Road Atlanta. In the run-up to MOTUL Petit Le Mans, the season
finale of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship at Road
Atlanta (USA), BMW M Motorsport is providing updates on the LMDh
project for the 2023 season and its plans for the coming year. BMW
Team RLL, who have been celebrating successes with BMW M Motorsport
since 2009, will compete in the two LMDh prototypes as of 2023.
Initial sketches give a foretaste of the car, which will be called
BMW M LMDh. Alongside the LMDh test programme, BMW Team RLL will
field two BMW M4 GT3s in the new GTD Pro category in the 2022 IMSA season.
“I’m delighted that our LMDh project has reached its next milestone
with the announcement of BMW Team RLL as the team to race in the two
prototypes,” said Franciscus van Meel, CEO of BMW M GmbH. “As with
chassis partner Dallara, in team principal Bobby Rahal and his crew we
have outstanding expertise and decades of experience at the highest
level on our side. The LMDh project continues to gain momentum and I
am confident that next year we will once again take all necessary
steps as planned to be as well prepared as possible for entering our
first IMSA season with the LMDh prototypes in 2023. We are taking on
this new challenge together at full speed.”
Mike Krack, Head of BMW M Motorsport, added: “BMW Team RLL is the
ideal partner for our LMDh project. BMW M Motorsport has been working
very successfully with Bobby Rahal and his crew since 2009. During
this time, we have all come to know the IMSA series very well and have
celebrated major success together. From our perspective, racing in the
top class and challenging for overall victories from 2023 is the
logical next step. When you compete with a new race car, it is a great
advantage to already know what awaits you in the race series, at the
circuits, and in terms of organisation. This is 100 percent the case
in the constellation we have opted for. That also goes for BMW of
North America. Thank you very much for your fantastic support. Plus,
BMW Team RLL is not only one of the best teams in North America on the
GT scene, but also in Formula racing so we have all the right
ingredients for success.”
BMW Team RLL has been contesting the GT category of the IMSA and its
predecessor series in BMW racing cars since 2009. This partnership’s
biggest successes have been the GTLM wins with the BMW M8 GTE at the
24 Hours of Daytona in 2019 and 2020, the GTLM title wins in the
driver, team and manufacturer standings of the 2020 Michelin Endurance
Cup, and a total of five GT titles with the BMW M3 GT in the 2010 and
2011 seasons of the American Le Mans Series. Bobby Rahal’s team also
enjoys success in the North American IndyCar Series. The team has won
the legendary Indy 500 twice – most recently in 2020. Alongside the
intensive testing with the BMW M LMDh, BMW Team RLL will contest the
2022 IMSA season starting with two BMW M4 GT3s in the newly
established GTD Pro category in the first races.
“For me personally and professionally this is a dream come true”,
said Rahal. “Now to first run a brand-new car like the BMW M4 GT3 and
after that make the next step with BMW Team RLL to race for overall
wins in the LMDh class is a direction we definitely wanted to go. I’m
so pleased, so proud, so thankful that we’ll be able to do it together
with BMW M Motorsport.”
The design sketches of the BMW M LMDh were produced in close
collaboration between BMW M Motorsport and BMW Group Designworks.
Michael Scully, BMW Group Designworks Global Automotive Director,
said: “Uniting the iconic elements of BMW M Motorsport design DNA with
the performant architecture of an ultra-modern prototype is what this
project is all about. The shape of the BMW M LMDh exemplifies the
visceral efficiency which is so synonymous with BMW M Motorsport, yet
the design process has been highly collaborative between BMW M
Motorsport, Dallara, and BMW Group Designworks. Iterating the exterior
surfaces with this team is particularly rewarding because each project
partner has distinguished expertise in their discipline, yet there’s a
mutual respect and drive to find a transcendent, cohesive result
together. I’m confident this car will be something we can all be
proud of, and that the on-track results will reflect the development
team’s great dynamic. For me personally this project represents the
synthesis of my professional design experience and a life-long
immersion in prototype racing at lower echelons as a driver. It’s
indeed a dream realized.”
Note to editors:
A new episode of the video series “MBEDDED” will be released on the
BMW Motorsport YouTube channel, which will be all about the renewal of
the partnership with BMW Team RLL in the context of MOTUL Petit Le
Mans. In the episode, BMW M Motorsport gives exclusive insights behind
the scenes of the LMDh project. See here for a teaser of the third
episode: https://b.mw/MBEDDED_Ep3_Teaser.