BMW M Motorsport restructures its prototypes and presents full responsibility for the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) and the IMSA WEATHERTECH Sportscar Championship programs to BMW M Team WRT from 2026.
WRT is expanding to IMSA
The Belgian outfit under the direction of Team Director Vincent Vosse will take over the IMSA operations by Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL), who has been working with BMW for 17 years. WRT will run the latest version of the BMW M Hybrid V8 over the entire IMSA time plan including endurance and sprint events.
The first appearance with the updated car is set for the official IMSA test in Daytona in November 2025. To support the program, the WRT creates a permanent basis in Charlotte, North Carolina, in which the IMSA page of the company is accommodated. While WRT previously drove to Rolex 24 in Daytona in GT machines, this marks the first IMSA campaign in full season.
End of the Rll -era
The switch closes a long chapter with RLL. The team has been of central importance since 2007 for BMW’s American racing presence. The BMW Motorsport boss Andreas Roos thanked RLL for his long service:
“Together with the BMW M -Team WRT, we bundle our strengths to achieve an even greater success in both the FIA WEC and the IMSA series. I would like to take this opportunity to thank BMW M Team RLL for their outstanding efforts in the past three years in our GTP program and for their loyalty to our brand for over 17 years.”
Vosses long -term goal
For Vosse, the IMSA parade is the fulfillment of an ambition: “I have never made it a secret that we are very interested in participating in the IMSA series. In the past, we are participated in the GT category in the past. In the 24 -hour of Daytona, we have never confronted the entire season all season, but we have a big one, but our team has a big one, but our team has a big one Challenge won. “
The driver’s list will be announced at a later date
Since WRT does both programs, BMW’s hypercar effort becomes more optimal. The driver constellations for the 2026 season still have to be confirmed, but the Daytona test will later mark the first excursion of the revised M -YBRID -V8 in WRTS hands this year.
