BMW Expected To Return To TUDOR Championship With BMW Z4 GTE

BMW Z4

Following its established tradition, BMW will officially announce its 2015 plans at its Sports Trophy Dinner in Munich, Germany on Dec. 6.

Short of an official announcement, though, the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship is expected to play a major role in the manufacturer's plans, with the BMW Z4 expected to return to GT Le Mans (GTLM) class competition.

"The TUDOR Championship is a great platform to showcase our cars," said Jens Marquardt, BMW Motorsport Director. "IMSA is a very good platform. We're enjoying that relationship, knowing that this is the first year with the unified series. We knew it would be a handful to get all of them properly balanced, we respect that.

"I think we've seen at most of the races this year fan numbers that have exceeded those in the past. I think that shows that the platform is really great, and competition here is really great with tight fields, and the TV package is absolutely moving in the right direction. From BMW's side, we're happy to be here, and we just have to work together to have everything continuing to move forward for the future."

Marquardt added that the next two years are especially important to BMW, which will celebrate the 40th anniversary of BMW North America in 2015, and the 40th year of BMW competition in the U.S.

"Only two weeks after BMW North America was founded, we competed in the (IMSA GT) Championship at Sebring, and we won the race," Marquardt said. "So Sebring and BMW share a common history there. Then, 2016 will be the 100th anniversary of BMW as an overall brand, and it's important for us to have a competitive package in this really important market. It's a number one priority for us to work on having a successful and competitive package in these two crucial years."

Bobby Rahal's BMW Team RLL fielded two cars in GTLM this season, which are ranked fifth and sixth in the team standings entering Saturday's season-ending Petit Le Mans powered by Mazda at Road Atlanta. The team has yet to win this season, with Bill Auberlen and Andy Priaulx scoring two seconds and three podiums in the No. 55, and Dirk Mueller and John Edwards also taking two seconds and two podiums in the No. 56.

"Obviously, being competitive on the race track is the key for us. In marketing, everything is fine, but at the end of the day, you need to have a competitive package. That's what we need to work on. If you're winning races or not, the basis has to be as level as possible, so anyone has a chance to succeed. But currently, we feel that is not the case for our package, and that's what we need to work on."

"We initially had some success early in the season, but that was really more down to smart strategy moves and smart race craft by our drivers. We knew that the Z4 would be struggling on some of the tracks – especially like Daytona – but over the course of the year, we felt that our packages were not moving as far ahead as some of the other packages."

On the customer side, Turner Motorsport and driver Dane Cameron hold the team and driver lead entering the finale in GT Daytona (GTD), while BMW trails Porsche by one point in the manufacturer's championship in that class. BMWs also have been competitive in both classes of the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge.

"We've had a pretty strong season in both GS and ST (of the Continental Tire Challenge), and Turner Motorsport has done a great job in the GTD class and are still challenging for the championship," Marquardt said. "Clearly, we are open to discuss with any interested customer in that respect.