BMW has confirmed it will leave the FIA World Endurance Championship after this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, ending its involvement after just a single season. BMW returned to the WEC for the 2018-19 ‘super season’ with its new BMW M8 GTE car, which made its debut in the championship at last year’s 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps.
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Klaus Fröhlich, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Development, said: “Motorsport is and will remain firmly established in the genes of the BMW Group. We are using our commitment – next to the sporting competition – to demonstrate our performance and future ability as a company. The same developers that are driving forward electrification for BMW i are also working in Formula E.”
“This ensures that BMW is also synonymous with driving pleasure in the field of electromobility. Through sim racing, we are reaching new, young target groups and giving our young drivers another platform, on which to compete. We are also demonstrating that BMW M stands for performance and high-performance motorsport on the racetracks of this world – for example, with Class 1, GTLM, GT3 and GT4. With this broad programme, despite a challenging environment, we are well positioned and are supporting the goals of our company strategy Number ONE Next.”
It had long been rumored to be considering a closure of its WEC programme in order to focus on other racing activities, including Formula E.
BMW Group Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt:
“We will not compete in WEC going forward. Therefore, the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June will be another highlight for us in drawing to a close – just like in 2018, when we celebrated the successful world premiere of the BMW 8 Series Coupe there. But in light of us sharpening our focus as part of our strategy for the future, continuing our WEC involvement in the coming years does not fit with our direction. The global presence of BMW M Motorsport is safeguarded by customer racing and the DTM in Asia and Europe, as well as the IMSA series in North America, even without competing in a world championship. We would like to thank BMW Team MTEK for its dedication over recent years and we wish WEC all the best and hope that it makes good progress.”
Very sad indeed. I hope they finish their last race with a class win or at least a podium finish. Good luck.
Bad move BMW. Always trying to appease the 3% instead of the 97%
You know those #s will reverse, BMW are looking to their future. Like always.
If they are going to do electrics, why can’t we just have a regular vehicle with a different (electric) motor comparable to current powertrains? Why, because the moral minority drives the future. As long as they keep pushing autonomy and all the associated tech to take driving out of the hands of the people, It’s going to take another 50 years before this delusion might become reality. JMO
Since record 80+ million new ICE were sold in 2017 (& new cars last @ least a decade), I don’t see how driving is being taken “out of the hands of the people”. I also don’t understand your 1st sentence, aren’t manufacturers doing just that but with BEV that will provide performance, economy & cost superior to “current powertrains” (pun?)? Since WHO state more people die every year from pollution≥auto accidents, yes it is moral to change, but that is not the minority, that is gov’.t mandating the change, the actual majority won’t pay the BEV premium. We want an autonomous electric future in 50 yrs. or we won’t have the freeways or resources to maintain what is now called personal mobility rather than what we knew as driving (if we haven’t already consumed ourselves off the planet & are still here in half a century). Racing has always been used to improve the breed & sell new cars, Formula E will be more of the same.
BMW is most related to DTM and GT4 /GT3, to be fair WEC is much less attractive to watch and waste of time and money. So I think it’s right move.
Terrible news. Thats’s what happens when you pretend a car size of a boat can compete with true sportscars. Quite embarrassing too after all that MISSION8 fanfare – and what makes it worse the actual M8 this program is supposed to promote and create halo around hasn’t even launched. Time to create a proper super/sportscar BMW.