BMW M Team WRT and the BMW M4 GT3 achieved a remarkable feat by securing two victories in the supporting races at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. On the track, the BMW M Team WRT, alongside BMW M works drivers Valentino Rossi and Max Hesse, competed in the Road to Le Mans support races, an integral part of the Michelin Le Mans Cup. The first race saw Hesse and his teammate Tim Whale claim victory on Thursday. In the subsequent two 55-minute races, Rossi partnered with Jérôme Policand, and their exceptional performance earned Rossi his maiden GT3 triumph with a bold overtaking maneuver on the penultimate lap. Hesse and Whale secured a WRT one-two finish as runners-up.
This marked BMW M Team WRT’s inaugural participation in Le Mans with BMW M Motorsport, preceding the anticipated debut of the BMW M Hybrid V8 in the top class in 2024. For the current season, the team entered two LMP2 cars for the 24-hour race, their final appearance in this category. Another BMW M4 GT3, fielded by the GMB Motorsport team, competed in the Road to Le Mans races, with drivers Roland and Kristian Poulsen securing seventh and fifteenth places, respectively.
To commemorate the 100-year milestone of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a historic BMW race car, the BMW V12 LMR, which clinched the overall victory for BMW M Motorsport in 1999, took to the track for demonstration laps throughout the weekend. Additionally, the legendary BMW Art Cars by Alexander Calder and Jeff Koons, which created waves at Le Mans in 1975 and 2010, were on display, further enhancing the celebration.
Last year, BMW announced its entry into the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, as part of the LMDh prototype car class. The BMW LMDh V8 made its debut in Daytona while the Le Mans entry is due 2024. It will be joined on the grid by LMDh cars from Porsche, Cadillac, Lamborghini and Alpine.
