Parker Thompson insists he and teammates Anthony McIntosh and Dan Harper haven’t shelved their chances in the LMGT3 title chase after a late-season rebound in the latest FIA World Endurance Championship round in Sao Paulo.
The trio driving the No. 69 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 EVO, who opened the campaign with a class victory in Imola’s 6 Hours, did not collect points at Spa or at Le Mans, the latter due to a gearbox failure, though they finished behind the winner at Interlagos.
That result keeps their championship bid alive heading into this weekend’s Lone Star Le Mans at Circuit of The Americas, where they sit 33 points behind the championship leader Jonny Edgar.
With as many as 104 points still up for grabs across the final two rounds of the season, now six-hour races at Barcelona and Monza, Thompson says he hasn’t written off the No. 33 TF Sport Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R squad yet.
“It’s funny,” Thompson told Sportscar365. “If you’d asked everyone on the No. 69 crew after Le Mans, we’d have said we were out of it.
“But it’s remarkable how quickly fortunes can swing.
“Honestly, a second-place in Sao Paulo and a couple of poor results for the main title rivals… We’re sitting third and we’re not that far away.
“I’m optimistic. No matter what, we’ll head into the final couple of races aiming to win, and let the points speak for themselves when the season ends.”
The Lone Star Le Mans will be a home race for both Thompson and FIA Bronze-rated driver McIntosh, even though Thompson, a former Porsche Carrera Cup North America champion, hails from Canada.
“Primarily, it’s nice to be in the same time zone,” he said. “I’ve called North Carolina, and now Florida, home for the last four to five years.
“I’ve lived in Indianapolis during my Road to Indy years, with my sports car career mostly in North Carolina, and now Florida.
“I’ve loved my time in the U.S., and it’s pretty cool to cap it off with our home race.”
“COTA is always incredible. They do an amazing job with everything they bring in.
“Tony is fully American; we’ve got one American flag on the car; that probably adds a couple of tenths. Beyond that, it’s just great to be in a country I love, speaking some English, and enjoying some good BBQ.”
Thompson: “Many of the Best Liveries Are Still to Come”
One of the standout aspects of McIntosh’s first full WEC season has been his choice to paint the No. 69 entry in a different livery at every race, with many designs honoring BMW’s racing heritage.
This weekend the scheme pays tribute to Levi’s BMW E9 3.0 CSL, celebrated in the 1970s across Europe.
“It’s been amazing to run a new livery in each race,” Thompson said. “I don’t think anyone else has done that.
“I’m going to have to hang a lot of suits this year—there’s basically a wall full already!
“I’m biased, but my favorite was the Tic-Tac livery at Imola to start the year. It was stunning.
“It raised the bar, not only for its historic significance but also for how good it looked.
“I’m excited for the rest of the year. I believe some of the best liveries are still to come.”
