remarkable third-place finish on its endurance debut, with German driver Christopher Mies co-driving. Porsche may have missed the GTD Pro silverware, but AO’s spirited fight and the sight of a Porsche leading in the wet provided plenty of talking points.

GTD: Mercedes-AMG Makes Its Mark, BMW and Porsche in the Wars

The GTD class (for pro-am lineups) saw no German manufacturer in the top two, but Mercedes-AMG did grab a share of the spotlight with a hard-earned podium. The No. 32 Korthoff Competition Mercedes-AMG GT3 came home third in class after a remarkably steady run. Drivers Seth Lucas, Kenton Koch, and Daniel Morad had qualified on the second row and kept the silver-and-blue AMG in podium contention throughout the six hours. In the tense final minutes, Morad fended off challenges to secure P3, crossing the line just 2.858 seconds behind the class winner. “P3 at the Glen! That was wild. This race was the definition of teamwork,” Morad enthused afterwards on social media. It was the best finish of the season for a Mercedes-AMG in any class, achieved by a privateer team persevering through the race’s many twists and turns.

The GTD victory went to the Heart of Racing Aston Martin (after a flawless drive by Gamble/Stevenson/Robichon), with Inception Racing’s Ferrari 296 GT3 taking second. But the Korthoff Mercedes crew ensured a German marque was represented on the GTD podium; a testament to the AMG’s competitiveness and the team’s clean execution.

Elsewhere in GTD, the other German contenders had a character-building day. Turner Motorsport’s BMW M4 GT3 showed flashes of speed, Robby Foley, Patrick Gallagher, and Jake Walker ran as high as third in the closing stages, but a late brush with another car caused damage to the front suspension, dashing their podium hopes. Foley was forced to back off in the final minutes, ultimately finishing eighth in class. Turner’s misfortune opened the door for Mercedes to inherit third. Meanwhile, Porsche’s leading GTD entry, the No. 120 Wright Motorsports 911 GT3 R, had a mountain to climb after an early collision. Starting in horrendous aquaplaning conditions, Adam Adelson was caught out by traffic, and the Porsche suffered damage that left it four laps down by the time repairs were complete. The trio of Adelson, Elliott Skeer, and young Aussie Tom Sargent fought back admirably, recovering three of those laps by the finish to claim 13th place. “Things were actually going quite well, but then our Porsche was damaged in a collision that wasn’t our fault. The repairs cost us four laps; that was the end of our chances,” lamented Skeer, reflecting on what might have been. It was a frustrating result for Wright Motorsports, which had hoped to contend for a podium after showing strong pace in recent rounds.

Conclusion

For the German manufacturers, the Six Hours of the Glen delivered a mix of shining highs and challenging lows. BMW will savour its GTD Pro triumph, a strategic and hard-fought victory that puts its young drivers firmly on the map, even as its prototype programme regroups after a muted outing. Porsche can take heart in leading two championships (GTP drivers’ and Michelin Pilot Challenge GS), but the Stuttgart squad leaves New York knowing more pace is needed in both classes to convert opportunities into wins. Without a presence in the top category, Mercedes-AMG demonstrated in GTD that patient, error-free racing can yield big rewards against fierce competition. As the IMSA field moves on from Watkins Glen’s unpredictable weather to the next rounds, each marque will carry forward lessons learned. In endurance racing’s ebb and flow, much like the Glen’s sudden rain and shine, fortunes can change in an instant. This year, the German contenders experienced both the pain and the payoff, setting the stage for an even more determined push in the upcoming races.

RACE RESULTS