2024 FIA WEC

BMW M Motorsport, Schubert Motorsport, DTM 2024, #33 BMW M4 GT3, René Rast (GER), RoboMarkets.

DTM 2024: RoboMarkets, Schaeffler and Shell continue to be strong partners on the BMW M4 GT3 this season.

Jeff Seabrook 2024 FIA WEC Thursday March 21, 2024

When the three DTM champions René Rast (GER), Sheldon van der Linde (RSA) and Marco Wittmann (GER) kick off the 2024 DTM season with Schubert Motorsport at the end of April, long-standing BMW M Motorsport partners RoboMarkets, Schaeffler, and Shell will also be on board again. These three partners will continue to shape the designs of the three BMW M4 GT3s.

Munich. When the three DTM champions René Rast (GER), Sheldon van der Linde (RSA) and Marco Wittmann (GER) kick off the 2024 DTM season with Schubert Motorsport at the end of April, long-standing BMW M Motorsport partners RoboMarkets, Schaeffler, and Shell will also be on board again. These three partners will continue to shape the designs of the three BMW M4 GT3s.

Wittmann, with car number 11 and the green Schaeffler design has been a successful combination familiar to DTM fans for a long time and will again be seen on the DTM circuits this season. Van der Linde will compete in the #31 BMW M4 GT3 in Shell’s classic colors, as in previous years. Rast enters his second DTM season as a BMW M works driver, and his #33 BMW M4 GT3 will once again feature RoboMarkets’ blue design, as it did last year.

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Munich, 19th March 2024. BMW M Motorsport, Gen2K, Logo, young drivers, Generation 2000.

Gen2K: BMW M Motorsport unveils new logo for its “young guns” – Start at the 24h Nürburgring.

Jeff Seabrook 2024 FIA WEC Tuesday March 19, 2024

Nurturing young racing talent has been one of the cornerstones of BMW M Motorsport’s programme for decades. Most recently, BMW Junior Team made waves in GT racing for several years, nurturing Dan Harper, Max Hesse, and Neil Verhagen into BMW M works drivers. They now join forces with Charles Weerts to form the group born after the turn of the millennium. For the 2024 season, BMW M Motorsport has given them a name and a new logo: Gen2K.

Munich. Nurturing young racing talent has been one of the cornerstones of BMW M Motorsport’s programme for decades. Most recently, BMW Junior Team made waves in GT racing for several years, nurturing talents such as Dan Harper (GBR), Max Hesse (GER), and Neil Verhagen (USA) into accomplished BMW M works drivers. In a high-profile line-up, they join forces with Charles Weerts (BEL) to form the group born after the turn of the millennium. For the 2024 season, BMW M Motorsport has given them a name and a new logo: Gen2K.

“Generation 2000”, comprising the three members of the BMW Junior Team and Weerts, who has already achieved numerous successes in GT racing at a young age with Team WRT in recent years, embodies BMW M Motorsport’s approach to infuse its line-up with not only experience but also youthful dynamism making it as versatile as possible.

The Gen2K racing programme is also diverse. Harper, Hesse, and Weerts will contest the 24 Hours of Nürburgring (GER) in June in the BMW M Team RMG BMW M4 GT3. While Harper and Hesse have grown up on the Nordschleife as part of their training and have contested many races there, Weerts will make his debut at the endurance classic in the Eifel region. The trio will hit the track for the first time in the BMW M4 GT3 this coming weekend during test sessions ahead of the start of the Nürburgring Endurance Series (NES) season.

Moreover, all three drivers will compete in the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS, albeit for different teams. Harper and Hesse for ROWE Racing, Weerts for BMW M Team WRT. Additionally, Hesse will undertake race outings for BMW Team Italia Ceccato Racing in the Italian GT Championship, while Harper will participate in selected events of the British GT Championship, where he clinched the driver’s title in 2023. Verhagen will contest the entire season of the Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS for ST Racing in North America, as well as the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup races for Paul Miller Racing.

Sebring (USA), 14-16 March 2024. IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Sebring International Raceway, BMW M Team RLL, GTP, LMDh, #25 BMW M Hybrid V8, Connor De Phillippi, Nick Yelloly, Maxime Martin.

Sebring 12 Hours: BMW M Team RLL narrowly misses the podium.

Jeff Seabrook 2024 FIA WEC Tuesday March 19, 2024

Strong performance, but lacking the necessary racing luck – that's how the 12 Hours of Sebring (USA) can be summarized for the BMW M Team RLL. In the second race of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IMSA series) season, the #25 BMW M Hybrid V8 crossed the finish line in fourth place after a race that was exciting until the end.

Sebring. Strong performance, but lacking the necessary racing luck – that's how the 12 Hours of Sebring (USA) can be summarized for the BMW M Team RLL. In the second race of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IMSA series) season, the #25 BMW M Hybrid V8 crossed the finish line in fourth place after a race that was exciting until the end. The sister car with number 24 finished sixth. In the GTD-PRO class, Paul Miller Racing narrowly missed the podium with the #1 BMW M4 GT3, finishing in fourth place. Turner Motorsport took sixth place in the GTD class with the #96 BMW M4 GT3.

