INDIANAPOLIS — BMW delivered an impressive 1-2 finish Sunday at the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks, the six-hour IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Philipp Eng drove the No. 24 BMW M Team RLL BMW M Hybrid V8 across the finish line 1.647 seconds ahead of teammate Connor De Phillippi in the sister No. 25 BMW M Hybrid V8.
It was the first win for the No. 24, which Eng shared with co-driver Jesse Krohn, in the second season of the hybrid-electrified Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class. It was also the first 1-2 GTP finish for BMW M Team RLL.
Nick Tandy and Mathieu Jaminet finished third overall and in GTP in the No. 6 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963. With the other Porsche Penske car, the No. 7 driven by Felipe Nasr and Dane Cameron, suffering power steering issues and finishing ninth in class, it unofficially closed the No. 6 within 14 points of the No. 7 for the GTP lead with one race remaining in the 2024 WeatherTech Championship season.
The race on the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course began in a light rain that grew steadily heavier. A full-course caution just 45 minutes into the race lasted nearly an hour as track service crews worked to move standing water from the track in several areas.
When the green flag waved again with just more than four hours to go, the rain soon stopped, the track dried and full-on racing took place throughout the 56-car field around the 2.439-mile, 14-turn circuit. Eight different cars led in GTP alone, with Eng powering past Louis Deletraz in the No. 40 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Acura ARX-06 and into the lead with a daring move in Turn 13 with 46 minutes remaining. Eng was challenged several times by De Phillippi after that but held strong to secure his second career win and the third for Krohn.
Other class winners on Sunday were: Steven Thomas, Mikkel Jensen and Hunter McElrea in the No. 11 TDS Racing ORECA LMP2 07 in Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2); Laurin Heinrich and Michael Christensen in the No. 77 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R in Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO); and Adam Adelson, Elliott Skeer and Jan Heylen in the No. 120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R in Grand Touring Daytona (GTD).
The 2024 WeatherTech Championship season closes with the 27th annual Motul Petit Le Mans on Saturday, Oct. 12 at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. Live coverage is available on NBC and Peacock starting at noon ET.