BMW has officially announced its return to the top level of international prototype racing, joining the LMDh ranks of the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship in 2023.
BMW’s official announcement follows an Instagram post by BMW M CEO Markus Flasch on Thursday which broke the news, although no further information or details were released at the time.
The German manufacturer has now confirmed its intention to join the LMDh ranks, with an entry into the 2023 IMSA campaign.
“BMW is back on the big motorsport stage,” said Flasch. “In entering the LMDh class, BMW M Motorsport is fulfilling the prerequisites to challenge for overall victory at the most iconic endurance races in the world from 2023.
“We will be fully focussed on tackling this challenge. There is a spirit of optimism here. BMW has a successful history in prototype racing – the Le Mans victory in 1999 was unforgettable. Reviving this story in a modern prototype with M Power will thrill fans of BMW M Motorsport.
“The LMDh concept guarantees maximum cost control and offers a wide range of possible applications, including the IMSA series in North America, an extremely important market for BMW M.
“We are all eager to get stuck into the LMDh category with a compact and highly-efficient team set-up.”
BMW will unveil drivers and further technical details, including the engine partner, at a later stage.
It has stated that it will run a two-car works effort in IMSA in 2023, but has not mentioned any involvement in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
“Everyone in our motorsport team shares the same motivation: we want to test ourselves against our strongest opposition at the racetrack – and to celebrate victories for BMW,” said Mike Krack, Head of BMW M Motorsport.
“As such, the LMDh project is a real affair of the heart for us and exactly the new challenge we were hoping for. An extremely exciting project awaits us.
To challenge for overall victories in Daytona and Sebring is a massive motivation. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but the anticipation is immense.”
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