The Debut of The BMW M Hybrid V8 Race Car

Jill Weinlein

Up connected the rooftop of the Petersen Automotive Museum successful Los Angeles, an invited radical of BMW Executives, contention car drivers and car fans including comedian David Letterman, a longstanding Indy fan, gathered for the unveiling of the caller BMW M Hybrid V8. This iconic contention car represents a turning constituent towards electrification for BMW M. 

The BMW M Motorsport returns to 1 of the astir iconic car races, the 24 Hours of Le Mans (FRA), and volition marque its debut play successful the 2023 IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship. This sports car racing bid is based successful the United States and Canada that is organized by the International Motor Sports Association. This contention car volition besides instrumentality connected the top-class absorption successful the Hypercars class successful the authoritative FIA World Endurance Championship, the world's premier planetary sportscar championship.

For the BMW M Hybrid V8, BMW M Motorsport has been moving with legendary Italian contention car specialists Dallara. Regulations specify that LMDh (Le Mans Daytona h) contention cars indispensable person a combustion motor and an electrical motor. The BMW M Hybrid V8 is powered by the P66/3 eight-cylinder turbo motor with supplementary electrical drive.

Jill Weinlein

Head of BMW M Motorsport, Andreas Roos, and Michael Scully, Global Director, Automotive and Advanced Design astatine Designworks approached the car covered successful a achromatic silk, providing a consciousness of mystique arsenic the assemblage was anxious to get its archetypal peek astatine the cutting-edge plan and innovative technology. 

As the silky achromatic screen was dilatory pulled back, it revealed the low-to-the-ground, forward-leaning shark nose. The boomerang-shaped usher vane conscionable down the beforehand instrumentality offered a striking look. A bold and modern plan includes fractal blocks and iconic M logo successful red, achromatic and bluish colors.

Typical BMW plan elements see the M 'hook' mirrors. Another standout diagnostic is the BMW icon lights and the process lights. Blue and purple elements simulate the earthy colors of electricity.

Jill Weinlein

BMW M contention car drivers Connor De Phillippi (USA) and Sheldon van der Linde (RSA) walked up to car and shared however they volition alternate astatine the wheel. “It’s been an grant and a pleasance to implicit the archetypal laps of the BMW M Hybrid V8”, said De Phillippi. “This was a historical time for BMW M Motorsport wrong the LMDh project. Step by measurement we went done each functions of the car and by the extremity of the time we were capable to bash immoderate laps with astir afloat power, which is simply a bully effect for a roll-out.” He gave a immense convey you to everybody moving truthful hard for this task astatine BMW M Motorsport, BMW M Team RLL, BMW M Team RMG and Dallara.

De Phillippi and van der Linde discussed however the hybrid contention car handles portion they alternate astatine the wheel. “It’s been an grant and a pleasance to implicit the archetypal laps of the BMW M Hybrid V8”, said De Phillippi. “This was a historical time for BMW M Motorsport wrong the LMDh project. Step by measurement we went done each functions of the car and by the extremity of the time we were capable to bash immoderate laps with astir afloat power, which is simply a bully effect for a roll-out.”

They anticipation to execute what drivers Joachim Winkelhock (GER), Pierluigi Martini (ITA) and Yannick Dalmas (FRA) did backmost successful 1999, taking wide triumph aft 24 hours of racing successful the BMW V12 LMR. In the aforesaid year, the car besides triumphed astatine the 12 Hours of Sebring (USA). Its caller successor, the BMW M Hybrid V8, volition vie successful that contention successful 2023.

Jill Weinlein

On the BMW Motorsport website, Franciscus van Meel, CEO of BMW M GmbH states, 'The BMW M Hybrid V8 is much than conscionable a contention car, it is paving the mode for an electrical aboriginal for BMW M, by emphatically demonstrating however dynamic and affectional electrified M Power tin be.' 

Testing has been taking spot for this archetypal BMW M Motorsport prototype since the legendary BMW V12 LMR completed its archetypal laps astatine the roll-out successful Varano de Melegari (ITA). More European tests took spot successful August, earlier BMW M Team RLL and a unit of BMW M Motorsport experts started IMSA-specific preparations with investigating successful the USA.

Now the squad volition commencement the intensive trial enactment earlier the contention debut successful January 2023 astatine Daytona. The BMW M Hybrid V8 utilized the Dallara trial way for its archetypal functional test, and implicit the people of the trial phase, galore BMW M works drivers volition beryllium astatine the instrumentality starring up to each race.