Munich. BMW M Motorsport has taken another important step
towards entering the LMDh class in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar
Championship (IMSA series) from the 2023 season. The chassis for the
two prototype cars will be produced in close collaboration with the
globally-renowned and successful manufacturer Dallara. The contract
was signed on Wednesday at the Dallara headquarters in Varano de
Melegari (ITA).
“In Dallara, we are delighted to have found a partner for our LMDh
project that shares our passion, professionalism and huge ambition in
motorsport and, like us, is fully committed to the goal of writing a
new success story in the history of BMW M Motorsport from 2023,” said
Markus Flasch, CEO of BMW M GmbH, during his trip to Italy. He took
the opportunity, along with Mike Krack, Head of BMW M Motorsport, and
Maurizio Leschiutta, head of the LMDh project, to check out the
outstanding development and test capabilities that Dallara has to
offer. “After speaking to all the possible chassis partners, the
decisive factor in our decision was that Dallara, with all its
expertise and experience, was enthusiastic about working together with
BMW M Motorsport. The chemistry was there between us from the word go.
We see our relationship as a real partnership in which we are fighting
for a common goal of success at the racetrack.”
Flasch, Krack and Leschiutta met in Varano de Melegari for
discussions with the lead Dallara engineers and visited the key areas
of the company, including the composite department, its own wind
tunnel and the test track in Varano (ITA). The first test car will be
built in Italy in a close collaboration between BMW M Motorsport
engineers and a team of Dallara engineers assembled specifically for
the BMW LMDh project. The rollout will take place next year at the
Varano circuit.
“Dallara is perhaps the most successful race car manufacturer in the
world and has already played a key role in virtually every relevant
circuit racing series,” said Leschiutta. “As well as the desire to
work with us, several other criteria were of great importance when
making our decision. Dallara is a company that covers the full range
of requirements. Its expertise extends to the fields of chassis
manufacturing, engineering, development, wind tunnel tests, and
simulations. They are very strong when it comes to aerodynamics, which
will be a key factor in the IMSA series. In order to ensure that our
cars are ideally prepared from the outset and to lay the foundations
for success at the racetrack, we are already working closely with
Dallara at a very early stage of development.”
“I’m honoured to have been selected by BMW M Motorsport and with
great enthusiasm I’m looking forward to begin this new adventure”,
said Giampaolo Dallara, President of Dallara. “Back in 1977 I had the
opportunity to work alongside BMW on designing the M1 as Lamborghini
consulting. It was a great experience and a lot was learned. I hope to
repeat the same adventure in LMDh. I firmly believe that we will do
great things together.”
Andrea Pontremoli, CEO and General Manager of Dallara, added:
“Our partnership with BMW M Motorsport is the result of almost 50
years of work in the motorsport industry, engineering and race car
development. It is a privilege to have been selected by BMW for their
next and new challenge in the hybrid prototype racing world. The LMDh
concept and the convergence between IMSA, ACO and FIA has no
precedence in history and that will see our total commitment. We are
looking forward to compete in this new and exciting chapter of the
global motorsport at its highest level.”
Note to editors:
A new episode of the “MBEDDED” video series will be created on the
BMW Motorsport YouTube channel, focusing on the partnership with
Dallara. It includes exclusive insights from BMW M Motorsport from
behind the scenes of the LMDh project. Follow this link for a short
teaser video of the second episode: https://b.mw/Dallara.