'What a race': Hillsborough's Dan Harper savours win at the famous 24 Hours of Daytona with BMW
Dan Harper has hailed “an incredible feeling” after producing a remarkable drive to win the iconic, fog-affected Daytona 24-hour race after starting from the back of the grid.
The Hillsborough man competed in the GTD Pro class alongside Max Hesse, Neil Verhagen and Connor De Phillippi in the #1 BMW run by Paul Miller Racing.
The car had been disqualified from qualifying due to a tyre infringement, forcing the team to begin the race from the rear of the field.
But that deter their efforts as the crew steadily fought their way through the order before the race was stopped for six-and-a-half hours as dense fog descended on the Florida circuit.
When racing resumed, the final six hours became a flat-out sprint to the finish. An outstanding late pit stop by the Paul Miller Racing team, with just over an hour remaining, put Harper into the lead and that was a position he would not give up to take the win.
After 24 hours of racing, the winning margin was just 2.223 seconds, with the #1 BMW finishing ahead of the #75 Mercedes driven by Will Power, Kenny Habul, Chaz Mostert and Marco Engel.
The 24 Hours of Daytona is a multi-class endurance race held on a combination of the Daytona Super Speedway oval and the infield road course.
It is regarded as one of the crown jewels of endurance racing, alongside the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Nürburgring and Spa.
The event also acts as the season opener for the IMSA SportsCar Championship and regularly attracts drivers from Formula 1, IndyCar and other major racing series.
“I can’t believe it, what a race,” Harper posted on social media after the stunning finish.
“It was a big challenge to try and win from the back of the grid, but the whole #1 crew produced a perfect performance and we never stopped believing we could do it.
“What an incredible feeling. Thank you to everyone involved.”
Fellow Northern Irish driver Charlie Eastwood was also in contention for victory, racing alongside IndyCar star Scott McLaughlin, Salih Yoluc and Mason Filippi, but their challenge ended late on after a mechanical failure forced the DXPD Corvette to retire.