The end of the GTLM class in IMSA’s WeatherTech Sportscar Championship brings an end too to the short contemporary racing history of the BMW M8 GTE.
Unveiled in 2017 with dual campaigns in both the FIA World Endurance Championship and in IMSA, the M8 was the first car designed from the ground up by BMW to comply with the GTE regulations after the predecessor M6 GTLM and Z4 GTE cars ran as adapted GT3 cars in the full Pro class.
Powered by a 4 litre twin-turbo V8, but with a body that was not as the factory intended to present the race car (after waiver applications for reduced height were vetoed by other manufacturers), the car then arrived in the world taller than intended – though still with a minor tweak from its roadgoing cousin. It was though a substantially proportioned beast.
That became a feature that attracted the attention of online fans and followers throughout the car’s career – much to the chagrin of high-ranking BMW motorsport managers!
Team MTEK were entrusted with the initial test programme and with the WEC race effort whilst Team RLL would take control of operations stateside. They would remain the only teams to field the M8 to the end.
FIA WEC
There would be just one FIA WEC season, albeit the 2018/19 ‘Super Season’ that included the Le Mans 24 Hours in both years.
Two cars were fielded at every race with Nick Catsburg and Martin Tomczyk ever-present in the #81, supported by Phillip Eng at Le Mans in both years and by Alexander Sims at Sebring.
The sister #82 had a more fluid squad with Antonio Felix da Costa an ever-present but with no fewer than five other drivers featuring across the season.
Augusto Farfus would be the most regular companion (5 races including both Le Mans), Tom Blomqvist (3 races), Bruno Spengler (Sebring) plus Alexander Sims (Le Mans in 2018) and Jesse Krohn Le Mans in 2019.
Sims then drove both cars in the season.
Results were frankly very disappointing – just one podium apiece per car in the eight race season, second in class at Fuji for the #81 and at Sebring for #82. The squad would finish the season with significantly fewer than half of the points of the Championship-winning Porsche squad.
By then the brief love affair with the WEC was pretty much over, BMW would announce their departure in pretty blunt terms, and the WEC were somewhat less than graceful in accepting that they would not return!
IMSA
The car’s IMSA career was somewhat more positively storied!
Three full seasons, plus a final blast in the 2021 Michelin Endurance Cup races saw some very big results. The effort saw real stability too in the core driver squad, the #24 M8 featured the full-season pairing of John Edwards and Jesse Krohn from start to finish, and the sister #25 saw Connor de Phillippi as an ever-present too.
2018
The first season for the M8 saw the car make its world competitive debut at the Rolex 24 Hours, a venue that would see real success for the M8, that success though would have to wait for subsequent seasons, though there would be a second place at Sebring and then again at Mid Ohio and late-season wins at VIR and Laguna Seca, all falling to the #25, the sister #24 peaking with two third-place finishes late in the season.
There was a ‘Stars & Stripes’ livery for the cars at Watkins Glen, but no on-track luck there!
Across the season there was a very mixed bag of results, evidenced by the fact that, coupled with the level and depth of the class field that as a two-time winner, the #25 could do no better than sixth in the final order.
2019
2019 started with two headline-grabbing efforts from BMW Team RLL.
The first was a #25 line-up that included Alex Zanardi, the car adapted for his need for hand controls, an effort that brought a huge amount of interest and publicity and which proved to be competitive too.
The second was a class win for the #25 M8 GTE for Connor De Phillippi, Phillip Eng, Augusto Farfus, and Colton Herta in a race which saw ‘The Sunshine State’ moniker firmly undermined!
There would though be few highlights after that in a tough season for the squad, just one more podium finish at PLM for the #25 and a pair of second place finishes for the sister #24 en route to 6th and seventh places in the Drivers Championship.
2020
By some considerable distance the most successful season in the car’s history the year brought another big race win, and a Championship win.
By now only running in North America, the WEC programme over and colours nailed firmly to the IMSA mast it all started very well indeed, a second consecutive Rolex 24 Hours win, this time for the #24 car of Jesse Krohn, John Edwards, Augusto Farfus and Chaz Mostert, four drivers from four continents in a pair of cars with new-for-2020 liveries.
Whilst there would be just one more win from the season, for the sister car in the summer sprint race meeting at Road Atlanta, across the COVID-delayed season there was consistency with the cars ending second overall (#24) and fourth in the points standings, third place (behind the Porsche pair) at the uniquely season-ending 12 Hours of Sebring securing the Michelin Endurance Championship for the #24.
2021
The final season for the car is certainly a transitional year, BMW RLL would contest only the four endurance races with the air of M8s as the marque gathers its efforts for 2023 (in LMDH) and, as confirmed late in the year, for GTD Pro in 2022 with the new M4 GT3.
It would be a low-key final effort, the cars failing to add to their winning total, consistent podium finishes aided by a very thin class field, second and third at Sebring and Watkins Glen would be the highlights before the cars were switched off for the final time after Petit Le Mans.
The M8 GTE will be remembered for a pair of Daytona wins, and, to be frank, as a programme that never really seemed to gather momentum. With GTD Pro and LMDH on the horizon here’s hoping that one of the world’s great motorsport marques finds its mojo and returns to an era of competing, and winning with style.
BMW M8 GTE: Technical Details
Dimensions
- Length without rear wing: 4,980 mm
- Width without mirrors: 2,046 mm
- Width with mirrors: 2,224 mm
- Height: 1,212 mm (variable)
- Wheelbase: 2,880 mm
Engine
- Model: V8 engine with BMW TwinPower Turbo Technology
- Capacity: 3,981 cc
- Number of cylinders: 8
- V angle: 90°
- Bore: 89 mm
- Stroke: 80 mm
- Cylinder spacing: 98 mm
- Engine speed: approx. 7,000 rpm
Body
- Composite body with carbon core and DMSB-approved safety roll cage
- CFRP outer shell with quick-change concept
Chassis
- Double wishbones on front and rear axle
- Four-way adjustable shock absorbers at front and rear
- Anti-roll bars with quick adjustment
Power Transmission
- Six-speed sequential motorsport gearbox
- Electric paddle shift system
- Limited slip differential
- CFRP drive shaft
- Sachs carbon-fibre clutch
Electronics
- BMW Motorsport in-house developed software functions for engine, gearbox and Driver AssistanceSteering wheel with 16 buttons and seven dials
- Rear-view camera system with object recognition
- High-performance headlights with OSRAM LED elements
- Live telemetry system for vehicle monitoring
Wheels/Tyres
- BMW Aero rims: 12.5×18 inch on the front axle, 13×18 inch on the rear axle
- Michelin tyres: 30/68 R18 on the front axle, 31/71 R18 on the rear axle
