Inside BMW's long-awaited prototype racing return

By:

Gary Watkins

Jan 26, 2023, 10:36 AM

Much like German OEM rival Porsche, BMW's absence from sportscar racing’s top flight will be ended this weekend when a pair of M Hybrid V8 prototypes make their debut in the Rolex 24 at Daytona. A programme focused on IMSA for now will expand to the WEC and Le Mans next year, in a sign of both its ambition and pragmatism.

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BMW is back, shooting for outright honours in the big sportscar races after an absence of nearly a quarter of a century.

The German manufacturer's attempt to follow up on its Le Mans and Sebring successes of 1999 with the V12 LMR begins at this weekend's Rolex 24 at Daytona with a new LMDh prototype called the M Hybrid V8. It won't be back at the Le Mans 24 Hours until 2024. And the reason for that can at least partially be explained by an ultra-tight timeline for a project described internally as a "zero error programme".

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Gary Watkins

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Gary Watkins has, for reasons best known to himself, devoted all his working life to covering sportscar racing. This season is his 32nd as a motorsport journalist, during which time he has reported on major long-distance events on four continents and approaching 75 24-hour races. He reckons a degree in political philosophy makes him well qualified for covering the sometimes Machiavellian world of international sportscars.

Gary, who also writes for Autoweek, Motor Sport, Autocourse, RACER and others, lives in Surbiton but spends more time on the road than at home for most of the year.