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      09-27-2016, 02:45 AM   #1
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Exclamation BMW Returning to 24 Hours of Le Mans and FIA WEC Starting 2018

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BMW Returning to 24 Hours of Le Mans and FIA WEC Starting 2018
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BMW has just announced that it will be joining the FIA World Endurance Championship from 2018. This also represents the return of BMW to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where it last raced in 2011. BMW claimed overall victory there in 1999 with the open prototype BMW V12 LMR. The last time a BMW took its place on the grid at the endurance classic near the river Sarthe was in 2011: back then, the BMW M3 GT finished third in the LM GTE class.

BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt states (in press release below): "Starting with the 2018 season, we want to further expand our activities in GT racing and compete in the FIA World Endurance Championship... This obviously also includes our return to Le Mans, which we are particularly looking forward to. The way the WEC has developed so well makes us confident that there is a big future for GT racing."



Full press release:

September 27, 2016

Sustainability meets classic motor racing: BMW AG presents new global motorsport strategy.


The Board of Management of BMW AG has decided to strategically realign its automobile racing activities. In doing so, the company is setting course for a future BMW Group motorsport programme that is as extensive as it is diversified. The commitments contribute to BMW M, BMW i and MINI. The threads for the development of the cars and their race outings will henceforth come together in BMW Group Motorsport.

This realignment, which comes seven years after the withdrawal from Formula One and four years after returning to the DTM, once again ensures that the BMW Group addresses important topics in the ever-changing world of motorsport, is even more broadly positioned, and can thus address different target groups around the world. Classic motor racing and sustainability both play key roles, in order to inspire fans of sporty driving at racetracks all over the planet. The strong pillars of the programme for the coming years will be the DTM, the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IWSC), the cooperation with Andretti Formula E in the FIA Formula E Championship, the customer racing programme in the GT3 and GT4 categories, the promotion of talented young drivers, and the extremely challenging Dakar Rally.

The focus on production-based motor racing, which was decided upon in 2009, will be further intensified. The commitments in the DTM and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship continue, and it is also planned to race in the WEC with a new GT car. The BMW M4 GT4 will join the range of models in the customer racing portfolio. BMW will also work closely with US racing legend Michael Andretti’s (US) team in the FIA Formula E Championship – the world’s leading racing series for electric cars. As cooperation partner of Andretti Formula E, BMW Motorsport will cooperate closely with the team, in order to familiarise itself with processes in this innovative series, and to check the possibility of a works involvement in the future. At the same time, BMW i remains the “Official Vehicle Partner” of Formula E. Ever since the inaugural season of the series in 2014/15, the BMW i8 Safety Car has taken to the track in Formula E as a high-performance and efficient lead car. Furthermore, MINI’s successful cooperation with Sven Quandt’s X-raid team at the Dakar Rally will also continue.

Klaus Fröhlich, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Development, said: “The strategic realignment of the motorsport activities is a strong commitment to motorsport on the part of our company. It will remain a cornerstone within the BMW Group in the future. Everyone knows that BMW and motorsport are intrinsically linked. The commitments allow us to demonstrate our expertise in the areas of technology and integration on international platforms, including the world’s leading racing series for electric mobility and classic motorsport. Electric mobility will continue to grow in importance. In the last ten years, we have established a leading position in the automobile industry in this field with BMW i. Through our partnership with Andretti Formula E in the Formula E Championship, we will now additionally see a close interaction between motor racing and production development in our company, from which both departments will benefit. On the production-based racing scene, we will be represented with BMW M in the global WEC series in the future, as well as the DTM and the IWSC. Our commitments complement each other perfectly: we are going head to head with our most important global competitors, whether through our works commitments or customer racing. In short: The future strategy is excellently suited to the BMW Group. Bring on the future.”

BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt also sees the bundling of all automobile racing activities as an extremely positive development, and said: “It is fantastic that the BMW Group will be even more broadly positioned and represented in all relevant areas in the future. We will continue to focus on Europe in the DTM, and are looking forward to continuing the extremely close competition with the other premium manufacturers over the coming years. Other relevant international platforms will also be incorporated in the new strategy: the commitment in Formula E sees us forge new paths and demonstrate our expertise in the field of electric mobility. Over the coming years, the cooperation with Andretti Formula E will primarily focus on familiarising ourselves with the procedures and processes, and on intensifying our knowledge. Our works driver António Félix da Costa will be in action behind the wheel. A works involvement is then conceivable as of the series’ fifth season. The premise for all these steps is the further positive development of the series, which includes increasing the capacity of the batteries, for example.”

Marquardt continued: “Starting with the 2018 season, we want to further expand our activities in GT racing and compete in the FIA World Endurance Championship, as well as the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. This obviously also includes our return to Le Mans, which we are particularly looking forward to. The way the WEC has developed so well makes us confident that there is a big future for GT racing. This is also the motivation behind our further expansion in the customer racing sector. Our range is already spearheaded by a successful representative, in the form of the BMW M6 GT3. As of 2018, we will also be excellently represented by the BMW M4 GT4 in the GT4 class, which is currently experiencing something of a boom. It goes without saying that we will also continue our successful junior programme, in which we prepare talented youngsters in GT and touring car racing for the bigger challenges ahead. At the same time, we will also be ramping up our support of MINI’s Dakar Rally project in the future. All in all, the BMW Group’s motorsport programme is virtually unique in terms of its scope and diversity.”

Hildegard Wortmann, Senior Vice President Brand BMW, said: “The new motor racing strategy is particularly characterised by a strong ‘brand fit’. The different commitments ideally contribute to the attributes that fans and customers connect with the respective brand. We will extend the existing target groups and will – for instance – become even more visible for urban and young customers, as with our Formula E commitment. Overall we are very well positioned with this strategy in motorsport and are represented on the most important markets worldwide. BMW and motorsport – they belong together. This combination has always shaped the brand.”


An overview of the BMW Group Motorsport programme.

DTM: BMW will continue its comprehensive commitment in the DTM over the coming years. As arguably the best and most popular touring car series in the world, the DTM provides the perfect stage, on which to offer fans exciting racing of the highest possible quality. The DTM will remain an important platform in the future, particularly for BMW Germany. BMW will play an active role in ensuring that the positive marketing developments seen this year will continue in the future.

FIA World Endurance Championship: The plan is for BMW to enter the FIA World Endurance Championship in the 2018 season. The highlight of this championship is the 24-hour race in Le Mans (FR). BMW claimed overall victory there in 1999 with the open prototype BMW V12 LMR. The last time a BMW took its place on the grid at the endurance classic near the river Sarthe was in 2011: back then, the BMW M3 GT finished third in the LM GTE class. Since it was launched in 2012, the championship has enjoyed a positive development, forged new paths in many regards, and won a lot of fans. Further details, such as the model of car to be used and the team responsible for the car, will be confirmed and announced over the coming months.

IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship : The series combines fantastic cars, iconic racetracks, top-class drivers and passionate fans. In doing so, it continues a long tradition of sports car racing in the USA and Canada, in which BMW has always played a major role. In 1975, shortly after BMW of North America was founded, the legendary BMW 3.0 CSL won the 12 Hours of Sebring. 2015 marked the 40th anniversary of this success. BMW Motorsport and BMW Team RLL are in their eighth season together this year. Team principal Bobby Rahal’s outfit first entered the series – still known as the American Le Mans Series at the time – in 2009. Over the following years, the team won many races and celebrated five titles in the GT class.

