BMW Motorsport has announced the drivers who will race in their debut campaign in the FIA World Endurance Championship super season in the GTE Pro class.
The German marquee will join the likes of Ford, Ferrari, Aston Martin and Porsche on the grid for the super season with a pair of M8 GTE’s, with Nick Catsburg, Augusto Farfus, Antonio Felix da Costa and Martin Tomczyck the full-time drivers, while Tom Blomqvist, Philipp Eng and Alexander Sims will join the team for select races during the season.
“The drivers in our WEC squad have been intensely involved in the development work on the BMW M8 GTE from the outset,” said BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt.
“The combination of GT experience and race talent means we are ideally positioned to achieve good results in our first season in uncharted territory. After the intense months spent developing the car, everyone at BMW Motorsport is extremely motivated ahead of the first races in 2018.”
As well as the World Endurance Championship, BMW has announced the drivers who will race in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, with American racers Connor De Philippi and John Edwards racing for the BMW Team RLL M8 GTE’s in 2018 alongside Sims and Jesse Krohn, while BMW NA Brand Ambassador Bill Auberlen will contest the endurance events alongside Catsburg, Eng and Farfus.
“The commitment in North America remains a central pillar of the BMW Motorsport racing programme in 2018,” said Marquardt. “Our partnership with BMW Team RLL is entering its tenth year.
“To mark the anniversary, Bobby Rahal’s team will race with two new BMW M8 GTEs. In Connor De Phillippi, we have brought another absolute GT specialist into the team. I am also pleased to see our former BMW Motorsport Junior Jesse Krohn promoted to the works programme.
“At this point, I would like to once again express my respect for Bill Auberlen. No other driver has been as closely associated with BMW as he has. 400 races for one manufacturer – that is unique. It is nice to have him on board at the big races again in 2018.”
