Hesse: Paul Miller Carrying “Right Momentum” into Sebring

Photo: Sam Cobb/BMW

Max Hesse believes Paul Miller Racing is carrying the “right momentum” into this weekend’s Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring following the team’s hard-fought GTD Pro class victory at Daytona.

Hesse teamed up with fellow BMW factory drivers Connor De Phillippi, Neil Verhagen and Dan Harper to give the team its first Rolex 24 win with the German manufacturer.

It came after De Phillippi, Hesse and Harper came out on top in last year’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season-ending Motul Petit Le Mans that took the team to a 1-2 finish in the Michelin Endurance Cup.

The Daytona class win, however, came after a turbulent off-season that saw the Georgia-based squad scale back to a single BMW, in a deal that came late in the year after exploring other manufacturer partners.

“I think in general, everything we’ve built up last year at Paul Miller was obviously great and I think it’s paid off now in Daytona,” Hesse told Sportscar365.

“Also we had the win at Road Atlanta [last year] which was nice.

“Last year we were competitive in Daytona too but we didn’t pull it off, obviously, with both cars. To do it this year was really great for the team.

“I think it was also what they needed after all the chaos going on with preparing for the new season and looking left and right and not knowing where it’s really going.

“This was the right momentum and the right message for them to keep going.”

Hesse said last year’s full season campaign, alongside fellow BMW Junior Team member Dan Harper, was very much a learning year, particularly in the sprint races.

“First of all, last year, from our crew, the 48 crew back then was just missing experience,” he said.

“From the engineers to the drivers. We were always good in the endurance races because we could read the race and know, even after the first two hours, when we had our mishaps, we managed to do it in the end.

“This is something you don’t have in sprint races.

“I think that’s really down to where we were lacking. I hope for the guys it will be a bit better this year.

“Sebring is normally a very good track for our car. We had a double podium there last year as well. Let’s see. Obviously in the end, it’s not always everything in our hands.

“Normally if the package is right, I hope for another win, to be honest, because normally the car always performs well there.”

While the downsizing of the Paul Miller program means Sebring will be Hesse’s final start with the team this season, with Harper taking the third seat for Petit Le Mans due to a GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS clash Hesse, the 24-year-old German feels the team is in a good position to fight for the season-long title with De Phillippi and Harper at the wheel.

“In endurance racing, it’s probably a downside because having two cars, like we could see with Corvette, they’re always working so well together,” he said.

“But I agree, for the sprint rounds, I think it’s a benefit. You can focus on only one car, head into one direction. I hope for them it will turn out good.”

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John