De Wilde Added to BMW Factory Driver Roster

BMW M Motorsport has added Ugo de Wilde to its roster of factory drivers ahead of an expected program in GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS.

The 22-year-old Belgian is set to take on a program with the BMW M4 GT3 EVO, details of which will be revealed at a later date.

De Wilde has previously competed in both prototype and GT machinery, notably securing a podium on debut when he joined DKR Engineering in the LMP2 Pro-Am class during the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans.

That same year, he was announced as a winner of Lamborghini’s end-of-year Super Trofeo Junior Drivers shootout, although that did not lead to a factory driver role with the Italian manufacturer.

He did, however, embark on a GTWC Europe Sprint Cup program with Imperiale Racing, picking up a pair of Bronze Cup podiums at Misano and also finished on the Gold Cup podium in the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa with Sainteloc Racing.

“I am incredibly happy and proud to become part of the BMW M works driver line-up,” de Wilde said.

“A childhood dream is coming true for me. I have worked hard since my youth to become a professional racing driver.

“I am very grateful to a major brand like BMW M Motorsport for giving me this opportunity.

“I also thank everyone who has supported me in reaching this point in my career. Hopefully, this is just the beginning. I will do my best to justify the trust placed in me.

“We already had a very good test with the BMW M4 GT3 EVO. I felt very comfortable with the car’s handling right away and was very well received.”

De Wilde becomes the latest addition to BMW’s roster of factory drivers after Kelvin van der Linde’s signing was announced in December.

“I am delighted that we have been able to secure a promising young talent like Ugo de Wilde for our works driver squad,” said Andreas Roos, head of BMW M Motorsport.

“His performances in his debut season in the highly competitive GT World Challenge Europe were impressive.

“We are confident that he will be a valuable addition to our line-up for the 2025 season.

“With this commitment, we are expanding the already large circle of ‘young guns’ in our works driver squad.

“We have a superb mix of youth and experience, making our line-up both high-calibre and future-proof.”