By BBC (Sports) | Created at 2025-01-12 12:06:40 | Updated at 2025-01-12 15:00:05
3 hours ago
Northern Ireland's Dan Harper has won his first 24 Hour race in Dubai with BMW and Team WRT.
The 24-year-old claimed top overall honours in the 24 Hours of Dubai, the curtain-raiser for the endurance racing season.
It is the biggest win of his career for Harper, who came through BMW's junior programme before being promoted to a factory driver in 2023.
He was joined in the #777 Team WRT BMW by Darren Leung, who Harper has raced alongside for two years, Al Faisal Al Zubair, Ben Tuck and Max Hesse.
The crew were battling at the front throughout the 24 hours at the Dubai Autodrome, and Harper and his team-mates finished the race one lap ahead of the second-placed Porsche 911 of Alex Malykhin, Alexey Nesov, Harry King and Thomas Preining.
"What a result," Harper posted on social media.
"Brilliant driving from my team-mates, perfect strategy calls from the team and a faultless car from BMW.
"I'm absolutely over the moon to get my first overall 24 Hour race win."
It marks a strong start to 2025 for Harper, who tested BMW LMDh Hypercar in the World Endurance Championship's rookie test in Bahrain in November.
Harper is a former Porsche Carrera Cup GB champion and lifted the British GT and GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup titles alongside Leung in a BMW in 2023 and 2024.
His previous best 24 Hour race result was third in the Nurburgring 24 Hours last year alongside Hesse and Charles Weerts.
