To take back-to-back poles in IMSA is one unusual feat, but for the second of those to come at your first-ever visit to the treacherous Sebring is quite another.

After his first proper season in a top-level prototype last year, Dries Vanthoor is quickly becoming one of the hottest properties in IMSA. He’s not only fast, but he’s witty, sometimes shockingly honest and uncensored, has a brother racing in the series with who he has a love/rivalry relationship, and is a teammate of ex-Formula 1 driver Kevin Magnussen who has brought added attention to the BMW program, too.

Vanthoor had only three IMSA starts to his name entering this season – in 2019 and 2020 for Audi and then last year in the M Hybrid V8 GTP car, all at Daytona – but took poles at both in impressive fashion, and after only doing Daytona last year, he’s full-time IMSA this season with Phillip Eng and cameos from Magnussen for the longer races.

“We knew that we did a lot of work on the car, and we hoped that this year, the car is going to be a lot more competitive, and you can fight for some victories,” Vanthoor tells RACER.

“So after the race in Daytona, that track I know well, Sebring, I don’t know that track at all… first time out there! So then to be on pole is pretty cool and showed again that the car is performing well. But also a nice feeling, because Sebring is not the easiest of tracks to just rock up and drive.”

Unfortunately, both races have not played out as BMW would have wanted. In the first, a dislodged diffuser in the final hours robbed Vanthoor’s No.24 car of a chance to win and it finished fourth. At Sebring, the No.24 again appeared to be the best of BMW’s chances at victory, but was smashed in the pitlane by the No.60 Acura.