At the official IMSA-sanctioned test at Daytona International Speedway (USA), BMW M Team WRT will compete for the first time with the BMW M Hybrid V8 in the North American IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The Belgian team, already familiar with the Hypercar from the FIA WEC, is using the test to adapt to the procedures of the US series – supported by the experienced BMW M Team RLL.
In addition to the fresh design, BMW M Motorsport is presenting a significant technical innovation in Daytona: the use of the new „Track Lights“. This headlight generation combines state-of-the-art lighting technology with characteristic BMW design and ensures optimized visibility during the numerous night races of the IMSA and FIA WEC season, including the 24 Hours of Daytona and Le Mans, the 12 Hours of Sebring, as well as the races in Qatar and Bahrain. The powerful lights improve illumination in dark sections of the track, thereby increasing safety and precision for the drivers.
Visually, the yellow accents of the track lights an current BMW M race cars like the BMW M4 GT3 and M4 GT4 in their EVO versions. The high-performance models from BMW M GmbH – such as the CS variants of the M3, M4, and M5 – continue this design characteristic, thus bridging the gap between the race track and the road. The appearance is complemented by the illuminated BMW kidney grille with „Iconic Glow“, which gives the hypercar a distinctive appearance even at night.
Aerodynamic adjustments had already been tested on the BMW M Hybrid V8, including a smaller kidney grille and a redesigned front splitter to improve airflow and cooling. These further developments are now combined with the new lighting system at Daytona.
On the two test days, six BMW M works drivers will share driving duties in the cars with starting numbers 24 and 25: Philipp Eng (AUT), Robin Frijns (NED), Kevin Magnussen (DEN), René Rast (GER), Dries Vanthoor (BEL), and Marco Wittmann (GER). In total, the team has five test sessions available to gather valuable data and optimally prepare the car for the 24-hour race at the end of January.
Andreas Roos (Head of BMW M Motorsport): „I am very pleased that we can present and test our updated BMW M Hybrid V8 for the first time in an IMSA environment at Daytona. The new design and the new headlights not only look spectacular, but are also intended to further optimize performance. We will work just as hard on this during the test in Daytona as we will in January during the Roar. We want to make the best possible use of the time we have before the 24-hour race at the end of January to perfectly prepare both the cars with their updates and the BMW M Team WRT for the first highlight of the season.“