WRT has completed its first test with the BMW M Hybrid V8 Hypercar, which the team will race next year in the FIA World Endurance Championship as part of a works operation for BMW.
The test took place at the Motorland Aragon circuit in Spain, and was completed successfully over the course of three days, with no issues reported by the team or BMW. This allowed the team to collect important valuable data which will assist in the running of further tests.
As well as running in the daylight, the team were able to run the car at night and in adverse weather conditions, allowing more data to be generated and analysed.
Multiple drivers drove the car, including BMW works drivers Jesse Krohn, Dries Vanthoor, Sheldon van der Linde, and Maxime Martin, plus BMW junior drivers Dan Harper and Max Hesse. BMW says as many works drivers will test the car as possible over the ‘numerous additional tests’ as the team and manufacturer prepares for its WEC debut with the car in March 2024.
“The past week was a very good start to our WEC preparation programme,” said Andreas Roos, the head of BMW M Motorsport.
“The BMW M Hybrid V8 ran smoothly during the first test drives and provided our engineers and the team with the opportunity to gain a wealth of insights right from the start. Many thanks to everyone at BMW M Motorsport in Munich and BMW M Team WRT for making this successful start possible.
Of course, the experiences we have gathered together with BMW M Team RLL in the IMSA series races have also contributed to this. At the beginning of the LMDh programme, we deliberately chose to compete exclusively in the IMSA series first and later in the FIA WEC.
“We are now benefiting from this approach. Although the start was successful, there is still a lot of work to be done on the way to the first races. We are all highly motivated for the work throughout the rest of the year.”
Meanwhile, Vincent Voose, WRT team principal, said: “It is a big step and a step that we all have worked very hard for. It is a milestone for the team.
“Being at Le Mans has always been a goal for the team but being at Le Mans representing a manufacturer like BMW in the top category is a dream come true.
“And I have the feeling that we have the best manufacturer behind us. And the best group of people – the team. The guys did an excellent job building and preparing the car. The rollout went well and then we had the days of testing without any issues and good feedback.
“It has been an important first step in the preparation for the 2024 season so I am looking forward to it and I want to say a big thank you to all the guys who are involved in this.”
