BMW is reportedly considering a return to Le Mans. And it won’t be conventional if they do, with word that BMW plans to power its car with hydrogen fuel cells.
It’s believed the project has moved someway down the internal approval chain inside BMW, with an entry into the 2018 24 Hours of Le Mans the most likely.
If BMW does sign-off on a return to Le Mans they may consider applying for a Garage 56 entry, which is non-competitive and affords marketing and research opportunities. The recent Nissan DeltaWing and ZEOD racecars were Garage 56 entries.
A full LMP1 program appears unlikely at this stage after Jens Marquardt, BMW Motorsport boss, told Autosport, “LMP1 is, at the moment, the big hybrid thing, and in there we wouldn’t be the leader.
“We wouldn’t even be the fast follower, we would be a slow follower now, as the fifth [after Audi, Toyota, Porsche and Nissan] manufacturer joining in.”
BMW has a single Le Mans victory when the V12 LMR, built in partnership with Williams F1, won the 1999 race. We’ve added a few extra pics of the V12 LMR for you after the break.
[Source: Autocar]