[WEC] BMW confirmed in GTE in 2018

[AkioAsakura95]

Originally Posted by rich07

Sims is one of their best drivers, he'd be a shoe in for the WEC program, in fact I'd be surprised if he didn't get a seat

I think Sims will have the seat of WEC program but Sims is in IMSA Championship for GTLM class (American version of GTE). And I found that IMSA and WEC schedule at least one race clash together plus he also participate other race as well. So Sims will be third driver in the WEC program as well.

[PascaLM]

Originally Posted by Scorchess

Turbo engine confirmed then, at least. Or was that already known?

I assume they developed the engine V8 4,4 litres on M6 while building the chassis of the M8.

[Matt]

Originally Posted by AkioAsakura95

I think Sims will have the seat of WEC program but Sims is in IMSA Championship for GTLM class (American version of GTE). And I found that IMSA and WEC schedule at least one race clash together plus he also participate other race as well. So Sims will be third driver in the WEC program as well.

We all know this.

I love how you deal in only absolutes btw. There's no guarantee of anything on where drivers will go until the manufacture themselves decides. If BMW thinks Sims should do WEC full time instead of IMSA next year, that's where they'll put him.

[FLGTFAN]

Originally Posted by Matt

We all know this.

I love how you deal in only absolutes btw. There's no guarantee of anything on where drivers will go until the manufacture themselves decides. If BMW thinks Sims should do WEC full time instead of IMSA next year, that's where they'll put him.

Matt rides to the rescue again. Thank goodness we can all know what he knows.

[Starfish Primer]

There are also the rumours of Andretti taking over the BMW IMSA operations.

[broadrun96]

Originally Posted by Starfish Primer

There are also the rumours of Andretti taking over the BMW IMSA operations.

I think Marshall had it in two reports after talking with them and noting their desire to return to IMSA. Combined with them being the de faco BMW factory team in Formula E, I'd say IF BMW were to switch they would be the leading contenders. Apparently BMW does annual contracts only with their race teams so it is open every year for a change-over.

[rich07]

I think people are looking at the BMW Andretti connection too much. I'd be surprised if RLL didn't get the nod for next years contract.

[Mike E]

Calling Lanky Turtle!

“Once you’ve got a base [which is] properly working, you can then start focusing on performance on one side and you can start on, let’s say, hardcore durability testing on the other.

“For sure, when it comes to hardcore durability testing, tracks like Sebring spring to mind."

http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/b...le-for-m8-gte/

[broadrun96]

Other than finally win 2 races this year after looking at times like a Benny Hill pit crew last year, what has RLL done to annoy BMW Motorsport? It's not avoiding the question, he basically says they have to prove why they should be the race team for BMW.

From S365 article:

“After the summer holidays we should definitely have our ducks in a row,” Marquardt told Sportscar365. “Late summer should be the target.

“Within in the month of September, we should definitely know what we do.”

“As we are corporate, you obviously have to go through a variety of options and see the strengths and weaknesses,” Marquardt said. “We have a very successful relationship with Bobby and his team, and we just go about it as we always do.”

[chernaudi]

The only kink I see is that BMW is going full factory in the WEC, though like Audi Sport with Joest and Porsche with Penske, are also trusting in someone to bring more muscle to the organization.

We also have to remember that RLL are reportedly looking at LMP2/DPI possibly for IMSA and LMP2 for a LM entry. And there's the whole Andretti Autosport angle. BMW are already backing them in FE, and Andretti is looking at IMSA. Rumor was originally BMW, but is now going back and forth between BMW and McLaren.

I'm not 100% sure the McLaren GTLM/GTE deal will happen. I don't even know how serious their intentions are. We do know of the unified M8 GTE/GTLM platform next year. It depends on how much BMW Motorsport want to rock the boat in IMSA.

But as pointed out, RLL were no where last season, but are now the hottest team in GTLM. If this comes down to "what have you done for me lately?", then RLL have done plenty for BMW as of late.

[broadrun96]

Originally Posted by chernaudi

The only kink I see is that BMW is going full factory in the WEC, though like Audi Sport with Joest and Porsche with Penske, are also trusting in someone to bring more muscle to the organization.

How is that different from them hiring a team here for IMSA? That's not a kink, it's how most of the teams race.

[chernaudi]

BWM have their own factory team for WEC (M-TEK, who runs BMW's DTM program), but they're looking for an IMSA tender, and this is a contract year for RLL. Either it'll stay with them, or go somewhere else.

And IMO, it's down to being between RLL, or Andretti Autosport. Andretti have connections with BMW already.

But whoever will get it will be treated as a factory team. As hinted in an article about the M8, the car is more factory oriented than the Z4 GTE or M6 GTLM. Those were based, of course, on GT3 cars built to IMSA regs. The M8 is a full out GTE car, and takes advantage of the current GTE rules.

And of course teams often hire others to run their programs. Audi Sport did it with Joest and later Champion, HPD hired Penske to run their DPI program, Ford hired Ganassi to run the GT program and Pratt and Miller does the Corvette program. But there's also factory teams that run their programs in house (AMR for example). And outside of Audi Sport, all the recent LMP1 programs (doesn't really apply here, but just siting in context) have been in-house.

