BMW and Dallara to team up for LMDh prototype racing

The BMW LMDh race car is moving up to join the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in 2023. In doing so, BMW will work closely with the Dallara manufacturer for chassis production of its prototype cars.

In making an LMDh, only four constructors are licenced to make the next generation LMP2 chassis, and one of them is Dallara. The said manufacturer has also committed to continue working with Cadillac for the aforementioned races. In fact, they have already signed a contract last week in Varano de Melegari (ITA).

Markus Flasch, CEO of BMW M GmbH, shared his delight about the partnership with Dallara, as Dallara is passionate and professional and shares the same goals in motorsport. The CEO also mentioned future successes in BMW M Motorsport in 2023, and together with the heads of BMW M Motorsport and the LMDh project, they will get an insight into Dallara’s progress and excellent testing capabilities.

So far they are silent on the technical details and engine configurations. However, the future IMSA rule requires a standard engine with a maximum of 470 kW for the manufacturers. A 50 kW electric motor also comes as a pair from Bosch. For the hybrid system, the requirement includes a total output of 500 kW or around 670 hp. Xtrac has to produce the sequential gearbox and Williams Advanced Engineering for the lithium-ion traction battery. With all these competitive standards and the engine system, IMSA limits the price of the hybrid powertrain. Its price is now set to $350,000 and the chassis to $409,000. The hype continues as an LMDh is expected to cost between $1.5 and $ 1.6 million.