Munich. 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.”
New era in the DTM – Second season for the BMW M8 GTE.
In the DTM, the BMW M4 DTM will compete with a new two-litre turbo
engine, which generates over 600 hp – in a year that marks a special
anniversary: “50 years of BMW Turbo in motorsport”. With Philipp Eng
(AUT), Joel Eriksson (SWE), Timo Glock (GER), Bruno Spengler (CAN) and
Marco Wittmann (GER), five of the previous DTM drivers will remain on
board. The sixth driver will be announced after the “Young Driver
Test” next week.
The BMW M8 GTE can look forward to once again competing in genuine
classics in Europe and North America. BMW Team RLL kicks off
proceedings at the end of January with the 24 Hours of Daytona (USA),
at which BMW Brand Ambassador and works driver Alessandro Zanardi
(ITA) will be among the squad of drivers. Tom Blomqvist (GBR) joins
Bobby Rahal’s (USA) team as a new regular driver. This will be
followed by the joint WEC and IMSA Series event at Sebring (USA) in
March, as well as the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans (FRA), which forms
the grand finale to the WEC Super Season in June 2019.
BMW M6 GT3 in action in international classics – Extensive BMW
M Motorsport Customer Racing programme.
The plan is for the BMW M6 GT3 to contest the Intercontinental GT
Challenge. The Walkenhorst Motorsport team intends competing in
endurance races on five continents in Bathurst (AUS), Laguna Seca
(USA), Spa-Francorchamps (BEL), Suzuka (JPN) and Kyalami (RSA) with a
BMW M6 GT3. There are also plans to field a second car. Two of the
drivers of this second car will be Augusto Farfus and Martin Tomczyk.
All other drivers and the team will be announced at a later date. The
plan is also to contest the Nürburgring 24 Hours. ROWE Racing will be
one of the teams. BMW works drivers such as Marco Wittmann, Philipp
Eng, Farfus, Tomczyk and Timo Scheider (GER) will be part of the
overall drivers’ squad. FALKEN Motorsports and Walkenhorst Motorsport
will field additional BMW M6 GT3 models as customer teams. The full
squad of drivers and teams will also be announced at a later date. It
is also planned to contest the FIA GT World Cup in Macau.
Customer racing remains at the heart of the BMW M Motorsport
programme next season. As well as the BMW M6 GT3, the focus will be on
the BMW M4 GT4, which enjoyed such success in 2018, and the BMW M240i
Racing. The car will have this name after a technical update as of
2019; the entry-level model was previously the BMW M235i Racing.
Beitske Visser (NED) will continue to be supported within the BMW
Motorsport Junior programme. Among other things, she will gain
valuable experience as a reserve and test driver in Formula E. Mikkel
Jensen (DEN) is promoted to the rank of BMW works driver. Which new
talented youngsters join the programme will be decided in a selection
process next year.
The BMW Motorsport driver line-up for 2019*.
DTM (BMW Teams RMG and RBM):
- Philipp Eng (AUT)
- Joel Eriksson (SWE)
- Timo Glock (GER)
- Bruno Spengler (CAN)
- Marco Wittmann (GER)
- Sixth driver to be announced later
IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (BMW Team RLL):
- Tom Blomqvist (GBR)
- Connor De Phillippi (USA)
- John Edwards (USA)
- Jesse Krohn (FIN)
- Philipp Eng (AUT)
- Colton Herta (USA)
- Chaz Mostert (AUS)
- Alex Zanardi (ITA)
FIA World Endurance Championship (BMW Team MTEK):
- Nick Catsburg (NED)
- Augusto Farfus (BRA)
- António Félix da Costa (POR)
- Martin Tomczyk (GER)
Intercontinental GT Challenge:
- Confirmed BMW team: Walkenhorst Motorsport
- Confirmed BMW works drivers: Augusto Farfus (BRA) and Martin
Tomczyk (GER) - Additional teams and drivers to be announced later
24h Nürburgring (among others ROWE Racing, FALKEN Motorsports,
Walkenhorst Motorsport):
- ROWE Racing: Tom Blomqvist (GBR), Nick Catsburg (NED), Connor De
Phillippi (USA), John Edwards (USA), Philipp Eng (AUT), Jesse Krohn
(FIN), Marco Wittmann (GER), Nick Yelloly (GBR) - Other confirmed BMW drivers: Augusto Farfus (BRA), Martin Tomczyk
(GER), Timo Scheider (GER) - Additional teams and drivers to be announced later
ABB FIA Formula E Championship (BMW i Andretti Motorsport):
- António Félix da Costa (POR)
- Alexander Sims (GBR)
- Beitske Visser (reserve and test driver)
- Bruno Spengler (reserve and test driver)
*subject to change