WEC 2024: Team WRT competing with the BMW M Hybrid V8 in the WEC from 2024
Top-quality reinforcements for BMW M Motorsport: Team WRT competing with the BMW M Hybrid V8 in the WEC from 2024.
Source: BMW Corporate Communications
📷 © Media Information BMW M Motorsport.
Collaboration agreed between BMW M Motorsport and Team WRT.
The 2023 season will focus on preparations for entering the FIA World Endurance Championship with the BMW M Hybrid V8 from 2024.
Andreas Roos: “Successes and extensive experience make Team WRT the ideal partner for our return to Le Mans.”
📷 © Media Information BMW M Motorsport.
Munich. Trailblazing weeks at BMW M Motorsport. Just a few days after the decision to compete with the BMW M Hybrid V8 in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) from the 2024 season onwards, a key decision was made regarding the return to the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans (FRA). Belgian Team WRT will intensively prepare to compete with the cars next year, before they appear in the WEC races. This agreement was reached between Franciscus van Meel, CEO BMW M GmbH, Andreas Roos, Head of BMW M Motorsport, Team WRT Principal Vincent Vosse and Pascal Weerts, CEO of Weerts Group.
📷 © Media Information BMW M Motorsport.
“It is fantastic to see how our LMDh project has been gaining momentum in recent weeks,” said Franciscus van Meel. “First the successful rollout of the BMW M Hybrid V8, followed by the decision of the Board to approve the return to the WEC – and now the agreement with one of the best and most successful teams in endurance racing. We are proud and delighted that a top-quality team like Team WRT has agreed to take on our BMW M Hybrid V8 and compete with it at Le Mans, and at all the other WEC races. The next few years will see us in a great position in both top race programmes, with BMW M Team RLL in the IMSA series and Team WRT in the WEC.”
Andreas Roos said: “The successes and extensive experience make Team WRT the ideal partner for our return to Le Mans. From the word go, discussions with Vincent Vosse and his partners were very positive. It was immediately clear that we share a passion for the WEC project and the BMW M Hybrid V8, and it did not take long to come to an agreement on collaboration. There will now be a period of intensive preparations next year, before the first competitive appearances in 2024. We have not yet considered any potential appearances for Team WRT in GT racing. Over the coming months, we will make a decision about our race programme for the BMW M4 GT3 in the 2023 season in close collaboration with all our BMW M Motorsport teams.”
Vincent Vosse said: “All of us at Team WRT are extremely happy with the start of this new partnership with BMW M Motorsport and feel honoured to be associated with a brand that has such an awesome pedigree in motor racing. Team WRT was launched thirteen years ago and has enjoyed continuous success in different categories, mainly GT3 and endurance racing. Since the very beginning, the 24 Hours of Le Mans has been in our plans and in our dreams, and being part of the new Hypercar era of the FIA WEC that is about to open, was our strongest desire. To prepare for that, we have launched a programme in LMP2 two years ago, where we have proved to be competitive and successful, taking ELMS and FIA WEC titles, and also a class win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in our maiden participation. Entering the LMDh arena with a strong partner such as BMW M Motorsport was the logical next step and we are not only thrilled about the challenge ahead but also thankful for BMW M Motorsport’s trust in us. I can still remember when BMW M Motorsport won at Le Mans in 1999, as I was one of the drivers of the team in the neighboring box. We will work hard to repeat these moments and live them together.”
Team WRT was founded in 2009 and has won all the major endurance races and a host of prestigious titles in recent years. These include the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the LMP2 class, the team and drivers’ titles in the European Le Mans Series, overall wins in the 24-hour races at Spa-Francorchamps (BEL), the Nürburgring (GER) and Dubai (UAE), as well as numerous title wins in the GT World Challenge Europe and the race series that preceded it.