FIA Formula E Championship: The cooperation with Andretti Formula E is initially set to run for two seasons. It incorporates, for example, cooperation at engineer level and the mutual use of resources. Depending on the general development of the racing series, a works involvement is envisaged as of the series’ season 5, 2018/2019, provided the conditions and circumstances are right. As part of this commitment, BMW Motorsport will provide its works driver António Félix da Costa (PT) as a driver for Andretti Formula E. The Portuguese, who has featured on the top step of the DTM podium with BMW and has already tasted victory in Formula E, will contest the entire 2016/17 FIA Formula E Championship. As well as the new partnership, BMW i will remain the “Official Vehicle Partner” of Formula E. This partnership allows BMW i to present the plug-in hybrid BMW i8, as the Safety Car, and the fully-electric BMW i3, as the Medical Car, in some of the largest cities in the world.

BMW Customer Racing: A comprehensive offering for privateer teams and drivers from all over the world, to allow them to compete successfully in motorsport with BMW cars, enjoys a long tradition and will continue to play an important role in BMW Group Motorsport in the future. The range of products is spearheaded by the BMW M6 GT3, which made its race debut in 2016 and was soon winning races. As of 2018, the range will also include another model, in the form of the BMW M4 GT4. Built on the ideal basis provided by the BMW M4 Coupé, this car is the reaction to the positive development of the GT4 sector. Test outings at races are planned for this year, in order to ensure that customers receive a perfect car that has been tested in all conceivable situations. Possible innovations in entry-level motor racing, which is currently catered for by the BMW M235i Racing, are being evaluated.

BMW Motorsport Junior programme: The promotion of promising young drivers dates back to the 1970s at BMW Motorsport. During this time, this philosophy has produced many winners and champions in various motorsport disciplines. The BMW Motorsport Junior programme, a multi-level junior concept with a focus on GT and touring car racing, was launched in 2014 and has been expanded consistently since then. This programme will also continue to run in the coming years.

Dakar Rally: The proven cooperation with the X-raid team and its team principal Sven Quandt, which yielded four wins at the Dakar Rally for the MINI brand between 2012 and 2015, will continue. The X-raid team will begin its campaign for Dakar win number five with a MINI John Cooper Works at the start of 2017.

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      09-27-2016, 07:34 AM   #2
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This is great news.
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      09-27-2016, 07:41 AM   #3
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Will we see a LMP1 prototype at Le Mans?
That would be great.
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      09-27-2016, 08:25 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MrBens View Post
Will we see a LMP1 prototype at Le Mans?
That would be great.
Seriously doubt a prototype, otherwise I would think it would have been stated in the press release. They mentioned M4 GT4 which would be more aligned to their current strategy
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      09-27-2016, 08:30 AM   #5
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Oh yes! I had my doubts about this rumor with the M6 GT3 being so new, but I'm glad that they turned out to be true! Perhaps BMW realized that they need a dedicated GTE Pro car instead of a modified GT3 car to compete in the GTLM class of IMSA since they haven't been competitive all year in that series against Chevrolet, Ford, Porsche, or Ferrari. This is great news though.
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      09-27-2016, 09:17 AM   #6
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Woooo awesome news!
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      09-27-2016, 09:40 AM   #7
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Awesome to see a more pronounced attention towards GT racing and perhaps grassroots racing in general.
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      09-27-2016, 10:20 AM   #8
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Quote:
FIA World Endurance Championship: The plan is for BMW to enter the FIA World Endurance Championship in the 2018 season. ... Further details, such as the model of car to be used and the team responsible for the car, will be confirmed and announced over the coming months.
Sounds like a GT car not an LMP car. F13 M6 will be done by that time, so I would guess M2 or M4. Not sure the new Z5 will be ready (let alone a race car based on it), so that doesn't seem likely.
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      09-27-2016, 11:58 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MrBens View Post
Will we see a LMP1 prototype at Le Mans?
That would be great.
Directly from the press release:
"The commitments in the DTM and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship continue, and it is also planned to race in the WEC with a new GT car."
SportsCar365 is reporting this bit as a new GTE car to be fielded in GTE-Pro. There is no mention of a prototype, and there's also this remark.
"The focus on production-based motor racing, which was decided upon in 2009, will be further intensified."
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      09-27-2016, 12:20 PM   #10
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BMW's press language is sooooo cumbersome. *sigh*

Parsing this is tough, but there are some interesting bits here:
  • It sounds like they'll be fielding an entry in GTE-Pro.
  • They said, "a new GT car", which is interesting; sounds like it won't be derived from the M6 GT3/GTLM car.
  • It's great to hear BMW acknowledging the boom in GT4 racing going on right now.
  • BMW is bringing a factory team to IWSC.

