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BMW M8 WEC GTE and IMSA GTLM starting from 2018 season-
The lead changed hands more than 40 times as the race went right down to the wire before triggering wild celebrations. BMW Team RLL won the opening round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship at Daytona (USA) for the second season in a row. John Edwards (USA), Jesse Krohn (FIN), Augusto Farfus (BRA) and ChazMostert (AUS) took victory in the GTLM class at the wheel of the #24MOTUL BMW M8 GTE at ‘Daytona International Speedway’. The #25 car finished fifth. At the head of the field, the BMW works drivers thrilled GT fans with magnificent overtaking manoeuvres to finish ahead of two Porsche cars in second and third place. BMW Team RLL tasted victory at Daytona in 2019. Back then,Farfus gave an impressive final stint to clinch first place at the Florida endurance classic. This time, it was Krohn who took the wheel for the last stint of the race. He overtook the leading #911 Porsche with 46 minutes of the race remaining. Shortly thereafter, he came in for his final pit stop, following which he successfully defended his lead to the finish. Krohn also set the fastest lap of the race with a time of 1:42.168 minutes. This latest triumph sees BMW Motorsport add another chapter to its success story at Daytona where BMW first won at the ‘World Center of Racing’ back in 1976 with the BMW 3.0 CSL. The BMW M3 GTR then took class wins in 1997 and 1998. Daytona prototypes with BMW engines crossed the finish line in first place in 2011 and 2013. This was the fourth GTLM victory in the IMSA series for the BMW M8 GTE.
source BMW Motorsports wallpapers for BMW Team RLL and BMW M8 GTE conclude GTLM Class Victory at 2020 Daytona 24 Hours (click on image to enlarge)
Daytona January 27th 2019 . BMW Team RLL took victory at the 24 Hours of Daytona (USA) . When the opening round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship was suspended due to heavy rain for the second time, the #25 BMW M8 GTE and drivers Connor De Phillippi (USA), Augusto Farfus (BRA), Philipp Eng (AUT) and Colton Herta (USA) were leading the GTLM class. The race did not resume, leaving the BMW drivers to celebrate victory. The appearance by Alessandro Zanardi (ITA) meant the team’s #24 car was the centre of much attention at the endurance classic in Florida. It proved to be a difficult race for the Italian and his fellow drivers John Edwards (USA), Jesse Krohn (FIN) and Chaz Mostert (AUS). The quartet eventually came home in ninth place.
This latest success was the third GTLM victory in the IMSA series for the BMW M8 GTE. BMW celebrated its first win at Daytona back in 1976 with the BMW 3.0 CSL. This was followed in 1997 and 1998 by two class victories with the BMW M3 GTR. Overall victory went to Daytona prototypes with BMW Power in 2011 and 2013. BMW Team RLL finished on the top step of the podium at Daytona for the first time. De Phillippi, Farfus, Eng and IMSA debutant Herta enjoyed a largely trouble-free race. Herta set the fastest GTLM lap time of 1:42.908 minutes on lap 64. Heavy rain started to fall during the night, causing the track conditions to deteriorate from lap to lap. With seven hours remaining, race control decided to suspend the 24 Hours of Daytona for safety reasons for the first time. The race resumed under yellow flags roughly two hours later. In total, the 24 Hours was interrupted by yellow flags 17 times. When the cars were free to race again, the BMW drivers held their nerve, avoided making any mistakes and established themselves in the leading group. One lap before the race was suspended for the second time, Farfus, at the wheel of the #25 car, took the lead in the GTLM class. This ultimately proved to be the decisive moment in the race, as the race never resumed and the BMW drivers were left to celebrate a momentous victory.
By the first race-suspension, Zanardi and his team-mates were already several laps behind the GTLM leaders, following a number of stops for repairs on the #24 car. At the end of a pit-stop in the early stages of the race, the car was dropped off the air jacks at the very moment that Alex Zanardi, who lost both his legs in a crash in 2001, was pushing his specially adapted steering wheel into place on the column. As a result of the jolt, the column was damaged and Zanardi couldn't engage the steering wheel correctly. This coinciding of the two actions had never occurred in testing. The necessary repair work cost the #25 crew a lot of time. As the race continued, the BMW M8 GTE dropped further back, as a result of several smaller incidents. However, quitting was no option for Zanardi and his fellow drivers. Despite having little luck in the race, the appearance of the former ChampCar champion proved very popular at Daytona – with drivers, teams and fans alike. Turner Motorsport raced with the #96 BMW M6 GT3 in the GTD class. After 560 laps, the team and drivers Jens Klingmann (GER), Bill Auberlen (USA), Dillon Machavern (USA) and Robby Foley (USA) finished tenth. The race weekend was overshadowed by the news of the sudden death of long-term Schnitzer team principal Charly Lamm. In memory of Charly, BMW Team RLL competed with the words “Godspeed, Charly” on the rear of both BMW M8 GTEs at Daytona. Jens Marquardt (BMW Motorsport Director): “What a race, and what an emotional win – and during such difficult days for the entire BMW Motorsport family. To stand on the top step of the podium here at Daytona after such an eventful and unpredictable 24 Hours is absolutely fantastic. Congratulations to Connor De Phillippi, Augusto Farfus, Philipp Eng, Colton Herta and everyone at BMW Team RLL. Congratulations also to our team in Munich, who have moulded the BMW M8 GTE into a real winner. We can be very proud of this success. Although the drivers of the #24 car had to settle for ninth place, after enduring a lot of misfortune during the race, they made BMW Motorsport history together. Alessandro Zanardi’s appearance sent a buzz through the racing community at Daytona and beyond. Together with Jesse Krohn, John Edwards and Chaz Mostert, Alex battled like a lion and refused to be disheartened by the set-backs in the race. That is precisely what makes him so special, and why the fans love him. Alex and his fellow drivers can also feel like winners after this race. We would like to dedicate this success to Charly Lamm. His loss is just as painful today as it was on Thursday, when we received news of his death. He would have wanted us to fight to the final lap here. We did that – and won it for him.” Bobby Rahal (Team Principal BMW Team RLL): “What a great fight! Winning at Daytona is very special. When you consider where we finished here last year, then you cannot rate the effort of the entire team highly enough. Congratulations to the complete crew of the #25 car. But compliments also go to the #24 team, which unfortunately had a few issues in the race.
