The Belgian WRT group is within the working to increase its programme with the BMW M Hybrid V8 LMDh into the IMSA SportsCar Championship subsequent season.
BMW’s consultant within the World Endurance Championship has revealed that it’s in negotiation to take over Rahal Letterman Lanigan’s IMSA programme, after the German producer opted in opposition to renewing its partnership with the US operation.
“I believe BMW is speaking to completely different groups and we’re considered one of them,” mentioned WRT boss Vincent Vosse. “I’ve all the time been to race in IMSA when a possibility is coming.”
Requested if WRT might put the required construction in place to run a GTP marketing campaign in 2026, Vosse replied: “We might do it for subsequent 12 months if the chance is coming.”
BMW is but to elaborate on its IMSA plans for what could be the fourth season for the M Hybrid in North America. All that’s confirmed thus far is that the German model is ending its relationship with the group of three-time CART champion Bobby Rahal, which started in 2009.
A quick assertion from BWM learn: “We verify that now we have determined to not prolong our contract with BMW M Staff RLL for the GTP programme.
Max Welti, Bobby Rahal, BMW M Staff RLL Staff proprietor
Photograph by: Andreas Beil
“In the mean time we’re not on the level the place we’re capable of announce our 2026 programme, as a result of we’re nonetheless within the strategy of defining it. We’ll make an announcement in the end.”
The choice to drop Rahal, which has solely received twice in two-and-a-half seasons with the M Hybrid, comes in opposition to a backdrop of rumours that BMW might downscale and even axe its GTP programme.
However BMW M Motorsport boss Andreas Roos burdened on the Le Mans 24 Hours WEC spherical in June that the marque stays dedicated to racing within the high class of the IMSA sequence.
“Clearly we need to proceed in IMSA and in the intervening time there isn’t a motive why we wouldn’t proceed there,” he mentioned.
He burdened that nothing ought to be learn into its failure to announce a agency programme and that it was going by means of the “regular processes”.
BMW has already introduced its twin LMDh programmes nearer collectively for 2025 with the location of WEC regulars Dries Vanthoor and Sheldon van der Linde at Rahal for the complete season.
#24 BMW M Staff RLL BMW M Hybrid V8: Philipp Eng, Dries Vanthoor
Photograph by: Jake Galstad / Lumen by way of Getty Pictures
Roos said on the announcement of its 2025 line-ups: “The purpose is to accentuate the event of the BMW M Hybrid V8 in collaboration with the specialists on the groups and at BMW M Motorsport.”
He added that having two of the drivers racing in each arenas would “enhance the change of knowledge”.
WRT’s earlier IMSA appearances got here on the Daytona 24 Hours in 2019 and 2020, when it completed third in GT Daytona fielding an Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo at the side of Canadian entrant Speedstar Motorsports.
Rahal’s relationship with BMW stretches again to 2009 and a marketing campaign with the M3 GT2 within the American Le Mans Collection.
The partnership straddled an additional 4 fashions — the Z4 GTE, M6 GTLM, M8 GTE and M4 GT3 — previous to the transfer as much as the prototype ranks with the M Hybrid.
BMW said that it’s in talks with Rahal over different initiatives, that are understood to incorporate taking care of its heritage fleet of racing vehicles.
On this article
Be the primary to know and subscribe for real-time information electronic mail updates on these matters
Subscribe to news alerts
