Northern Irish racing driver
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 was the 2023 British GT champion.[1][2]
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 contested a dual programme in the GT World Challenge Europe; entering the Endurance Cup with ROWE Racing and the Sprint Cup with Century Motorsport. Harper was crowned the 2024 GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup Bronze drivers' champion alongside team-mate Darren Leung, after two race wins and six podium finishes.
Harper secured a podium finish in the 2024 ADAC TOTAL 24 Hours of Nürburgring alongside Max Hesse and Charles Weerts with BMW Team RMG, as well as contesting a partial campaign in the British GT Championship alongside Michael Johnston at Century Motorsport.
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
* Season still in progress.
Complete Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain results
Complete GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup results
*Season still in progress.
Complete British GT Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Complete Asian Le Mans Series results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Complete GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Awards
| Year
|
Nominated work
|
Category
|
Result
|
| 2019
|
Belfast Telegraph Sports Awards
|
Young Player Of The Year
|
Won
|
| 2019
|
Association of Northern Ireland Car Clubs' (ANICC) Awards
|
ANICC Northern Ireland Motorsport Award
|
Won
|
| 2019
|
British Racing Drivers' Club (BRDC) Awards
|
The Henry Surtees Award
|
Won
|
| 2019
|
Autosport Awards
|
National Racing Driver of the Year
|
Nominated
|
| 2023
|
Motorsport News Awards
|
National Racing Driver of the Year
|
Nominated
|
| 2023
|
Autosport Awards
|
National Racing Driver of the Year
|
Nominated
|
| 2023
|
British GT Championship
|
Allan Simonsen Award (Driver of the Year)
|
Won
|
References
External links
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