Munich. The course is set for the future of the BMW M Hybrid
V8: BMW M Motorsport is committing long-term to the Hypercar
category and will continue to compete with its LMDh car in the FIA
World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) and the IMSA WeatherTech
SportsCar Championship (IMSA series) in the years to come. However,
the joint racing effort with BMW M Team RLL in the IMSA series will
come to an end after 17 years. Discussions regarding a potential
collaboration with Bobby Rahal’s team in other areas are ongoing.
Since 2023, BMW M Motorsport has been fielding the BMW M Hybrid V8 in
the IMSA series and celebrated a victory with the Hypercar in its
debut season at the 6-hour race in Watkins Glen (USA). The following
year saw the entry of the BMW M Hybrid V8 into the FIA WEC, marking
BMW M Motorsport’s return to the top class of the World Endurance
Championship after 25 years. In its debut season, the BMW M Hybrid V8
secured a podium finish at the 6 Hours of Fuji (JPN). In the current
season, the Hypercar has to date celebrated four pole positions and
three podium finishes across both championships.
BMW M Motorsport and BMW M Team RLL end racing partnership.
After 17 years, the partnership between BMW M Motorsport and BMW
M Team RLL in the IMSA series will come to an end at the conclusion of
the current season. The collaboration resulted in 24 wins and more
than 100 podium finishes. The most successful years were 2010 and
2011, during which the team celebrated five GT-class titles with the
BMW M3 GT. At the legendary 24 Hours of Daytona (USA), BMW M Team RLL
claimed back-to-back victories in 2019 and 2020 in the GTLM category
with the BMW M8 GTE. In 2020, drivers John Edwards (USA) and Jesse
Krohn (FIN) also secured the GTLM title in the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup.
After 14 years in GT racing, during which the team competed with the
BMW M3 GT, BMW Z4 GTLM, BMW M6 GTLM, BMW M8 GTE, and BMW M4 GT3, the
step up to the top category came in 2023: the GTP class with the BMW M
Hybrid V8. In its first season, car #25 achieved five podium finishes
and a win at the 6-hour race in Watkins Glen. The second season saw
the first 1-2 finish in Indianapolis (USA). The 2025 season began with
four consecutive pole positions and podiums at Long Beach and Laguna
Seca (both USA). Until the season finale at Road Atlanta (USA) in
October, BMW M Motorsport and BMW M Team RLL will give everything to
end their joint effort on a high note.
The future race team for the BMW M Hybrid V8 in the IMSA GTP class
will be announced at a later date.
Andreas Roos (Head of BMW M Motorsport): “I am very
pleased that we will continue our successful Hypercar programme
long-term in both the FIA WEC and the IMSA series. Over the past
years, we’ve learned a great deal about our BMW M Hybrid V8, made
significant progress, and established ourselves among the
front-runners in both championships. Accordingly, I look to the future
with great anticipation and optimism, especially since the extended
homologation period provides us with a high level of planning
security. As part of our future planning, we have decided to pursue
our goals with a revised setup and not extend the contract with BMW M
Team RLL for race operations in the IMSA series. I want to thank Bobby
Rahal and his team for 17 fantastic years. Their loyalty to our brand
over such a long period is exceptional. Since 2009, the team has
achieved titles and victories across many generations of our race cars
and has played a crucial role in building BMW M Motorsport’s strong
fanbase in North America. Together, we made the bold move from GT
racing to the GTP class for the 2023 season and celebrated several
successes there. Even though our joint IMSA racing programme is
ending, we are very interested in continuing to count on BMW M Team
RLL as a strong partner in North America in other areas. Discussions
in this regard are ongoing. The same applies to our new IMSA race
team, which we will announce in due course.”
