Dan Harper Battles To Important Top Six Finish On Suzuka Debut

BMW M Motorsport works driver Dan Harper and his team-mates Max Hesse and Augusto Farfus fought their way to a top six finish in the prestigious Suzuka 1000km, securing Farfus and BMW some crucial points for their Intercontinental GT Challenge title bids (12-14 September).

Harper and Hesse were drafted in for the penultimate IGTC round of the season to support Farfus and BMW, who headed into the event leading the drivers’ and manufacturers’ standings respectively. It marked Harper’s first time racing in Japan and contesting Asia’s longest running sportscar race.

Reuniting with the hugely-successful Team WRT, the Northern Irishman got up to speed around the world-famous Suzuka circuit during a pair of test sessions of Friday. They provided him crucial mileage around the unique fast and flowing, figure-eight layout in both dry and wet conditions. Qualifying went into the darkness on Saturday evening, and proved to be a chaotic affair with multiple red flag stoppages. Harper pulled off an impressive last gasp lap in his session to bolster their challenge, with the combined efforts of the three drivers securing them eighth on the grid.

Sunday’s race was six and a half hours in duration, with Farfus kicking off proceedings behind the wheel of the #31 BMW M4 GT3 EVO. The experienced Brazilian grabbed seventh position off the line, before continuing his charge forward through the opening hour to rise to fifth. Harper jumped in for the next hour and put in an impressive stint to consolidate their top six position. The 24-year-old talent produced a rapid pace in the BMW, halving the deficit to the car ahead through his stint before handing over the reins to Hesse.

After the German maintained fifth position throughout his run, Farfus would face the most chaotic period of the race. A number of full course yellow and safety car periods shook up the race strategies amongst the leading pack, with the #31 BMW rising up to second on the road at one stage. Hesse jumped back in for the final 90-minute run to the chequered flag. Once the last round of pitstops were completed and the strategies played out, he eventually brought the car home in sixth place overall and fifth of the PRO class entries for a strong points haul that helped extend BMW’s championship lead.

Dan Harper: “It was great to be drafted in by BMW to return to the Intercontinental GT Challenge grid and compete in such a prestigious race. To get the opportunity to race at Suzuka for the first time was special and it’s such an amazing circuit to drive.
Unfortunately, we struggled for pace compared to our sister car and didn’t quite have the package to be joining them in the battle for the podium. It was a case of damage limitation from there and we worked hard to secure the best result possible in the race. It was an incredibly competitive race and the run of caution periods mid-race put a real emphasis on the pitstop strategies. Team WRT did a brilliant job to keep us in the mix and we’re glad we could come home with some good points for Augusto and BMW.”

images from BMW M Motorsport.