Testing Continues In The United States For BMW’s M Hybrid V8

The M Hybrid V8, BMW’s Le Mans protégé has endured some major kilometres under its belt during a number of tests at European racetracks.

25 July at Varano de‘ Melegari, Italy, was the first time it burned rubbers on the asphalt, and now it has entered the next phase of its testing in the United States.

Ever since then, BMW M Motorsport engineers have obtained valuable basic data and sorted out many of the early problems.

Results are good, on which the basis serves as further preparation for the contender, ahead of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship at Daytona (USA) in January 2023.

BMW’s head of M Motorsport, Andreas Roos, remarked, “The first weeks of testing with the BMW M Hybrid V8 went well. We have completed a lot of kilometres, where we revealed the first weaknesses, which are totally normal with a new car, and have solved some of them already. We laid a good foundation during the tests in Europe. Now we enter the next development stage in the USA.”

According to BMW, during the previous tests in Italy and Spain, the focus was on system checks and the first performance-related matters. 

Outstandingly, the BMW M Hybrid V8 has been driven in hot and dry conditions, in the rain, and in the dark, when its impressive front and rear lights were seen for the first time. 

In its entirety, there haven’t been any fundamental issues. Teething troubles, which are normal for a new car, have been identified and adapted with a view to the coming tests. 

Thus far, BMW M works drivers Connor De Phillippi (USA), Sheldon van der Linde (RSA), Marco Wittmann (GER), Augusto Farfus (BRA), Nick Yelloly (GBR) and Philipp Eng (AUT), have had their way with the contender. 

Also, the BMW Junior Team, consisting of Dan Harper (GBR), Max Hesse (GER) and Neil Verhagen (USA), has had a taste of the LMDh action already, plus newcomer René Rast (GER) has completed a number of laps in the BMW M Hybrid V8.

Roos added, “It was important to get feedback from as many drivers as possible, in order to get a good early impression of how our prototype handles. Their response has been very positive in this early stage, everyone is impressed by the potential that our LMDh car is already showing. That will follow in the coming months.”

Starting from this month, the BMW M Motorsport and BMW M Team RLL will continue the test work at various racetracks in the USA.

Notably, performance and reliability will play an increasingly major role, and a host of different drivers will be used again during these tests.

That said, on 22 September, BMW M Motorsport will present the race livery of the BMW M Hybrid V8 at an event at the Peterson Museum in Los Angeles (USA).