BMW M Motorsport has this morning confirmed a ‘long-term’ commitment to the Hypercar category in both the FIA WEC and in GTP for IMSA’s WeatherTech Sportscar Championship.
They have though too confirmed officially for the first time that, as reported by RACER and DSC the joint racing effort with BMW M Team RLL in the IMSA series will come to an end after 17 years. BMW add that discussions regarding a potential collaboration with Bobby Rahal’s team in other areas are ongoing.
The BMW M Motorsport and BMW M Team RLL collaboration resulted in 24 IMSA race and class wins and more than 100 podium finishes. The most successful years for the partnership were back in 2010 and 2011, during which the team celebrated five GT-class titles with the BMW M3 GT. At the 24 Hours of Daytona (USA), BMW M Team RLL claimed back-to-back GTLM class victories in 2019 and 2020 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 though, as reported by DSC, Team WRT are expected to add the IMSA programme to their current WEC commitments in partnership with BMW.
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.”
