Last weekend delivered a true test of endurance racing excellence as BMW M Motorsport teams, supported by KYB, competed on two iconic stages on opposite sides of the Atlantic. From the unforgiving concrete canyons of Long Beach in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship to the historic Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola for the FIA World Endurance Championship, KYB‑equipped BMW machinery once again showcased resilience, precision and performance at the highest levels of world motorsport.
Street Fight in California – Imsa Long Beach
The IMSA sprint round at Long Beach is unlike any other on the calendar. Tight walls, minimal margins and relentless pressure leave no room for error, placing huge demands on both drivers and machinery. Against this backdrop, BMW’s endurance programme faced one of the most challenging environments in North American sports car racing.
Throughout the weekend, strong pace and consistency underlined the competitiveness of the BMW package. The race itself developed into a hard‑fought contest where strategy, traffic management and mechanical reliability were critical throughout the 100-minute sprint.
Despite incidents and interruptions that shaped the outcome, BMW M Team WRT brought home solid finishes and valuable championship points. Dries Vanthoor and Sheldon van der Linde in the #24 car finished the first sprint race of the season in 5th place. The #25 sister car started from second position after a strong qualifying by Marco Wittmann, but the car, driven by Wittmann and team-mate Philipp Eng dropped a long way back during his stint following a collision and subsequent repairs, ending the race in 11th place.
Long Beach Street Course / Long Beach, California
April 17 – 19, 2026
Endurance at its Purest – FIA WEC, Imola
While the spotlight shone on Long Beach in the USA, Europe’s endurance scene returned to life in Italy for the 6 Hours of Imola, a race steeped in history and technical challenge. Smooth asphalt, high‑speed direction changes and evolving grip levels placed a very different set of demands on cars and drivers compared to the streets of California.
BMW M Team WRT fielded two Hypercars, tackling fluctuating track conditions and intense competition throughout the six‑hour contest. Both BMW entries ran faultlessly across the full race distance, bringing home strong finishes against a fiercely competitive field and reinforcing the team’s consistency across long‑format racing. Over 90,000 spectators saw the BMW M Hybrid V8s start the race from 9th and 10th positions, having both qualified for Hyperpole on Saturday. René Rast and Robin Frijns made a strong start in the #20 Shell BMW M Hybrid V8, but then dropped back due to a drive-through penalty. Over the course of the race, however, the duo fought their way forward again, and Rast crossed the finish line in fifth place after a nerve-wracking performance in the final stage. Kevin Magnussen and Raffaele Marciello finished seventh in the sister car #15.
Next up in the IMSA calendar is a 2hr 40 race at Laguna Seca on May 3rd, while WEC moves to the iconic Spa Francorchamps for another 6 hour race on 9th May.