That last one is really intriguing.

"Starting with the 2018 season, we want to further expand our activities in GT racing and compete in the FIA World Endurance Championship, as well as the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship."

I wonder what this means for RLL? The M6 has had a really rough inaugural year. I get a sense from recent interviews that the team's morale is starting to suffer. They're putting on a good show, but the frustration is starting to leak through. If BMW shows up with a factory team to compete against RLL, how are they going to take that? They've been carrying the BMW torch for 8 years. What happens to the drivers?

So many questions!
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      09-27-2016, 12:42 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bradleyland View Post
BMW's press language is sooooo cumbersome. *sigh*

Parsing this is tough, but there are some interesting bits here:
  • It sounds like they'll be fielding an entry in GTE-Pro.
  • They said, "a new GT car", which is interesting; sounds like it won't be derived from the M6 GT3/GTLM car.
  • It's great to hear BMW acknowledging the boom in GT4 racing going on right now.
  • BMW is bringing a factory team to IWSC.

That last one is really intriguing.

"Starting with the 2018 season, we want to further expand our activities in GT racing and compete in the FIA World Endurance Championship, as well as the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship."

I wonder what this means for RLL? The M6 has had a really rough inaugural year. I get a sense from recent interviews that the team's morale is starting to suffer. They're putting on a good show, but the frustration is starting to leak through. If BMW shows up with a factory team to compete against RLL, how are they going to take that? They've been carrying the BMW torch for 8 years. What happens to the drivers?

So many questions!
I always thought BMW Team RLL was factory backed (i.e. this is BMW's factory team for IMSA) in the same regard that Chip Ganassi Racing is Ford's factory backed team for the GT's. I assume that relationship would be extended with this new car.
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      09-27-2016, 01:27 PM   #12
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Originally Posted by E9TOU View Post
I always thought BMW Team RLL was factory backed (i.e. this is BMW's factory team for IMSA) in the same regard that Chip Ganassi Racing is Ford's factory backed team for the GT's. I assume that relationship would be extended with this new car.
That's what I can't figure out from the press release. The BMW–RLL relationship is definitely much tighter than a straight-up customer racing program, but are they technically a factory team?

Sorry, I don't mean that question to be rhetorical. The BMW–RLL relationship has always been a little confusing to me. When you look at teams like Porsche, it's obvious that they're a direct, factory team. Then you have other examples like Ford–Chip Ganassi, which are similar to BMW–RLL.

It's certainly possible that they're talking about working with RLL still, but why use the phrase "expand our activities". Maybe they mean the FIA WEC entry is the expansion, in addition to the existing IWSC team run by RLL.

Come to think of it, that makes the most sense
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      09-27-2016, 01:53 PM   #13
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This is some pretty awesome news. I'm looking forward to seeing BMW join the GT competition and head back to Le Mans.
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      09-27-2016, 02:48 PM   #14
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This is indeed great news, but they need an LMP1 car. Someone needs to take on Audi in a serious manner. Toyota did a good job, but Audi has literally been show boating the last few years, and with BMW having a vision of the future with hybrid and electric technology, why not promote by way of Le Mans with a prototype?

It's not even about entering the class, it's more about competing with Audi because they are getting arrogant with it now.
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      09-27-2016, 03:52 PM   #15
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LeMans lineup looking mighty good
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      09-27-2016, 04:42 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by boramkiv View Post
This is indeed great news, but they need an LMP1 car. Someone needs to take on Audi in a serious manner. Toyota did a good job, but Audi has literally been show boating the last few years, and with BMW having a vision of the future with hybrid and electric technology, why not promote by way of Le Mans with a prototype?

