Team WRT to Run “Hybrid” of WEC/IMSA Crew at Rolex 24

Photo: BMW

BMW Team WRT will run a “hybrid” of its FIA World Endurance Championship staff and new hires for its expansion into the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for its first outing in January’s Rolex 24 at Daytona according to team principal Vincent Vosse.

The Belgian squad, which has taken over BMW’s factory GTP effort for next year, is currently in the process of building up its satellite base near Charlotte, having rented shop space from the Haas Formula 1 team in Kannapolis, N.C.

“It’s a huge challenge,” said Vosse. “Of course we are used to taking challenges but it’s probably the biggest one we are on the way to start. There’s still a lot of work to do.

“I hope there will be a lot of success. It’s something very different for what we do in Europe.

“As you know, in WEC, we have a base in Liege, Belgium. After Le Mans, we leave our base and the cars don’t come back before mid-November.

“Here [in the U.S.] you are in your workshop in between every races.

“It’s a national championship, even if it’s a great and a very attractive championship, it’s still a national championship where you go from race to race but always back to your workshop.

“Your base is quite important. We are quite well-placed in North Carolina.

“I think a lot of sports car teams are based there. If you look at where the teams are based in the U.S., a lot of them are either based in Indianapolis or in North Carolina.”

Vosse said the WeatherTech Championship crew will be a “mix” of newly hired American staff and veterans from its FIA World Endurance Championship BMW Hypercar program.

He revealed they’re looking to model the dual WEC/WeatherTech Championship factory effort around the success that had been achieved by Porsche Penske Motorsport, which up until now, has also run parallel top-class operations.

“We are trying to do a mix of in-between American people and a bit of experienced people from our WEC program. It’s going to be a mix of both,” said Vosse.

“Of course if you look at the most successful team in WEC the last two years, I would say Penske is the most successful team, not in Le Mans unfortunately for them, but it’s the team that’s progressed the most.

“You can see that whatever BoP they have, they always find a way to get themselves up to the front.

“I think having the information from both championships is a very important one.

“I hope we will be able to achieve the same and have more information than just a team running in WEC or just a team running in IMSA.

“The communication is going to be super important, of course between our two teams, because it’s still going to be two teams. It’s not going to be one team doing both.”

Vosse said its first outing with the BMW M Hybrid V8s, which featured heavily revised bodywork with new styling cues, will come in next month’s IMSA-sanctioned test at Daytona International Speedway.

He indicated WRT have taken over the Dallara-built chassis that former factory operator Team RLL has most recently used, but will be completely rebuilt.

The Daytona test, as well as the 2026 season-opener, meanwhile, will feature a heavy influence from its proven WEC crew.

“At the moment we are fully into this,” said Vosse. “The team is not totally complete yet.

“We will do Daytona in a hybrid version, I would say. In Daytona it will not be the full IMSA team because the biggest race is the first race.

“We will make a mix of both teams to make sure the experience we’ve had from the testing and the last two years of racing in the WEC we can use it in Daytona in 2026.

“I would say that our first race with the full IMSA [crew] will be Sebring.”

Vosse: “Unfortunate” IMSA Clashes With WEC Imola, 24H Spa

The Belgian has expressed his disappointment that his powerhouse squad will face two major calendar clashes next year.

The first comes with WeatherTech Championship race at Long Beach, which falls on the same weekend as the second round of the WEC season in Imola, while the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen and CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa is set to clash for the first time in recent history.

IMSA moved its six-hour Michelin Endurance Cup race one week forward to prevent the clash for the last two years, although it doesn’t appear to be an option for 2026.

“It’s unfortunate for drivers and some of the team members,” said Vosse. “It’s two different teams [within WRT] but of course having those two big weekends at the same weekend is also going to be a challenge.

“It is what it is. Of course I would have preferred to not have had those kind of clashes, especially in the first year [of the IMSA program].

“Luckily it’s not Daytona clashing with Le Mans, so it’s still OK.”

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John