[WEC] New rules. New manufacturers. The 2021 and beyond positivity thread!

[Coach Ep]

Might we see a surprise BMW WEC entry by WRT?

The German manufacturer are known though to have been courted by multiple WEC players – with WRT understood to be the closest to what is expected to be a wide-ranging deal in the wake of the evaporation of their plans to field the now cancelled Audi effort in the FIA WEC.

from https://www.dailysportscar.com/2022/...-and-more.html

[J Jay]

I can't see WRT wanting to foot the bill for this, so I assume it will be up to BMW to pay for an extra programme. However, if "wide-ranging" refers to GT3, that could help soften the blow on both sides. Post N24, WRT have seen the sheer speed the M4 is capable of, and it's the most recent* of the GT3 models, so it has plenty of time to develop.

*I'm happy to be corrected on this.

[Coach Ep]

I'm suspecting BMW board's possible approval for a WEC program depends on the contracted 'works' team and the prospect of attracting a team like WRT's caliber might just convince the board to green light the whole thing.

[canaglia]

it would make sense for WRT embrace bmw since audi probably won't remain in GT3 for long considering there won't be a street R8 successor. Anyway I expect bmw in wec only from 2024.

[Mike E]

More on WRT/Audi/BMW...

https://sportscar365.com/sro/gtwc/wo...id-lmdh-break/

[J Jay]

Originally Posted by Mike E

More on WRT/Audi/BMW...

https://sportscar365.com/sro/gtwc/wo...id-lmdh-break/

Translation: Please don't leave us until we get to leave you first.

I feel sorry for Reinke in a sense; he knows the calibre of team/support (WRT, Phoenix, Land to name but three) that will leave as part of this shift away from sportscars. But the decision has been made directly above his head.

On BMW, are WRT successful/influential enough to convince management to fund an additional WEC program? Might WRT be asked to show what they can do in GT3 first, before any commitment to a prototype effort is made?

[Mike E]

They have nothing to prove in GT3. But they have a lot of capacity to run cars so surely will want to continue. Would BMW agree to them running the LMDh but sticking with Audi in GT? BMW is already well represented in GT/DTM.

[S griffin]

They still have a place in GT3, so will probably continue alongside their prototype program. Not sure whether Audi will though. I don’t think the Prototype program will affect their other racing projects

[Mike E]

Caddy

https://twitter.com/CadillacVSeries/...zBNvZgZuA&s=19

[J Jay]

Originally Posted by Mike E

Would BMW agree to them running the LMDh but sticking with Audi in GT? BMW is already well represented in GT/DTM.

I'd be doubtful - what message does it send for possibly the only WEC entrant for BMW to be an Audi customer in GT3? On the financial side, packaging the M4 & LMDh together would save money and resources for both sides.

While I agree that BMW have plenty of GT3 representation, very few (none?) of them have the consistency of success that WRT can boast.

[canaglia]

this has never been a big issue for gt3 teams, rowe racing ran with porsche in GTW and bmw in VLN at the same time, and they have been porsche official cars in 2020 spa 24H and bmw official cars in 2020 nurburgring 24H. Probably WRT will get one or two bmw lmdh and will keep on racing with audi in GTW until R8 will be around.

[J Jay]

It's never been an issue for GT3, but prototypes, with up to an order of magnitude more money (and greater prestige) involved, are a different matter.

If WRT do get the BMW LMDh and continue with the R8 I won't be complaining, but I don't see it.

[canaglia]

I don't think audi could prevent WRT from buying and using R8, at worst they will lose the "audi sport" status in 24H races, but this happened also to phoenix in the past and to land motorsport this year. At very worst WRT will change cars. Not a big drama.

[Coach Ep]

More background on the possible (probable?) WRT-BMW link up, especially on the commercial end of things.


https://www.dailysportscar.com/2022/...ch-up-bmw.html

[Simmi]

BMWRT has a nice ring to it haha.

Fingers crossed we get the good news next week.

[Mike E]

Originally Posted by Simmi

BMWRT has a nice ring to it haha.

Fingers crossed we get the good news next week.

Yes indeed. I would like to see WRT and BMW in the WEC. Together would be good.

Not impossible they run BMWs in GT and Hypercar and keep one car in LMP2 for customers and up and coming BMW juniors.

[canaglia]

Team RMG, Team RMR, Team RMB, Team WRT... Bmw has a fetish for three letters teams...

[Coach Ep]

RLL.


They missed the boat with WTR, MSR, AXR and CGR though.

[canaglia]

Originally Posted by Coach Ep

RLL.


They missed the boat with WTR, MSR, AXR and CGR though.

Right, forgot of RLL... they don't mind of 4 letters teams too like MVDS, ROWE, MTEK... guess they dropped Schnitzer because was too long and had only one capital letter
and btw... just imagine WRT vs WTR both on TWR cars... that would be epic.

[J Jay]

You could, at a stretch, add Real Team with WRT to that list.

I suppose it's now clear why United Autosports have little to no chance of finding a factory partner...

[canaglia]

Originally Posted by J Jay

You could, at a stretch, add Real Team with WRT to that list.

I suppose it's now clear why United Autosports have little to no chance of finding a factory partner...

Just to add some extra chaos, if am not mistaken, there was a callaway corvette ADAC GT team called RWT

[Mike E]

Originally Posted by J Jay

I suppose it's now clear why United Autosports have little to no chance of finding a factory partner...

Phil Hanson was clear in his MWM interview that Hypercar is where he wants to be.

[canaglia]

Originally Posted by Mike E

Phil Hanson was clear in his MWM interview that Hypercar is where he wants to be.

united autosport is the lmp2 team with the highest budget, I think they could be one of few teams* along wrt and jota maybe that could afford a private porsche lmdh program.
*excluding teams like af corse, signatech, penske or lambo rumored prema etc.. already involved in LMH/lmdh programs and g-drive that none will miss for some time.

[J Jay]

Originally Posted by Mike E

Phil Hanson was clear in his MWM interview that Hypercar is where he wants to be.

It was a joke about UA only having a two-letter initial compared to so many teams with three-letter initials. Sorry for the confusion, I should have bolded the letters like I did for RealTeam.

Having said that, I think a privateer entry would be his best way into hypercar; he's not quite consistent enough to be head-hunted for a factory seat. If anything, his pace has been at its best this year, but it hasn't always shown.

As always, the question for the "super teams" in LMP2 is do they want to commit to spending so much on a privateer entry. The fact that almost all of them have been angling for partnerships with manufacturers suggests not.

[Mike E]

It's an unusual time though, isn't it? To go from no factory involvement (besides Toyota) to Ferrari, Porsche, BMW, Cadillac, Acura/Honda, Lambo, Peugeot etc turning up in the space of two years and needing experienced, match fit teams to run their programs. Of course that's the first option for these bigger teams rather than having to find funding themselves.