Today’s BMW M teaser reveals June 6, 2022, the unveiling date for the new LMDh racing car. The frontal shot gives us a sneak peek of fresh design details.
The vertical light strips and huge racing wing takes the spotlight in the BMW M teaser photo. We also see here the driver’s narrow greenhouse with the regular air intake perched on top. The double kidney grille that runs across the front end gives it a very aggressive stance.
Former BMW Motorsport boss Mike Krack revealed last year that the new BMW LMDh project will not arrive at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2023. Instead, the focus is solely on races in North America, such as Daytona. This makes sense since BMW M prioritizes the U.S. market more than Europe. Krack noted that the new crew cannot fully concentrate on all races at once.
BMW Team RLL will run two prototypes. It includes a chassis that partner Dallara created serving as the backbone of the race cars. The hybrid prototypes will have an electrified powertrain that combines a gasoline engine and an electric motor. The combustion engine will produce at least 470 kilowatts (630 horsepower). The Bosch-supplied hybrid system will provide no more than 50 kilowatts (67 hp). Thus, when combined, the hybrid system will produce around 500 kW (670 hp).
Williams Advanced Engineering will provide the battery pack. And Xtrac will build the transmission for prototypes that weigh at least 1,030 kilos (2,271 pounds). The LMDh race vehicles will be massive, measuring up to 5,100 millimeters (201 inches) in length and 2,000 millimeters (78.7 inches) in width. And a fixed wheelbase of 3,150 millimeters (124 inches).
The new racing car will face fierce competition from the other car brands compete such as Porsche, Audi, Acura, Cadillac, Ferrari, Toyota, and Peugeot. Nevertheless, BMW scheduled its debut for January 2023 at the 24 hours of Daytona.