BMW Motorsport has confirmed its pull-out from FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) campaign after the 2018/19 superseason.
BMW only returned to WEC in the 2018/19 superseason in the LMGTE Pro category with a pair of BMW M8 GTE car, but will pull out already after just the one season with the focus shifting to other racing porgrammes they have ongoing.
Next month’s Le Mans 24 Hours race will be its last event in WEC, where it struggled to match and fight against the likes of Ford, Porsche, Aston Martin and Ferrari, with just the two podium finishes in the seven rounds so far in the 2018/19 season.
With it now pushing itself in the FIA Formula E Championship with Andretti while also racing in the DTM series along with IMSA’s WeatherTech Championship, the German manufacturer decided to focus on those series instead of WEC.
“Motorsport has always been an important pacesetter for the BMW Group, and a relevant testing ground for future development in the automobile industry as a whole – and that will remain the case,” said Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt.
“Formula E has proved to be a fantastic platform for us to show our expertise in the area of electromobility, and to focus on other topics of the future. Our entry at the start of Season 5 was a resounding success, and we won at the first time of asking.
“Our involvement in this series is set for the long term. For us, Formula E is not simply a matter of motorsport, our involvement goes beyond that. For us, it is an important platform for demonstrating our expertise in the major fields of innovation in the automobile industry.
“What is important to us is that the cost-benefit ratio in Formula E remains positive, even with new competitors joining constantly. With the introduction of the new Class 1 regulation, the new turbo engine, a new manufacturer and important steps towards internationalisation, the DTM has embarked on a promising journey.
“Now it is important to keep going. We believe in the series and will fully support the DTM in further expanding its international presence. The IMSA series plays a central role for us in North America and is developing well.
“The USA is the most important market for BMW M cars, so it is very fitting to build a direct bridge to our production models there with the BMW M8 GTE. We will not compete in WEC going forward. Therefore, the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June will be another highlight for us in drawing to a close – just like in 2018, when we celebrated the successful world premiere of the BMW 8 Series Coupe there.
“But in light of us sharpening our focus as part of our strategy for the future, continuing our WEC involvement in the coming years does not fit with our direction. The global presence of BMW M Motorsport is safeguarded by customer racing and the DTM in Asia and Europe, as well as the IMSA series in North America, even without competing in a world championship.
“We would like to thank BMW Team MTEK for its dedication over recent years and we wish WEC all the best and hope that it makes good progress. As part of the BMW M Motorsport Customer Racing Programme, privateer drivers and teams will continue to represent the BMW brand around the world in the future.
“We will provide them with a wide range of support – and competitive vehicles of course. The BMW M4 GT4 has proved to be a real winner since its debut in the 2018 season and the BMW M6 GT3 continues to celebrate regular victories all over the world.
“A successor for our successful GT3 model is already in the works. This means that works-supported starts in iconic international GT races such as at the Nordschleife, at Spa-Francorchamps or in Macau will still be possible.
