The BMW International Motor Sports Association has revealed the car that will be used to tackle the Weathertech Sportscar Championship.
The M Hybrid V8 will go hand in hand with new tolerance prototypes from Porsche, Acura, and Cadillac.
It will qualify for the 24 Hour Le Mans, thanks to regulations for bringing the IMSA series closer to the World Endurance Championship (WEC).
The M Hybrid V8 is powered by a V8 engine (duh), but its output has not yet been confirmed.
The powertrain attached to a hybrid system is allowed to output a total of 500kW, although this may vary depending on how regulators want to balance performance among competitors.
According to the class regulations, the minimum weight of the hybrid prototypes is 1030 kg, a 50kW Bosch hybrid system and Williams Advanced Engineering battery pack and an Xtrac transmission are used. Under the skin, M Hybrid is built in partnership with Motorsports Specialist Dallara.
Under IMSA GTP rules, M will be a hybrid rear-wheel drive. The cars it will compete with in Le Mans were BMWs to ensure an entry, made using a different interpretation of the same rules.
This hybrid hypercar racing class was conceived jointly by IMSA, FIA and ACO to allow hybrid hypercar prototypes to enter the North American IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and FIA World Endurance Championship.
This means that racers can not only enter and race the Rolex 24 in Daytona, USA, but also race in the iconic 24 hours of Le Mans.
At this stage, BMW M Motorsport has only confirmed that its LMDh racer will only compete in the North America based IMSA Racing Championships.
The lever on the show here will be replaced by the time it launches, but the aerodynamics package you see here and the original design – including the Kidney Grills – will continue.
Don’t be surprised if BMW Motorsport jumps on the FIA World Endurance Championship bandwagon and enters its LMDH racer in Le Mans, as it has some history on the circuit.
In 1999, BMW last entered and won the 24 Hour Le Mans with its V12 LMR racer.