BMW M Motorsport Has Announced Their Comeback to World Endurance Championship (WEC)

BMW will return to top-tier racing next year with its new M Hybrid V8 in the North American IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

M president Franciscus van Meel has confirmed the hybrid race vehicle will compete in the World Endurance Championship beginning in 2024. This involves competing in probably the most renowned endurance event, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. 

After such a long absence, some would expect BMW would take a few timid steps into long-distance racing, get its bearings, and then launch a challenge. Regardless of how long it has been between races, BMW all-geared to pull maximum mileage considering that BMW's M Division CEO has stated that he's "quite delighted to be fighting for overall victory." 

BMW has released fresh photographs of the M Hybrid V8 in Varano de Melegari, where it completed its roll-out at Dallara's test circuit, to commemorate the announcement of its WEC entry.

Until January 2023, the firm still has plenty of work to be done preparing for its racing debut at Daytona. Additional European testing are planned for August, followed by work on IMSA-specific adjustments in the United States beginning in September.

Under the hood, the M Hybrid V8 with its ultra-wide kidney grille will be powered by a new P66/3 engine through DTM roots, namely the normally aspirated P66/1 utilised by the M4 DTM in 2017 and 2018. The 4.0-liter engine now has two turbochargers and can reach 8,200 rpm while producing 640HP and 650NM (478 lb-ft) of torque, depending on restrictions.

The M Hybrid V8 has a lot riding on it because it will be the spiritual heir of the V12 LMR, which won at Le Mans in 1999. The LMDh machine will face difficult opposition in endurance racing, as it will compete against the Porsche 963, Acura ARX-06, and Cadillac Grand Touring Prototype Hypercar.

BMW's WEC commitment comes as the M division celebrates 50 years of success on both the road and the track. So far in 2022, "the world's most powerful letter" has been applied to street-legal vehicles such as the M3 Touring and M4 CSL, as well as the M Hybrid V8 and M4 GT4.

On a side note, a modern-day 3.0 CSL or codenamed E9 will pay homage to the eponymous homologation special from the early 1970s later this year.