wallpaper- BMW M8 GTLM wins its Class at the 2019 24 Hours of Daytona (click on image to enlarge)
Daytona. The new BMW M8 GTE has completed more test drives at the setting for its race debut in January 2018: BMW Motorsport and BMW Team RLL were on the Daytona (USA) track this week as part of official testing for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IWSC). This was the first time that the new GT flagship race car from BMW Motorsport had shared the circuit with its future North America competitors. The first competitive appearance for the BMW M8 GTE will be at the 24 Hours of Daytona on 27th/28th January. BMW Motorsport looks back on intensive months. Over the course of just half a year since the first test in July, the car has been continually updated. The BMW engineers made gradual changes to the aerodynamics and worked on the front, the chassis and the cooling system. All components were made suitable for endurance driving and so BMW Motorsport was able to successfully complete a 24-hour distance last month. The feedback from the drivers helped to optimise the cockpit ergonomics. Preparations are now hotting up as the new BMW M8 GTE approaches the 24 Hours of Daytona. The data gathered in the USA will be used to work on fine-tuning in Munich before more tests take place in the USA before Christmas. “The Roar before the 24 Hours”, the official IMSA preparatory test for the 24-hour race, is scheduled to take place in four weeks.
wallpaper 2018 BMW M8 GTE Test Program at Daytona (click on image to enlarge)
Frankfurt September 12th 2017 . BMW Motorsport presented its new top-of-the-range model for the international GT racing scene at the International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt am Main: the BMW M8 GTE. Before the BMW 8 Series Coupé goes on sale, the race car will compete on the track next season, including in the FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC). It is with this series that BMW Motorsport will also make its return to the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans (FRA). As such, the BMW M8 GTE will be associated with both innovative, cutting-edge technology and decades of motorsport tradition. At the IAA, the new car was on display in a BMW M Motorsport livery, designed especially for this occasion, providing a visual taste of things to come in 2018. It reflects the close relationship between the development of production vehicles and motorsport, and once again underlines the degree, to which BMW Motorsport and BMW M belong together.
The close link between production and motor racing is one of the cornerstones of the development of the BMW M8 GTE. The knowledge gained from race outings with the new car in the FIA WEC and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IWSC) in North America will be directly incorporated in the development of the production model, which is running parallel to the motorsport project. “The BMW M8 GTE is our new GT flagship and will go head to head with the strong opposition in this sector,” said BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt. “For us, the presentation of the uncamouflaged car at the IAA is the next important step on the road to our first race outing, which we plan to be the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2018. The FIA WEC and the IMSA series in North America are a top competitive environment for our new challenger. With the BMW M8 GTE, we are bringing cutting-edge technology to the top international class of GT racing, whilst at the same time tying in with our tradition at Le Mans. The development of the BMW M8 GTE is on schedule, and we can hardly wait to see the car challenging for victories in 2018.”
The V8 engine with BMW TwinPower Turbo Technology, which is restricted by regulations to a capacity of 4.0 litres, has a nominal base output of more than 500 hp, depending on the classification. The cylinder block and cylinder head are taken from the production engine and are produced in the light alloy foundry at the BMW Group plant in Landshut (GER). The focus of the development work is on achieving the greatest possible efficiency and maximum durability. The powerful production engine provides the perfect basis. The power transmission in the BMW M8 GTE takes place via a sequential, six-speed racing gearbox. Racing and production engineers closely worked together within the framework of the BMW M8 GTE project. For instance, consistent lightweight design also plays a crucial role in the development of the new GT sports car. A significant weight reduction is achieved through the extensive use of ultra-light CFRP components. At a length of 4,980 mm and a width of 2,046 mm, the car weighs just 1,220 kilograms. The design of the BMW M8 GTE also reflects the close relationship to the BMW 8 Series and the BMW M8. This is particularly apparent in the same roof line and the design of the front and rear lights.
Peak performance in aerodynamics development.
The close interdependence between production and motorsport development continues in another two important areas: the same 3D measurement technology that was used on the BMW M4 DTM, which made its first race outing in 2017, is also used on the BMW M8 GTE. The ultra-modern measurement system from the BMW production development department provides the perfect quality control once the race car has been assembled. With such a complex car as the BMW M8 GTE, which is built completely by hand, it is essential that all the dimensions are correctly adhered to and implemented
Long history of BMW Motorsport in Le Mans.
P.Damiens-information and illustrations BMW Motorsports Media Archives and NEWSPRESS Wallpapers : BMW M8 GTE and IMSA GTLM for 2018 season (click on image to enlarge)
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