BMW M Team WRT will expand its top-class prototype racing programme, operating the redesigned BMW M Hybrid V8 in the FIA World Endurance Championship and, starting in 2026, the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
After months of rumours, today it was officially announced that BMW M Team WRT will take over the M Hybrid V8 programme in IMSA from Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL), whose 17-year partnership with BMW concludes after the 2025 season.
The accomplished Belgian team, led by team principal Vincent Vosse, will make its first appearance with the updated 2026 M Hybrid V8 in the November IMSA Sanctioned Test at Daytona International Speedway.
It will be WRT’s first time running a full-season IMSA programme after making one-off appearances in the 2019 and 2020 Rolex 24 at Daytona. To prepare for 2026, WRT is already establishing a North American headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina, and has been hiring engineers, mechanics, and other staff to join the team.
“I have never made it a secret that we are very interested in competing in the IMSA series. This wish is now becoming a reality,” said Vosse.
“In the past, we have participated in the GT category at the 24 Hours of Daytona, but we have never contested the full season. We are facing a great challenge, but our team has gained a lot of experience worldwide over the past ten years, and we feel ready for this challenge. We know the BMW M Hybrid V8, we know the drivers – and we can’t wait to get started. Many thanks to BMW M Motorsport for the trust and this fantastic opportunity.”
Andreas Roos, the head of BMW M Motorsport, added: “I am very pleased that we are expanding our excellent collaboration with BMW M Team WRT to include the IMSA series starting next season. This aligns with our philosophy of focusing and specialising in the Hypercar programme. We applied this approach when assembling the driver crews for the BMW M Hybrid V8, and now we are taking the same path with the operational team.
“Together with BMW M Team WRT, we are pooling our strengths to achieve even greater success in both the FIA WEC and the IMSA series. I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank BMW M Team RLL for their outstanding efforts over the past three years in our GTP programme and for their loyalty to our brand over 17 years.”
BMW and RLL confirmed the end of their partnership on 31 July, weeks after RACER.com’s Marshall Pruett first reported that a separation between the two parties was imminent, and that WRT would take over the IMSA GTP programme in a further consolidation of BMW M’s Hypercar operations – following a consolidation of BMW M’s prototype driver roster this year.
Further details, including the 2026 driver line-ups for BMW M Team WRT in WEC and IMSA, will be announced later.
Feature image © Andrew “Skippy” Hall / dailysportscar.com
