BMW announce FE and WEC programmes

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Published on 27 Sep 2016 11:09
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By: Dominik Wilde

BMW Motorsport have announced that they will enter a partnership with Andretti Autosport in Formula E for at least the next two seasons.

The announcement comes after months of rumours linking the German manufacturer with the American organisation.

The agreement with BMW and Andretti will see the manufacturer work closely with the team for two season, before a planned works involvement by season five.

"The commitment in Formula E sees us forge new paths and demonstrate our expertise in the field of electric mobility," said BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt. "Over the coming years, the cooperation with Andretti Formula E will primarily focus on familiarising ourselves with the procedures and processes, and on intensifying our knowledge."

"Our works driver Antonio Felix da Costa will be in action behind the wheel. A works involvement is then conceivable as of the series’ fifth season, he added. "The premise for all these steps is the further positive development of the series, which includes increasing the capacity of the batteries, for example."

Andretti's tie up with BMW is the Michael Andretti-run team's third manufacturer association, after their Honda IndyCar and Volkswagen Rallycross programmes.

BMW will also continue to provide their 'i' range of cars to Formula E in their role of official vehicle partner.

WEC return also revealed

BMW have also confirmed that they will return to the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2018.

Further intensifying their 'focus on production-based motor racing, which was decided upon in 2009', the manufacturer will add a world championship programme to their existing DTM and IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship commitments.

"The strategic realignment of the motorsport activities is a strong commitment to motorsport on the part of our company," said Klaus Fröhlich, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Development. "It will remain a cornerstone within the BMW Group in the future."

"Everyone knows that BMW and motorsport are intrinsically linked," he continued. "The commitments allow us to demonstrate our expertise in the areas of technology and integration on international platforms, including the world’s leading racing series for electric mobility and classic motorsport."

The car with which BMW will compete in the WEC with has yet to be revealed, with BMW only saying that they plan to "race in the WEC with a new GT car".

The Munich marque will also expand their customer GT efforts with a new M4 GT4 being made available in addition to their M6 GT3 challenger.

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