We’re just days away from BMW’s return to Le Mans, but the Motorsport division has already expressed its dissatisfaction with he new GTE Pro Balance of Performance. The new BoP was released Tuesday for the 17-strong GTE Pro category, based on data gathered from the official test day earlier this month.
The Aston Martin Vantage GTE, which was nearly five seconds off the pace, was handed a power boost and extra fuel, while BMW’s M8 GTE was also handed a minor power increase after ending up around 1.5s slower than the pace-setting Porsche 911 RSR.
At the same time, the M8 GTE’s weight was increased by 13 kg which will be enough to negate the change in boost rations.
“We would have liked to see something different,” MTEK boss Ernst Knoors told Autosport.
“We get a little bit more horsepower, but we’re also 13kg heavier, which balances each other out.
“We don’t think that’s going to make a big difference. The aim is to level the playing field, so it’s difficult to understand how this has been calculated.”
BMW driver Nicky Catsburg, who set the German marque’s best lap time during the test day in the #81 M8, described the new BoP as a “bit of a blow” for its hopes.
“With a new car there’s always room for progression, but unfortunately BoP is an important component,” Catsburg told Autosport.
This weekend, BMW Team MTEK will field two new BMW M8 GTE cars in the highly-competitive GTE Pro class. Car number #81 will be piloted by Martin Tomczyk (GER), Nick Catsburg (NED) and Philipp Eng (AUT), while car number #82 duties fall to António Félix da Costa (POR), Alexander Sims (GBR) and Augusto Farfus (BRA).
