Image courtesy of BMW M Motorsport

BMW M Motorsport has announced its return to international prototype racing. It was confirmed that an LMDh car is being developed for use in the North American IMSA series, beginning with the 2023 season with visits to Daytona, Sebring, and Road Atlanta.

“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 focused on tackling this challenge. There is a spirit of optimism here,” said Markus Flasch, CEO of BMW M GmbH.

“BMW has a successful history in prototype racing—the Le Mans victory in 1999 was unforgettable... 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.” 

Head of BMW M Motorsport Mike Krack will be responsible for the development, testing, and race outings of the new car. “We have a lot of work ahead of us, but the anticipation is immense,” he said.

The regulations for LMDh cars stipulate that they have both a combustion engine and an electric motor. While each manufacturer may develop their own combustion engine, the electric motor and battery, as well as the transmission, are standard parts. The chassis is also built by an external partner. The works team and the driver lineup for the two LMDh prototypes will be announced at a later date.

For more information, visit bmw-motorsport.com.