It's not even about entering the class, it's more about competing with Audi because they are getting arrogant with it now.
Audi domination may have come to an end - see Porsche. I agree an LMP1 car would be exciting, and would align with the innovative power train trends at BMW.

But it is also a tremendously expensive program, and you can no longer mix & match components and have a competitive car - you need to develop from scratch. For reference, I believe the V12 LMR was based on a Lola chassis with a BMW engine.

I love racing the V12 LMR in Gran Turismo.

I wish they went for it, but doubt they will.
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      09-27-2016, 05:37 PM   #17
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LMP1 is too expensive for a company the size of BMW. Keep in mind that BMW are one of the few independent brands still in existence. Audi is part of the massive VW AG, and Porsche (also part of VW AG) is the most profitable automaker in the world.

If BMW were to return to LMP1, it could easily bankrupt their entire racing program.
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      09-27-2016, 09:24 PM   #18
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True, Porsche has won the last few years, but that's the winningest team in the history of the race so it seems fitting with that 919 hybrid technology, so a team that knows how to win at Le Mans is expected. There just needs to be another manufacture that comes in big and dominates at least one or two years.

I do agree and did forget how expensive it is to race in that segment.
It's good to see BMW back at LeMans though. Hope they dominate in their return like they did in DTM.
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      09-27-2016, 10:42 PM   #19
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About damn time.
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      09-27-2016, 11:05 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mkoesel View Post
Sounds like a GT car not an LMP car. F13 M6 will be done by that time, so I would guess M2 or M4. Not sure the new Z5 will be ready (let alone a race car based on it), so that doesn't seem likely.
When I read this news back in July my first thought was the new Z5. There is plenty of time, they are talking about the season after next year. Over 1.5 years until the start of the 2018 WEC season.

Zero chance it will be a M2. M4 is already represented in DTM. I see them using WEC to advertise their new sports car. My money's on the Z5.

Last edited by DieGrüneHölle; 09-27-2016 at 11:34 PM..
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      09-28-2016, 05:25 AM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bradleyland View Post
LMP1 is too expensive for a company the size of BMW. Keep in mind that BMW are one of the few independent brands still in existence. Audi is part of the massive VW AG, and Porsche (also part of VW AG) is the most profitable automaker in the world.

If BMW were to return to LMP1, it could easily bankrupt their entire racing program.
I think that's overstating things a little.

If they could afford F1, WTCC and a customer racing program for the 120d and Z4 in the 00's ('06 pre-tax profit of 4.1 billion Euros and an F1 budget at 300 million+), then I think they can afford an LMP program now ('15 pre-tax profit 9.2 billion Euros). Porsche won at Le Mans with a pre-tax profit of 3.4 billion last year, and seem to recall the most likely figures for Audi's budget during their dominance was at the very low end of a Formula 1 budget, i.e. Sub 100-150 million.

No doubt it's a big commitment, but I don't think it's the amount of € that is the problem, the return on investment is likely to be a bigger problem. The question is, why would they spend that much money knowing there is only a slim chance for success? WEC is doing well with motorsport fans, but in terms of international public coverage, it's still nowhere near F1.
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      09-28-2016, 05:54 AM   #22
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Originally Posted by Blipit_ View Post
When I read this news back in July my first thought was the new Z5. There is plenty of time, they are talking about the season after next year. Over 1.5 years until the start of the 2018 WEC season.

Zero chance it will be a M2. M4 is already represented in DTM. I see them using WEC to advertise their new sports car. My money's on the Z5.
It's not clear the Z5 (which, BTW, insider ynguldyn seems to think is actually going to be called the Z4 again) will be here at all in 1.5 years. Mules are still very much covered, about like a G20 test car and we know that one is (just) over two years away. BMW has only said "by 2020".

Not sure why an M2 is automatically off the table.

And as noted in the press release the M4 is already coming as a GT4 so it's presence in DTM means little - no reason they can't bring it to the faster, less stock GT racing classes as well.
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