Dan Harper pledges to ‘give it everything' to get GTD Pro title bid back on track
He clinched a first-ever podium result at March's 12 Hours of Sebring with Max Hesse and Jesse Krohn along with a full quota of IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup points.
That went some way to make up for the disappointment the trio had to endure at January's curtain-raising Rolex 24 at Daytona where damage sustained during a multi-car incident that was not of their own making meant their push for a podium result ended in the pits.
'I am really looking forward to getting back to IMSA racing this weekend,' said Harper, who arrives at the venue fresh from winning April's Silverstone 500 with Darren Leung and Paradine Competition.
'We had a couple of days testing at the track recently, and I have to say it is a pretty cool place. Historically, it has not been the strongest one for the BMW, but we have worked hard throughout the test, and by the end of it, we feel like we got the car in a good window.
'We know we need to regain the points we lost at the first race at Daytona, so we will carry the momentum from Sebring and give it absolutely everything over the weekend. It is a shorter race this time and sure to be full of action, so we'll get stuck in for a good result.'
At only two hours, 40 minutes long, Krohn is sitting this round out, leaving Harper and Hesse to contest Sunday's meeting which gets under way at 8pm BST.
On top of an impressive Silverstone 500 display, Harper has been in red-hot form so far in 2025, triumphing at the Dubai 24 Hours and coming runner-up at the opening round of the GT World Challenge series at Circuit Paul Ricard in southern France in April.
Fellow Ulsterman Charlie Eastwood won't be making the trip to Laguna Seca with DXDT Racing, however, due to it clashing with the Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium.
He is being reunited with TF Sport for the third World Endurance Championship fixture, which takes place on Saturday afternoon from 1pm BST and once again will host a capacity grid.
Meanwhile, Jon Armstrong continues his FIA European Rally Championship campaign in Hungary, with the Kesh native expecting the durability of his Ford Fiesta Rally2 to be thoroughly examined.
The M-Sport Ford driver has compared the stages of the gravel fixture to those 3,500 miles away in Kenya.
'It is going to be massively tough,' admitted Armstrong, who is the No.9 seed with co-driving team-mate Shane Byrne. 'The only real way to describe it is like a mini-Safari.
'Okay, you don't have the soft sand called fesh-fesh, but there is a lot of undulation in terms of jumps into crests and dips and you have bedrock in sections which hurts tyres.'
Among the ERC1 (Rally2) line-up are six winners of European Rally Championship events, including three that have conquered Rally Hungary in the past – Mads Ostberg (Citroen C3 Rally2) and Skoda Fabis RS Rally2 exponents Simone Tempestini and Frigyes Turan.
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Belfast Telegraph
a day ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Dan Harper's woes at Spa 24 Hours are compounded by late retirement: ‘We never got the luck back in our favour'
The Rowe Racing-run machine was brought into the pits with only 10 minutes remaining on the clock after Harper's team-mate Philipp Eng reported a drop in stopping power. Prior to peeling off the circuit and into the safety of the garage, Austrian Eng – a former winner at the world-famous endurance meeting – was bravely holding on to sixth position. Having had their strategy for Friday's Superpole destroyed by a red flag, they started from 18th on the grid but, within the first two hours, Eng had moved up to 12th before the next breakthrough came at 11pm local time as Harper steered the car into the top 10. A combination of smart pit-stops and full-course yellows going their way catapulted the trio into the overall lead on two separate occasions. However, as the twice-around-the-clock meeting entered the final throes, a lack of pace around the 4.352-mile circuit compared to the winning Grasser Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo 2 and Rutronik Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R inevitably meant their silverware hopes wilted before a 'did not finish' beckoned. 'What happened out there sums up the week quite well,' reflected Harper. 'If we roll back to the beginning of the week, we had not actually driven the car in the Prologue, so we were thrown in at the deep end – but the guys prepared the car brilliantly, as always. 'Of course, we needed to make a few tweaks to get the car set up the way that we wanted, which took a bit longer than we had hoped it would, but we did get there eventually and the car, as we saw, was very fast in the race. 'We had been leading for a period and were fighting in the top three right up until the last six hours before a full-course yellow came at the wrong time for us and dropped us back. 'From that point, we never quite got the luck back in our favour. 'It was a shame but, in the end, I do not think we had the pace to compete against the Lamborghini, so congratulations to them. 'But I still think Rowe can be proud, two cars fighting for the podium right to the finish shows that they always perform.' It appeared as though Rowe Racing – fresh from conquering the Nürburgring 24 Hours the previous weekend – would have something to celebrate as the sister 98 BMW crossed the line in third to round out the podium spots. However, a 30-second time penalty was added post-race by stewards for track limit infringements, dropping the car two positions to fifth. Meanwhile, Kilrea's Josh McErlean overcame a double Friday puncture, rear suspension damage and no working handbrake on Saturday to complete Acropolis Rally Greece in 12th position on Sunday in his M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 alongside Eoin Treacy.