[carbsmith]

AMR is and always has been Prodrive. Which has the same owner mind you, but still runs other non-Aston Martin projects.

[chernaudi]

It shouldn't be forgotten that David Richards has an ownership stake in Aston Martin proper and last I checked he was still a member of the AM board. Also kinda hard to say that AMR isn't in house as Prodrive has always been the AM factory team dating back to the GT1 days, and both organizations have been owned by the same guy since 2007.

For BMW, I don't think you can call M-TEK fully in house, as at least in DTM the team is set up and owned separately from BMW Motorsport.

And at least the BMW M8 won't be the "waiver-moblie" that the M3 GT2 and Z4 GTE were, or even the M6 which is an IMSA exclusive (and in spite of having GTE in it's name, the Z4 was never fully ACO legal, either). Not only do the current rules have more leeway in them to reduce the need for waivers (almost everyone in GTE uses at least a few), but the M8 will use for the most part the same engine as the road car and it'll actually be smaller (so BMW won't have to use a waiver to run an oversized engine like the Viper did).

Only complaint is that the race car (like the M3 GT2) will probably be using a flat crank engine if the audio in the preview video was correct. But with the Aston and Corvette running crossplane cranks, I don't see a big deal if the rules allow it.

[JHamilton]

Originally Posted by chernaudi

It shouldn't be forgotten that David Richards has an ownership stake in Aston Martin proper and last I checked he was still a member of the AM board. Also kinda hard to say that AMR isn't in house as Prodrive has always been the AM factory team dating back to the GT1 days, and both organizations have been owned by the same guy since 2007.

For BMW, I don't think you can call M-TEK fully in house, as at least in DTM the team is set up and owned separately from BMW Motorsport.

And at least the BMW M8 won't be the "waiver-moblie" that the M3 GT2 and Z4 GTE were, or even the M6 which is an IMSA exclusive (and in spite of having GTE in it's name, the Z4 was never fully ACO legal, either). Not only do the current rules have more leeway in them to reduce the need for waivers (almost everyone in GTE uses at least a few), but the M8 will use for the most part the same engine as the road car and it'll actually be smaller (so BMW won't have to use a waiver to run an oversized engine like the Viper did).

Only complaint is that the race car (like the M3 GT2) will probably be using a flat crank engine if the audio in the preview video was correct. But with the Aston and Corvette running crossplane cranks, I don't see a big deal if the rules allow it.

I really can't understand what your point is. Pretty much every manufacturer that I can think of hires a race team to race their cars. Sometimes that team manufactures and races the cars.

Aston Martin hired Prodrive to build and race their GT1 cars. That's how the relationship with David Richards started. Richards is no longer on the Board at Aston but is still the chairman of Prodrive.
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[Akrapovic]

http://www.fanswec.org/la-nouvelle-b...s-a-barcelone/

More shots/videos of it. It's...large.

[J Jay]

I see BMW are continuing in the fine tradition of circumventing BoP by making cars too large to overtake, as also championed by Nissan & Bentley of late.

[Nick Woodbury]

At the very least it sounds decent. Thank the heavens!

Anything in the world sounds better than the V6 Turbo they run now in both their GT3 and GTE cars.

[Matt]

Originally Posted by Akrapovic

http://www.fanswec.org/la-nouvelle-b...s-a-barcelone/

More shots/videos of it. It's...large.

Told y'all and no one believed me.

Originally Posted by Nick Woodbury

At the very least it sounds decent. Thank the heavens!

Anything in the world sounds better than the V6 Turbo they run now in both their GT3 and GTE cars.

Current M6 uses a turbo V8.

[Nick Woodbury]

Originally Posted by Matt

Told y'all and no one believed me.



Current M6 uses a turbo V8.

I stand corrected! I took a peek inside the Turner Motorsport engine bay last year at Lime Rock Park, and I could have sworn they used a V6 seeing as how small it appeared as well as all of the extra space that was in there.

[Akrapovic]

Originally Posted by Nick Woodbury

I stand corrected! I took a peek inside the Turner Motorsport engine bay last year at Lime Rock Park, and I could have sworn they used a V6 seeing as how small it appeared as well as all of the extra space that was in there.

I guess when you put a big engine in a boat, there's still a lot of space.

[TF110]

That car looks a lot more sleek than the current one they're running. If the M6 is a yacht, this M8 is a speedboat. I like the flared fenders, though. Looks aggressive.

[JHamilton]

Originally Posted by TF110

That car looks a lot more sleek than the current one they're running. If the M6 is a yacht, this M8 is a speedboat. I like the flared fenders, though. Looks aggressive.

BMW always builds handsome cars, I just wish these were 7/8ths scale.

[Akrapovic]

I prefer to think of them as the M6 cruse ship and the M8 tanker. And the Bentley Village Church. Original concept probably had a bell tower.

[TF110]

The roof really is a good deal lower than the M6. The car almost looks DTM'ish but a little wider and longer.