Dan Harper

Last updated

Dan Harper
Dan Harper - 2017 Ginetta Junior Knockhill (Sunday, R2 podium).jpg
Harper in 2017
Nationality Flag of the United Kingdom.svg British
Born (2000-12-08) 8 December 2000 (age 23)
Hillsborough, Northern Ireland
British GT Championship career
Debut season 2023
Racing licence FIA Platinum Driver.png FIA Platinum
Car number91
Former teamsCentury Motorsport
Starts13
Wins2
Podiums4
Poles0
Fastest laps2
Best finish1st in 2023
Previous series
2016–17 Ginetta Junior Championship
Championship titles
2023
2023
2019
British GT Championship
British GT Championship - Pro-Am
Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain
Awards
2023
2020–22
2018–19
2016
2016
BMW Factory Driver
BMW Junior Team
Porsche GB Junior
Ginetta Junior Rookie Champion
Ginetta Junior Scholar

Daniel "Dan" Harper (born 8 December 2000) is a racing driver from Northern Ireland. He is currently competing as a BMW Motorsport works driver and is the reigning British GT champion. [1] [2]

Contents

Career

Starting his racing career aged six, Harper was a multiple champion in both quad bike and karting competition in his early years, before switching to junior rallying and winning three events in the Ireland Junior 1000 Rally Challenge in 2015.

Harper made the transition to circuit racing the following year after winning the Ginetta Junior Scholarship [3] and with it a fully-funded season in the Ginetta Junior Championship for 2016.

In his maiden campaign with Douglas Motorsport, he took two outright race victories and won the Rookie Cup title. [4] He returned for a second campaign and won seven races on his way to third in the final standings.

Harper then won his second manufacturer scholarship in three years, being named the 2018/19 Porsche GB Junior driver for the Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain. [5] In his first year, he won two races and posted more pole positions and fastest laps than any other driver.

He went on to enjoy a sensational 2019 campaign. He won the drivers’ title [6] with more wins (8), podium finishes (13), pole positions (6) and fastest laps (11) than anyone else, and became only the third driver ever in the series to win races on six consecutive weekends.

For 2020/21, Harper was signed by BMW Motorsport to compete as part of their BMW Junior Team. [7] In each season, he contested the Nürburgring Endurance Series and ADAC TOTAL 24 Hours of Nürburgring alongside team-mates Max Hesse and Neil Verhagen.

Starting the 2020 NES season in a BMW M240i, the BMW Junior Team took a maiden class win in only their third race. A step up to a BMW M4 GT4 soon after yielded a class podium in their first race and a fantastic class victory in their first attempt at the ADAC TOTAL 24 Hours of Nürburgring.

For 2021, they moved up to the premier class in a BMW M6 GT3 with the experienced BMW Team RMG. A brilliant season saw them take two overall race wins and four podium finishes to finish as the overall Nürburgring Endurance Series vice-champions.

In 2022, Harper and the BMW Junior Team won a qualifier race ahead of the ADAC TOTAL 24 Hours of Nürburgring and took a podium finish during a two round stint in the Nürburgring Endurance Series with BMW Team RMG. They also contested a debut season in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup with ROWE Racing, taking a best result of fourth in the 1000 km of Paul Ricard.

In 2023, Harper competed as a BMW works driver, entering the opening three rounds of the Nürburgring Endurance Series and the ADAC TOTAL 24 Hours of Nürburgring with BMW Team RMG, another full season in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup with ROWE Racing, and a debut campaign in the British GT Championship with Century Motorsport. He was crowned the 2023 British GT champion alongside team-mate Darren Leung, after two race wins and four podium finishes.

Continuing as a BMW works driver in 2024, Harper is contesting a dual programme in the GT World Challenge Europe; entering the Endurance Cup with ROWE Racing and the Sprint Cup with Century Motorsport. He will also race with Century in British GT Championship as he defends his title alongside Michael Johnston, as well as enter the ADAC TOTAL 24 Hours of Nürburgring again with BMW Team RMG.

Harper is a full member of the British Racing Drivers' Club. He was previously part of the BRDC SuperStars programme [8] and Motorsport UK Academy's Team UK programme.

Racing record

Career summary

SeasonSeriesTeamRacesWinsPolesF/LapsPodiumsPointsPosition
2016 Ginetta Junior Championship Douglas Motorsport2520373905th
2017 Ginetta Junior Championship Douglas Motorsport26766156253rd
2018 Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain JTR162376845th
2019 Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain JTR168611131591st
Porsche Supercup 100000NC†
2020 24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP8T Walkenhorst Motorsport11101N/A1st
Nürburgring Endurance Series - SP8T FK Performance Motorsport3000111.254th
2021 Nürburgring Endurance Series - SP9 Pro BMW Junior Team7200439.222nd
24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP9 BMW Junior Team Shell 10000N/ADNF
2022 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup BMW Junior Team with ROWE Racing 500003611th
Nürburgring Endurance Series - SP9 Pro BMW Junior Team 200010NC†
24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP9 BMW Junior Team Shell 10000N/ADNF
2023 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup ROWE Racing 500013310th
GT Winter Series Schubert Motorsport 211113310th
Nürburgring Endurance Series - SP9 Pro BMW Junior Team 20001**
24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP9 10000N/ADNF
British GT Championship - GT3 Century Motorsport 920241761st
GT Cup Championship - Group GT3 211120NC†
2023-24 Asian Le Mans Series - GT Project 1 500001121st
2024 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup ROWE Racing
GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup Century Motorsport 200000NC*
GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup - Bronze Cup 2000119.53rd*
British GT Championship - GT3 4000014*10th*
Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie - SP9 BMW M Team RMG
Intercontinental GT Challenge
24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP9

* Season still in progress.

