The BMW Motorsport programme for the 2019 season will be even more international than in recent years. As well as the four works involvements in the DTM, FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IMSA Series) and ABB FIA Formula E Championship, the BMW M6 GT3 will also have an extensive race programme. Besides the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring (GER) and the FIA GT World Cup in Macau (CHN), the planned starts in the Intercontinental GT Challenge are further international highlights. BMW M Motorsport’s commitment to customer racing and the BMW Motorsport Junior programme will continue.
“Even more international, even more spectacular: that is a good way to sum up the BMW Motorsport race programme for 2019,” said BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt. “BMW i Motorsport will take us to the most important megacities in the world during the course of the year. With BMW M Motorsport, we will contest in renowned race series and at some of the biggest iconic races there are.” Three spectacular racing cars will be in action within the BMW Motorsport works programme in 2019: the new BMW M4 DTM, the BMW M8 GTE and the fully-electric BMW iFE.18.
BMW i Andretti Motorsport makes Formula E debut.
BMW i Andretti Motorsport’s debut season in Formula E gets underway on 15th December 2018 in Ad Diriyah (KSA) and ends in July 2019 in New York (USA). As drivers, António Félix da Costa (POR) and Alexander Sims (GBR) will do battle for top results. Marquardt said: “Joining Formula E with a works presence – the BMW i Andretti Motorsport team – is an exciting step, which heralds a totally new era in our motor racing history. This project is of great significance for BMW. For us, Formula E is the ‘TechLab’ for iNEXT and other models of BMW i. The interconnection between series development and motorsport is closer than ever before.”
Global BMW M Motorsport programme.
In addition to the existing works involvement in the DTM, WEC and IMSA series, starts with the BMW M6 GT3 in the Intercontinental GT Challenge are planned. Customer racing will play a central role once again next season. “We are eagerly awaiting the start of a new era in the DTM, with new cars and new challengers,” explained Marquardt. “Seeing Alex Zanardi in a BMW M8 GTE at Daytona is sure to be a very special experience, as will our second start at Le Mans with our top-of-the-range GT model. I am particularly looking forward to the planned global appearances of the BMW M6 GT3 in the Intercontinental GT Challenge, at the Nürburgring 24 Hours, and in Macau. We will also support our many customer teams around the world to the best of our ability, as they strive for success as ambassadors of the BMW brand again in 2019.”
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SOURCE: BMW Group
