Photo: BMW
In a rather shocking turn of events, BMW head of motorsport Jens Marquardt confirmed that endurance racing isn’t their thing. “We will not compete in WEC going forward,” he said, highlighting that the departure will be complete after the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Let that sink in for a minute. BMW re-entered this echelon of motorsport in 2018 at Le Mans with the M8 GTE, and one year later, poof! As mentioned in the opening paragraph, it’s a shocking decision. What ever happened to the racing heritage of BMW and “Ultimate Driving Machine” advertising slogan?
Adding insult to injury, BMW is giving in to the corporate culture of the automotive industry by going front-wheel drive with the 1 Series. On the upside, the M3 will stick to rear-wheel drive and a good ol’ manual transmission while the M2 prepares to welcome the CS with 450 PS and 550 Nm.
Turning our focus back to positive outcomes, BMW will soldier on in motorsport through customer racing and the DTM in both Europe and Asia. The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in North America is another stronghold of the Bavarian automaker, but nevertheless, not competing in a world championship is a step back for Munich.
Leaving the WEC is one thing, but BMW remains focused on motorized sport going forward. A GT3 racing car is in the works, and in addition to on-track action, “sim racing is an exciting future-oriented field” according to Marquardt. “We have the utmost respect for the competitors in these virtual races and want to make them even stronger with our experience and technologies.”
Back to real-world racing, Formula E yields a positive cost-benefit ratio for BMW despite the increasing competition from new entries. As for DTM, the introduction of new Class 1 regulations is a godsend for BMW along with the departure of Mercedes-AMG from the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters.
“Formula E has proved to be a fantastic platform for us to show our expertise in the area of electromobility,” declared Marquardt. “We will fully support the DTM in further expanding its international presence.”
Adding insult to injury, BMW is giving in to the corporate culture of the automotive industry by going front-wheel drive with the 1 Series. On the upside, the M3 will stick to rear-wheel drive and a good ol’ manual transmission while the M2 prepares to welcome the CS with 450 PS and 550 Nm.
Turning our focus back to positive outcomes, BMW will soldier on in motorsport through customer racing and the DTM in both Europe and Asia. The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in North America is another stronghold of the Bavarian automaker, but nevertheless, not competing in a world championship is a step back for Munich.
Leaving the WEC is one thing, but BMW remains focused on motorized sport going forward. A GT3 racing car is in the works, and in addition to on-track action, “sim racing is an exciting future-oriented field” according to Marquardt. “We have the utmost respect for the competitors in these virtual races and want to make them even stronger with our experience and technologies.”
Back to real-world racing, Formula E yields a positive cost-benefit ratio for BMW despite the increasing competition from new entries. As for DTM, the introduction of new Class 1 regulations is a godsend for BMW along with the departure of Mercedes-AMG from the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters.
“Formula E has proved to be a fantastic platform for us to show our expertise in the area of electromobility,” declared Marquardt. “We will fully support the DTM in further expanding its international presence.”
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