DETROIT, Michigan (June 1, 2025) – The streets of downtown Detroit proved to be unforgiving for Paul Miller Racing, as both BMW M4 GT3 entries in the GTD PRO class endured a challenging outing in Saturday’s Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic.
After showing early promise in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship sprint event with starting from the second row, the team’s efforts were ultimately undone by incidents and track-specific struggles, resulting in a P7 finish for the No. 48 BMW piloted by Max Hesse and Dan Harper and P11 for the sister car with Madison Snow and Neil Verhagen.
“The first Detroit GP for me – unfortunately, it was not how I would have expected it to go, starting from P3,” Verhagen said.
“Felt like we had quite a good start, and then we obviously ran into some issues, which ultimately took us completely out of the race. Quite a disappointing result for us today, but we’re holding our heads high and looking forward to Watkins Glen.”
For the No. 48 crew, optimism after a strong qualifying performance quickly gave way to adversity during the race. Despite battling through difficult conditions on a low-grip, slow-speed street circuit that didn’t play to the strengths of the BMW, Hesse and the team showed resilience throughout the weekend.
“To be honest, it was a very difficult weekend,” Hesse said. “We knew coming in that Detroit could be one of our toughest rounds.
“The track’s low grip and the predominance of slow-speed corners don’t suit our longer car particularly well – and that clearly showed. Every session was a real challenge, not just for us as drivers, but for the whole team, including the mechanics.
“In the end, we finished P7. That wasn’t our maximum. I think P5 or P6 would have been more reflective of our pace.
“Unfortunately, that didn’t happen due to a mistake on my side. While battling hard with other cars, I ran a bit offline, picked up some debris, and with the reduced grip, I braked too late into Turn 3 and couldn’t slow the car down enough.
“The Ford and Lamborghini were fighting ahead, and I couldn’t avoid contact with the Ford, which ultimately resulted in a drive-through penalty. I’m really sorry for that, especially to the No. 65 Ford crew, who were taken out of the race.
“Despite everything, there were still some positives. Compared to last year, the team has made huge steps forward. Both crews – No. 1 and No. 48 – worked incredibly well together. We had a genuinely quick race car, and the team did a fantastic job developing it over the weekend.
“We pushed the strategy, the tires, and the brakes – maybe too much – trying to stay up front after what was probably a better-than-expected qualifying. We were a bit too eager, and it caught up with us.
“But I really want to thank our mechanics and engineers. We changed the car completely every session, went through every setup idea we had, and extracted the maximum. I’m proud of everyone.”
Team Manager Dusty Renteria echoed the sentiment, acknowledging both the disappointment of the result and the continued focus on future rounds.
“Detroit was not kind to either of our GTD PRO cars this year,” Renteria said.
“What started as a very promising race for both entries unfortunately unraveled in different ways by the time the checkered flag waved. We’ll regroup, continue working hard, and shift our focus to the upcoming events on the calendar – tracks that we believe will better suit the strengths of the BMW M4 GT3.”
Before heading to Watkins Glen for the Sahlen’s Six Hours, Paul Miller Racing will be part of the Paul Miller BMW Dealership Show on Saturday, June 14, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Paul Miller BMW in Wayne, New Jersey.
Both GTD PRO BMW M4 GT3 race cars will be on display, with live pit stop demonstrations and autograph sessions featuring drivers Madison Snow and Connor De Phillippi.
The event is part of the dealership’s continued commitment to engaging with the local community across Wayne, Butler, Little Falls, Totowa, Caldwell, and beyond – celebrating a shared passion for BMW performance and motorsport.
The team then turns its focus to Watkins Glen International, where the high-speed, flowing nature of the track should offer a more favorable opportunity to score meaningful points in both the GTD PRO championship and the IMSA Endurance Cup.
“Now we focus on Watkins Glen,” Hesse added. “That should suit our car better, and we’re still in a strong position in the Endurance Cup. But it’s time to start scoring bigger points for the overall championship too. Heads down, and let’s get to work.”
