From the second he first drove a quad bike at 5 years of age, Dan Harper might by no means have imagined the place he would find yourself in motorsport.
It’s a journey that has taken him to a number of the most well-known race tracks on the earth as a BMW manufacturing facility driver, the place motorsport is his job and his life.
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In 2026 alone he has raced, and crushed, Max Verstappen, been team-mates to his racing idol Valentino Rossi, received one of many largest endurance races on the earth and is about to make his debut at one other – the enduring Le Mans 24 Hours.
“It is what I wished to do from a child, so to make it occur and to see all of the laborious work paying off, it is all a dream,” stated the 25-year-old.
“I did not actually have a lot curiosity in class and my dad clearly seen a little bit of expertise there.
“It is very particular now wanting again in any respect these reminiscences, seeing now the place I’m and hopefully what’s going to come sooner or later.”
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Verstappen ‘only a regular particular person’
Whereas GT racing is Harper’s career, the endurance racing world acquired extra consideration than traditional when Max Verstappen, the four-time System 1 world champion, made waves within the class earlier this 12 months.
Verstappen’s enterprise into endurance racing drew loads of curiosity on the Nurburgring, some of the fearsome circuits in motorsport.
For Harper, who comes from Northern Eire, he did not imagine the rumours of Verstappen’s foray into GT Racing at first.
“I assumed it wasn’t going to occur,” Harper stated.
“The nearer it got here after which it was introduced, I knew it was going to be actually particular.”
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Earlier than the Nurburgring 24 Hours, Verstappen needed to compete in NLS races, shorter in size, to be granted a allow to drive in the primary occasion.
In NLS2, Verstappen and his team-mates Dani Jundicella and Jules Gounon dominated the race. On that occassion, Harper and Jordan Pepper had been second and so they acquired to share a podium collectively.
However Verstappen’s automotive was later disqualified for a technical infringement and Harper ans Pepper had been handed the win.
Then, a mechanical situation pressured Verstappen’s automotive out of profitable competition on the Nurburgring 24 Hours, whereas Harper, and completed simply off the poidum in fourth place.
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So, regardless of the tempo and relentless drive, Harper has but to officialy be crushed on observe by the four-time world champion.
“I’ve to say it was one of many coolest podiums I have been on,” Harper stated on his NLS2 expertise.
“Even simply getting an opportunity to talk to him after the race within the Parc Ferme, we had been speaking about how he is discovering GT racing and being concerned in one thing fully totally different than what he is usually doing day by day.
“It’s kind of like working with Valentino, they’re so well-known however they’re simply regular folks and you might inform he was simply so comfortable to be there and so motivated to do effectively, and that is what I assumed was actually cool.”
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From hero to team-mate
When he was rising up Harper was obsessive about watching motorsport. After watching MotoGP, his idol shortly grew to become seven-time world champion Valentino Rossi – some of the well-known riders in motorbike racing historical past.
After Rossi retired from MotoGP in 2018, he turned his focus to vehicles and made his first steps in GT racing.
Now, within the GT World Problem, Harper is now a team-mate to the Italian in a BMW than runs the well-known Rossi #46.
“For my mum, my dad, my granddad, all of us watched Valentino on the TV.
“Our complete household was considerably concerned about him – particularly me.
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“My first race quantity was 46 and my canine was known as Rossi, so to now race with him may be very surreal.”
Harper stated he’s “nonetheless so motivated to do effectively” and the connection with the Italian works each methods.
“The GT World Problem is hard and you could be at your greatest.
“It is a cool problem for me and in addition Max- [Hesse, the third driver in the team] to educate him up in a manner and in qualifying at Monza, he was as fast as us.
“It is only a particular alternative to be near him, work collectively and possibly study a couple of issues from him too.”
‘The pageant of motorsport’
Harper (driving the BMW, left) acquired his first style of Le Mans within the opening observe session on Sunday [Getty Images]
Now, for the primary time, Harper heads to Le Mans – the king of endurance racing.
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Yearly the quaint French city comes alive with a pageant of motorsport, which accumulates in a 24 Hour race alongside a observe that’s blended with roads round Le mans and a objective constructed race observe.
Harper acquired his first motion across the Circuit de la Sarthe in Sunday’s opening observe, and the primary occasion takes place from 13-14 June.
He has had a stellar 12 months to this point. He received the Daytona 24 Hours – the most important endurance race in America- and received on his debut within the World Endurance Championship at Imola.
But when he might win a trophy at Le Mans it’d prime the lot. In his phrases, “that is the massive one which has been lacking”.
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“It is the most important motorsport occasion on the earth. If you consider motorsport, you consider System One or Le Mans 24-hour.
“To only have the chance to even drive on the streets in Le Mans, the chance to probably win a 24-hour Le Mans not everybody will get that chance so you could take it with each fingers.”
Harper is not afraid to confess he is had goals about profitable at Le Mans and standing on prime of the enduring podium.
“To be trustworthy, if now we have a superb race and carry out to what our potential is then now we have a very good shot.”
“I’ve had goals about it and I’ve had goals about many outcomes going your manner, however you by no means know what can occur. It might be the identical in Le Mans. You go there, you do a full week or a full 12 months actually of preparation and if you get to the beginning line you do not even know if the automotive goes to start out.
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“It is a type of stuff you simply need to do your greatest, put all of the work you’ll be able to into that outcome. after which all the pieces must fall into place.”
