BMW Winning the Daytona 24!

The Le Mans category of the Daytona 24 has known to be a tough category, with brands from across the world bringing exceptional vehicles such as the new C8 Corvette, the Porsche 911 RSR, and even the Ferrari 488 GTE. But throughout the race, only two vehicles truly stood neck and neck; the previously mentioned 911 RSRs, and the number 24 BMW M8 GTE which took first in the GTLM category.

BMW Team RLL won the annual Daytona 24 Hours race just last weekend, making it a back-to-back win over the past two years. Driven by the team of John Edwards, Augusto Farfus, Chaz Mostert, and Jesse Khron of BMW RLL and BMW Motorsport, achieving a first place victory in the Daytona 24 is quite the feat. Porsche managed a second and third place finish thanks to two separate teams, while sadly the No. 25 team was damaged by debris on the track and had to hit the garage for 6 hours, but still managed a 5^th place win somehow.

But the coolest part (in my opinion) about this race is actually the vehicle developed by BMW for these races, the BMW M8 GTE. Although the exterior looks (more or less) like a standard M8 with an exceptionally large wing, the M8 and M8 GTE have some major differences. According the official BMW Motorsports website, “The BMW M8 GTE has double wishbones on the front and rear axle, each with four-way adjustable shock absorbers.” Also, “the anti-roll bars have a quick adjustment mechanism.” This ensures stable, intense driving on a track while lasting the 24 hours required to make it through this race.

Meanwhile, the standard road wheels have been swapped with aero wheels and track tires, leading to better grip and aerodynamic profiles. Surprisingly though, the engine utilized in the M8 GTE is actually the same engine first utilized in the 2018 M5, although sized down to only 4.0L to meet the race requirements for fuel. Finally, the composite body has been fitted with a composite core, and by taking advantage of CFRP ultra-light components, BMW has significantly reduced the weight from the standard M8 to the M8 GTE.

The M8 GTE looks like an incredible car to drive, and has backed up that appearance with a first place win at the Daytona 24, giving BMW Motorsports an exciting start to the new decade.