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- BMW relies on WEC and IMSA attack in 2023
- Fourth confirmed manufacturer for the new LMDh class
- The last Le Mans victory was in 1999
UPDATE, December 23, 2021: BMW has clearly influenced its LMDh challenger, who will compete in Le Mans in 2023, with its distinctive design language.
As has been common lately, the render features a huge pair of kidneys where the radiator intakes would be, reminiscent of the BMW road vehicle program that seems to be expanding in all directions.
Such a design is unlikely to be maintained for competition as we can only imagine it causing quite a bit of drag. However, the LMDh cars will run on a special chassis, with manufacturers having the freedom to create visual designs that reflect their road vehicles.
Below is a look back from the German brand on their recent Le Mans success, adding a modern twist to the V12 LMR while maintaining its iconic, sleek design.
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The story up to here
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June 12, 2021: Almost 25 years after winning the Circuit De La Sarthe, BMW will try again to conquer the 24 Hours of Le Mans, announcing that it will enter a car in the new LMDh (Le Mans Daytona Hybrid) class, which Will debut in 2023.
The recently appointed head of the BMW M division, Markus Flasch, shared a photo of the company’s V12 LMR prototype from 1999 with the caption: “We’re back. Daytona 2023”.
The new LMDh regulations will be applied to the World Endurance Championship (WEC), which will be held in Le Mans, as well as to the IMSA Sportscar Championship in the USA, the flagship of which is the Rolex 24 season opener in Daytona.
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LMDh was born out of the cost spiral and the departure of large manufacturers like Porsche and Audi from LMP1, which Toyota essentially left behind in recent years to dominate the WEC and enable the Japanese brand to win Le Mans three years in a row.
So far to be confirmed as a competitor of BMW in the LMDh; Audi, Porsche and Acura (Honda’s North American arm), while the Le Mans Hybrid (LMH) class, which only runs at WEC events but fights for absolute victories with LMDh, will be represented; Toyota, Alpine, Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus, Peugeot, ByKolles and Ferrari.
Although so far unconfirmed, it is likely that BMW’s challenger will be based on a hybrid powertrain that uses a 50 kW unit on the rear axle with a choice of internal combustion engines available, and together achieves a maximum combined power of 500 kW.
BMW’s first success at Le Mans came in 1995 when its S70 / 2 V12 engine drove a McLaren F1 GTR to victory and only waited four years for its first works victory.
BMW drove the BMW M8 in the GTE class at Le Mans from 2018 to 2020, but did not record any victories and recently retired from the fully electric Formula E series to concentrate on other motorsport projects.
