BMW M Motorsport works driver Dan Harper has secured his first win in the Asian Le Mans Series with a sensational comeback drive alongside Anthony McIntosh and Parker Thompson in Dubai this past weekend (30 January – 01 February).
Harper, McIntosh, Thompson and Team WRT had headed into the second round of the ALMS season in confident mood, having secured podium finishes together in both the opening round at Sepang in December and the 6H Abu Dhabi earlier this year.
Between them, they returned to the Dubai Autodrome with a wealth of experience and success around the 3.35-mile circuit. Harper won the 24H Dubai last year, with Team WRT successfully defending their crown two weeks’ ago with McIntosh as part of the driver line-up.
The event got underway with some productive test and free practice sessions leading up to the weekend. McIntosh was in control for qualifying on Saturday morning and put in a strong performance in their BMW M4 GT3 EVO to secure top six starting positions for both four-hour races.
The opening encounter was a frustrating one for the team though, with an unfortunate first corner incident causing substantial damage to the BMW. The majority of the race was spent in the pits, with a great effort from Team WRT ensuring the car returned to the track for some shakedown laps late on.
The #69 crew were determined to bounce back from that disappointment with a good showing on Sunday. McIntosh got them off to a great start, quickly moving them up from sixth on the grid into podium contention in the competitive GT class.
Thompson was next behind the wheel before Harper jumped in for the final hour, with his team-mates’ efforts combined with great strategy from the team meaning that the Northern Irishman slotted into the class lead once all pitstops had been completed.
It was far from an easy run to the chequered flag for the 25-year-old talent though, with Porsche factory driver Laurin Heinrich hot on his heels. While the gap between them stayed at less than two seconds throughout, Harper produced a composed, faultless drive to soak up the pressure and bring home the victory.
Dan Harper: “I’m absolutely buzzing to get my first win together with Anthony, Parker and Team WRT, and my first win in the Asian Le Mans Series. We’re forming a really good partnership between us and hopefully this will be the first of many victories together this year.
“Saturday was a shame but those things happen sometimes in motorsport and it’s all about how you bounce back from them. To go on and take the victory in race two was the perfect way to make up for it. We’re very happy.
“Team WRT did a perfect job repairing the car and it was absolutely flying in race two. Anthony and Parker produced great stints to put us in contention for the win, alongside the usual great strategy and pitstops from Team WRT.
“I was under a bit of pressure again at the end, but I think the experience last week in Daytona definitely helped me keep my cool. I knew what I needed to do to bring it home. We’re delighted with the result and we’ll be going for the same again in Abu Dhabi.”
The 2025/26 Asian Le Mans Series comes to its conclusion this weekend (07-08 February) on the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi. After that, preparations will ramp up ahead of the opening round of the FIA World Endurance Championship in Qatar (26-28 March).