BMW Pulls Out Of Endurance Racing After 24 Hours Of Le Mans

BMW has announced that it will leave the FIA World Endurance Championship after this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The German car manufacturer entered the championship last year for the 2018-2019 ‘super season’ with the BMW M8 GTE and has been competing in the GTE Pro class.

BMW hasn’t specified just why it will leave the championship after a single season, but it seems the company is more committed to other racing series, including DTM and Formula E.

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“We will not compete in WEC going forward,” BMW motorsport boss Jens Marquardt said. “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,” he said.

Marquardt added that the company will continue its campaign in the North American IMSA series.

BMW has suffered through a difficult season this year and currently sits last of the five participants competing in the GTE manufacturers’ championship. It has also gone without a win for the entire season and only secured podium finishes on two occasions.

The M8 GTE was unveiled in the latter half of 2017 and is powered by a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 that’s restricted to around 500 hp by the series’ regulations, sent to the rear wheels via a six-speed sequential transmission.