Following victory for BMW M Team WRT at the FIA World Endurance Championship race in São Paulo, the BMW M Hybrid V8 has continued its busy 2026 campaign across both the FIA WEC and IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
In August, the IMSA series travelled to Road America, where the pace of the BMW M Hybrid V8 unfortunately went unrewarded. Sheldon van der Linde and Dries Vanthoor led the six-hour race in the #24 car before brake problems forced them to retire. The #25 BMW of Philipp Eng and Marco Wittmann also suffered technical issues, eventually finishing seventh.
The FIA WEC resumed at the Circuit of the Americas in September for the Lone Star Le Mans. After winning the previous round in Brazil, Kevin Magnussen, Raffaele Marciello and Dries Vanthoor brought the #15 BMW home eighth, while the #20 of Robin Frijns, René Rast and Sheldon van der Linde finished 12th. Despite the difficult weekend, Frijns and Rast maintained their position at the top of the drivers’ championship.
There was much more to celebrate two weeks later at Indianapolis. Dries Vanthoor and Sheldon van der Linde delivered BMW M Team WRT’s first IMSA victory, with van der Linde making the decisive pass for the lead with only a few minutes remaining. The #24 BMW crossed the line 2.926 seconds ahead of the second-placed Cadillac, securing a dramatic and memorable first North American victory for BMW M Team WRT.
The momentum continued at the FIA WEC 6 Hours of Fuji. Starting from 14th after qualifying was cancelled due to heavy rain, Magnussen, Marciello and Vanthoor produced an impressive recovery in the #15 BMW M Hybrid V8. Strong driving and strategy moved them through the field, with Vanthoor eventually securing third place and another Hypercar podium. The #20 endured a more difficult race and finished 13th after several incidents.
BMW M Team WRT then ended its debut IMSA season in style at Petit Le Mans. Vanthoor, van der Linde and Frijns fought for victory throughout the ten-hour race at Road Atlanta, with van der Linde challenging the leading Porsche in the closing laps before taking second place. The result completed an impressive first IMSA season for BMW M Team WRT, which included an overall victory at Indianapolis and five podium finishes.
With podiums in both championships and a breakthrough IMSA victory, the KYB equipped BMW M Hybrid V8 continues to demonstrate its competitiveness at the highest level of international endurance racing. With the IMSA season at a close, all eyes turn to the remaining races of the WEC season in Spain on the 18th October and Italy on the 8th of November, with BMW M Team WRT currently sitting in 2nd in the Manufacturers Championship