BMW presents its LMDh for IMSA
The 24 Hours of Le Mans week has just begun, and BMW has chosen its moment to unveil images of its LMDh, which will be competing in the United States next year, and possibly later in the WEC.
We now know its name: BMW M Hybrid V8, and we also know that it will be participating in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in 2023, the American endurance series. Following the agreement between ACO and IMSA for the LMD regulations, the BMW prototype will race on American circuits before a potential entry in the WEC.
The LMD regulation requires the manufacturer to shape their vehicle in line with their brand’s image, which has been done with the distinctive BMW grille, characteristic of the Bavarian company. Presented in a camouflage livery featuring BMW Motorsports colors, it is expected to make its debut in January 2023 at the 24 Hours of Daytona.
Being an LMDh, BMW had to call on a supplier to provide them with a chassis, and that supplier is Dallara, just like the Cadillac prototype. Its name also confirms the brand’s engine choice, a supposed 4-liter turbo V8 derived from the DTM engine block used by BMW in DTM.
Franciscus van Meel, CEO of BMW M, explains: The most difficult task and the biggest challenge for the design team was to make sure that the prototype is clearly recognizable as a BMW M Motorsport car. And I can tell all the fans that one glance is enough to confirm that the BMW M Hybrid V8 is a BMW. It clearly carries the genes of BMW M.
« I also love the camouflage livery with its references to the brand’s rich history in North America. Congratulations to the design and aerodynamics departments at BMW M Motorsport and Dallara for their excellent work. I can’t wait to see the BMW M Hybrid V8 on the track soon.
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BMW has only announced one sports program so far in IMSA with two cars, but a detour to the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2023 alongside Toyota, Peugeot, and Ferrari is not to be excluded.