In a balanced race in the top GTP class, Connor De Phillippi (USA), Nick Yelloly (GBR), and Maxime Martin (BEL) in the #25 BMW M Hybrid V8 stayed at the front of the pack throughout the race distance. They even led the race at times. However, after the last of numerous yellow phases, they just missed out on a podium finish in the final sprint. Jesse Krohn (FIN), Philipp Eng (AUT), and Augusto Farfus (BRA) in the #24 BMW M Hybrid V8 were unlucky with a slow puncture and a damaged rear wing. Nevertheless, they scored important points by finishing sixth and even fought their way back from a lap down.

In the GTD categories, the BMW M Motorsport teams also lacked the necessary racing luck to celebrate on the podium. In the #1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3, Madison Snow, Bryan Sellers, and Neil Verhagen (all USA) finished fourth in the GTD-PRO class. In the GTD category, Robby Foley, Patrick Gallagher, and Jake Walker (all USA) took sixth place. During the race, both cars had led their classes.

Comments after the race:

Daytona (USA), 24-28 January 2024. Rolex 24, Daytona International Speedway, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship #1 BMW M4 GT3, GTD, Paul Miller Racing, Bryan Sellers, Madison Snow, Neil Verhagen, Sheldon van der Linde.

12h Sebring: BMW M Team RLL returns to the site of the first podium success for the BMW M Hybrid V8.

Jeff Seabrook 2024 FIA WEC Tuesday March 12, 2024

The story one year ago was the first podium in the second race after the second place finish for the #25 BMW M Hybrid V8 at the 12 Hours of Sebring (USA). This coming weekend, BMW M Team RLL returns to the Sebring International Raceway for the second race of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season

Munich. The story one year ago was the first podium in the second race after the second place finish for the #25 BMW M Hybrid V8 at the 12 Hours of Sebring (USA). This coming weekend, BMW M Team RLL returns to the Sebring International Raceway for the second race of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season. The goal is to repeat last year's success and celebrate the first podium of the season in 2024 as well.

In the #24 BMW M Hybrid V8, the two regular drivers Philipp Eng (AUT) and Jesse Krohn (FIN) will take turns with Augusto Farfus (BRA). In the sister #25 car, last year's runners-up Connor De Phillippi (USA) and Nick Yelloly (GBR) will join forces with Maxime Martin (BEL) for the endurance classic in Florida.

In the GTD-PRO category, BMW M works drivers Madison Snow and Neil Verhagen, together with Bryan Sellers (all USA), will fight for the second podium for Paul Miller Racing in the second race of the season. At Daytona, the #1 BMW M4 GT3 finished in third place. Good omen: Last year, Paul Miller Racing won in Sebring in the GTD class. This time, BMW M works driver Robby Foley, Patrick Gallagher, and Jake Walker (all USA) will compete for Turner Motorsport in the #96 BMW M4 GT3 in this category.

The 12 Hours of Sebring will start on Saturday at 9:40 local time (14:40 CET).

Qatar, 29 February to 2nd March 2024. BMW M Motorsport. FIA World Endurance Championship, FIA WEC, Lusail International Circuit, BMW M Team WRT, #15 BMW M Hybrid V8, Hypercar, LMDh, Dries Vanthoor, Raffaele Marciello, Marco Wittmann, #20 BMW M Hybrid V8, Hypercar, LMDh, Sheldon van der Linde, René Rast, Robin Frijns.

FIA WEC in Qatar: Challenging season opener for BMW M Motorsport and BMW M Team WRT.

Jeff Seabrook 2024 FIA WEC Sunday March 3, 2024

BMW M Motorsport commenced the 2024 season in the FIA World Endurance Championship with the Qatar 1812 km at the Lusail International Circuit near Doha (UAE). In the Hypercar class, BMW M Team WRT enters two BMW M Hybrid V8s. However, the debut race of the prototype in the FIA WEC presented challenges.

Doha. BMW M Motorsport commenced the 2024 season in the FIA World Endurance Championship with the Qatar 1812 km at the Lusail International Circuit near Doha (UAE). In the Hypercar class, BMW M Team WRT enters two BMW M Hybrid V8s. However, the debut race of the prototype in the FIA WEC presented challenges, and both cars finished outside the top ten after nearly ten hours of racing. In contrast, the #46 BMW M4 GT3 narrowly missed the podium in the new LMGT3 class by only a few seconds.

The #20 BMW M Hybrid V8 concluded the season opener in 12th place. BMW M works drivers Sheldon van der Linde (RSA), René Rast (GER), and Robin Frijns (NED) took turns behind the wheel. Their teammates Dries Vanthoor (BEL), Raffaele Marciello (SUI), and Marco Wittmann (GER) finished in 16th position in the #15 BMW M Hybrid V8 after the car required a brief repair in the pitbox about an hour before the end.

The Team WRT #46 BMW M4 GT3, driven by BMW M works drivers Valentino Rossi (ITA) and Maxime Martin (BEL), along with Ahmad Al Harthy (OMA), fought for the podium in the new LMGT3 class until the end. Ultimately, the trio finished in fourth place, just a few seconds behind the top three. The #31 BMW M4 GT3 reached the finish line in sixth position in class. In that car, BMW M works driver Augusto Farfus (BRA) shared the cockpit with Sean Gelael (INA) and Darren Leung (GBR).

The second of a total of eight races in the FIA WEC 2024, the 6 Hours of Imola (ITA), will take place on 21st April