(The BMW V12 LMS failed to finish due to mechanical difficulties and a slow pace caused by aerodynamic inefficiencies, BMW Motorsport made the decision to radically revamp their sports car project and quickly replaced the V12 LM with a new car for 1999, the V12 LMR.)
Sport Auto magazine and Race Car Engineering have hinted that BMW Motorsport are in the advanced stages of an LMP1 design project.
The 1999 Le Mans winner has been reported (along with another unnamed manufacturer) to have been in discussions with the ACO about the viability of a WEC entry at the beginning of 2017; with a view to gaining clarification on any potential rule changes for that season.
With BMW’s global brand moving increasingly in the direction of hybrid technology with models such as the i8, it is only natural that the German manufacturer would seek to mark itself as a leader - both in the market and on track – in the technological ‘green energy’ arms race.
Despite being the most technologically driven motorsport category on the planet, BMW Motorsport head Jens Marquardt hinted that any foray into the World Endurance championship by BMW, would have to be met with further pushes in innovation – a path very much taken by Nissan at Le Mans this year with their radical GTR LM NISMO.
“If you take BMW as a global brans we are not a slow follower or a fast follower, we are setting new paths, which we have shown with the ‘i’ so I don’t think we need to follow what everyone else does”, said Marquardt.
“If a global return on investment is balanced with your investment it can make a lot of sense but it has to be balanced” he added. “Some of the championships are a huge investment and a return on investment calculation sometimes in those respects are difficult, but it depends how close these things are to your brand.”
BMW withdrew its Formula One motorsport programme in 2009 after a dismal season. Like McLaren, BMW were one of the few teams to run a Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) as the technology blended perfectly with their technological brand. Running the KERS unit however heavily compromised the car’s centre of gravity, cooling and weight-distribution and found themselves taking a backward step from the previous season.
A Garage 56 option (a garage has been reserved for an innovative project promoting ground-breaking technologies) at Le Mans could be open to BMW to trial any technology they have been developing, before making a decision to launch a full-blown WEC campaign.
What form BMW's entry eventually takes is another question, with every chance of a GTE campaign also not completely out of the question given the marques foray in the United Sports Car Championship.
WEC BMW GETS 'GREEN LIGHT'