BMW M Motorsport works driver Dan Harper has secured a top three championship finish in the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship alongside team-mates Anthony McIntosh and Parker Thompson, following a great performance in the season-closing 6 Hours of Monza.
The Team WRT squad produced a stunning charge forward from 16th on the grid to fourth position in the season finale. It was a fitting end to a superb year together, which featured a race victory in the opening round at Imola and further podiums at Interlagos and Barcelona.
Harper and his team-mates were straight on the pace in tricky wet conditions across Friday’s two free practice sessions. It continued to be wet for the final practice run the next morning, however a new challenge presented them come qualifying as they took to a dry circuit for the first time.
McIntosh produced clear top six pace in their BMW M4 GT3 EVO, however he was unlucky to see three laps deleted due to track limits infringements. Therefore, he had to rely on his final flying lap when their tyres had passed their peak, leaving him 16th on the LMGT3 timesheets.
The American racer certainly made amends come race day though, producing a heroic performance across the first stint. Charging forward ten places into the top six within the opening half an hour alone, he continued his forward momentum to move up to third place in class.
Thompson emerged from the first driver change at the two-hour mark in fifth position, and consolidated their top six standing through the middle portion of the race. Harper then took over for the final 80 minutes, settling into fifth position once he got on track.
The Northern Irishman produced a composed performance from there, staying out of trouble and setting a consistent pace in the #69 BMW. While he couldn’t quite get into the fight for the final podium position, he completed the team’s superb performance in fourth place.
Dan Harper: “The Monza race was a brilliant way to end the season. The weather didn’t make it easy preparing for qualifying and that was a tough session, it was the first time in the dry for the Bronze drivers and they were particularly strict on track limits.
“That meant we were starting further back than we should have been, but Tony did a brilliant job in the first stint with good overtakes to bring us into contention. Parker kept us in the fight, but we were just missing that final bit of pace to the others. We maximised what we had to get a great fourth.
“We’re pleased with third in the championship. It’s not what we aimed for at the start, we wanted to be fighting for the title, but we’re incredibly proud of our season. There were some tough moments, but we kept bouncing back and got some results to be delighted with.
“I’ve loved my first season in the FIA World Endurance Championship, it’s an incredibly competitive championship that visits some cool circuits. I’m very thankful to Team WRT and BMW M Motorsport for their work and dedication. 2026 is done, lets see what the new year brings.”