Belfast Telegraph
4 days ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Dan Harper on why this could be his year at the ‘big one' after years of bad luck
The Hillsborough driver is making his fourth start at the twice-around-the-clock race with his regular German co-driver Max Hesse, and one-off team-mate, Austrian Philipp Eng. There is a real sense that this could finally be Harper's year as he has had to endure bitter disappointment on his three previous visits. Back in 2022, his silverware hunt was banished by a puncture, with the same fate befalling him last year, while in 2023, the car Harper was sharing had to be retired after it got caught up in an incident during the night. Only last Sunday, Harper and Hesse scored a first GTD Pro victory in the America IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship at the Six Hours of Watkins Glen International in New York State. A day earlier, Rowe Racing triumphed at the Nürburgring 24 Hours to take BMW's total victory count around the famous 'Green Hell', in Germany, to 21 from all starts. Eng, meanwhile, has an enviable Spa record and is one of the most decorated drivers in the history of the Ardennes classic having won there three times, twice with Rowe Racing. 'I'm looking forward to the big one this weekend,' said Harper, who is being reunited with Rowe Racing for the first time since the World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup title decider in Saudi Arabia last December. 'We have had some bad luck at Spa these the last few years; on every occasion, we have been in contention for a podium, including 2024 we were fighting for the victory right up until the end only for a puncture before the last pit stop to deny us. 'We are competitive there which is encouraging, the BMW has been very strong there, and Rowe Racing are a fantastic and well-organised team who do very well in the longer endurance races, as they demonstrated at the Nürburgring last weekend with their win. 'Everyone in the team is naturally in good spirits, and myself and Max arrive at Spa on the back of our first win in IMSA, so yeah, I am really looking forward to it,' continued the 24-year-old. 'Having Philipp onboard is a boost, too. He has a great record a Spa with three victories, most recently in 2023, so I'm very excited to be sharing the car with him for the first time.' A 75-car field featuring machinery from 10 manufacturers such as Aston Martin, McLaren, Mercedes-AMG, Ferrari, Ford, Lamborghini and Porsche will line up for the 77th instalment of the 24 Hours of Spa, which begins on Saturday afternoon at 3.30pm UK time.
Scottish Sun
5 days ago
- Scottish Sun
‘She's so beautiful' – NBA Draft star Dylan Harper upstaged by ‘absolute smoke show' mom after San Antonio Spurs pick
Teen prospect out of Rutgers comes from a basketball family with his dad a five-time NBA champion FAMILY PRIDE 'She's so beautiful' – NBA Draft star Dylan Harper upstaged by 'absolute smoke show' mom after San Antonio Spurs pick Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) NEWEST San Antonio Spurs star Dylan Harper was upstaged by his mom during the NBA Draft. Fans tuning in for the event on ESPN fell in love with the 19-year-old prospect's mother. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 7 Dylan Harper was interviewed on stage along with his mom and brother Credit: Getty 7 Fans fell in love with Harper's mom Maria as he was interviewed on ESPN Credit: Getty 7 His mom Maria was the inadvertent star of the show Credit: Getty 7 Maria used to coach Dylan as a kid and is a former college basketball player Credit: Getty 7 Maria was just as delighted with Bryce's selection as he was Credit: NBA/YouTube Guard Harper was selected with the No. 2 overall pick by the Spurs in Brooklyn, New York. He was interviewed on stage by ESPN NBA reporter Monica McNutt. Harper was joined by his mom Maria and brother Ron for the moment. But television viewers struggled to focus on what the new San Antonio Spurs star was saying. "Dylan Harper's mom is about to go viral man," one fan said. Another commented, "Respectfully Dylan Harper's mom is an absolute smoke show." While a third said, "Dylan Harper mom!? She's so beautiful." Harper went second behind Cooper Flagg to the Dallas Mavericks. He will join former No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama at the Spurs. "When you play with a bunch of great players it gets the best out of you," Harper told ESPN's McNutt. Have you been to sleep-' - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leaves GMA host stunned over appearance after NBA Finals win "They got a great young core and I'm excited to get over there and make an impact however I can." The 19-year-old played two years in college for Rutgers. His mom was asked what got him to the NBA during the ESPN interview. And she said, "His flat out love for the game, his determination, his humility and his hard work day in day out." The No. 2 overall pick has grown up in a basketball family. 7 Dylan's dad Ron was also in attendance and is a five-time NBA champion Credit: Getty 7 Harper was picked No. 2 overall by the San Antonio Spurs Credit: Getty His dad Ron Harper is a five-time NBA champion having won titles on two dynasties. He played with Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls, winning three straight championships from 1996 to 1998. And Harper won two more rings on the Los Angeles Lakers with Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal. Ron and Maria divorced in 2012 after seven years of marriage. Maria used to play college basketball as well and coached Dylan as a kid. Ron was also in attendance for Dylan's big night Wednesday. But it was Maria who was the inadvertent star of the show on her son's big night.