Complete Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain results

YearTeam12345678910111213141516Pos.Points
2018 JTR BRH
1

13
BRH
2

7
DON
1

3
DON
2

7
MNZ
1

RET
MNZ
2

8
OUL
1

4
OUL
2

1
SNE
1

2
SNE
2

4
KNO
1

1
KNO
2

2
SIL
1

5
SIL
2

2
BGP
1

9
BGP
2

4
5th84
2019 JTR BRH
1

1
BRH
2

3
DON
1

1
DON
2

3
CRO
1

1
CRO
2

(6)
OUL
1

1
OUL
2

4
THR
1

1
THR
2

1
SIL
1

1
SIL
2

4
SIL
1

7
SIL
2

4
BGP
1

4
BGP
2

1
1st159

Complete GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup results

YearTeamCarClass1234567Pos.Points
2022 ROWE Racing BMW M4 GT3 Pro IMO
15
LEC
4
SPA
6H

11
SPA
12H

2
SPA
24H

5
HOC
9
CAT
13
11th36
2023 ROWE Racing BMW M4 GT3 Pro MNZ
2
LEC
6
SPA
6H

4
SPA
12H

53
SPA
24H

Ret
NÜR
11
CAT
12
10th33
2024 ROWE Racing BMW M4 GT3 Pro LEC
1
SPA
6H

SPA
12H

SPA
24H

NÜR
MNZ
JED
1st*25*

Complete British GT Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearTeamCarClass123456789DCPoints
2023 Century Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 GT3 OUL
1

6
OUL
2

6
SIL
1

1
DON
1

5
SNE
1

2
SNE
2

5
ALG
1

5
BRH
1

1
DON
1

2
1st176
2024 Century Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 GT3 OUL
1

9
OUL
2

14
SIL
1

17
DON
1

6
SPA
1

SNE
1

SNE
2

DON
1

BRH
1

10th*14*

* Season still in progress.

Complete Asian Le Mans Series results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearTeamClassCarEngine12345Pos.Points
2023–24 Team Project 1 GT BMW M4 GT3 BMW S58B30T0 3.0 L Turbo I6 SEP
1

18
SEP
2

10
DUB
7
ABU
1

8
ABU
2

15
21st11

Complete GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearTeamCarClass12345678910Pos.Points
2024 Century Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 Bronze BRH
1
BRH
2
MIS
1

17
MIS
2

20
HOC
1

HOC
2

MAG
1

MAG
2

CAT
1

CAT
2

3rd*19.5*

* Season still in progress.

Awards

YearNominated workCategoryResult
2019 Belfast Telegraph Sports AwardsYoung Player Of The YearWon
2019Association of Northern Ireland Car Clubs' (ANICC) AwardsANICC Northern Ireland Motorsport AwardWon
2019 British Racing Drivers' Club (BRDC) AwardsThe Henry Surtees AwardWon
2019 Autosport Awards National Racing Driver of the YearNominated
2023Motorsport News AwardsNational Racing Driver of the YearNominated
2023 Autosport Awards National Racing Driver of the YearNominated
2023 British GT Championship Allan Simonsen Award (Driver of the Year)Won

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References

  1. Gray, Andy (1 January 2023). "Dan Harper: Factory BMW deal a 'dream' for Northern Ireland driver". BBC Sport . Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  2. Craig, Jason (23 March 2024). "Dan Harper: I can't wait for another year of battling in biggest races with BMW". Belfast Telegraph . Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  3. Paice, Simon. "Dan Harper Wins Ginetta Junior Scholarship For 2016". The Checkered Flag.
  4. Paice, Simon. "Rookie Champion Harper: It's Been An Incredible Season". The Checkered Flag.
  5. Pettit, Vince. "Daniel Harper Announced As Porsche GB 2018/19 Junior". The Checkered Flag.
  6. Paice, Simon. "Daniel Harper Wins 2019 Porsche Carrera Cup GB Title". Next Level Motorsport.
  7. Gray, Andy. "Dan Harper: NI Teenager Leads BMW's Junior Team Return". BBC Sport .
  8. BRDC. "BRDC Superstars Announce Class Of 2020". BRDC.
Sporting positions
Preceded by Porsche Carrera Cup GB
Champion

2019
Succeeded by
Preceded by British GT Championship
Champion

2023
With: Darren Leung
Succeeded by
Incumbent
Preceded by British GT Championship
Pro-Am Champion

2023
With: Darren Leung
Succeeded by
Incumbent