BMW Rules Out Evo Joker for 2027; Hints at 2028 Changes

BMW M Motorsport boss Andreas Roos has ruled out an additional Evo joker for the M Hybrid V8 next year, but hinted at possible changes for the 2028 FIA World Endurance Championship and IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship campaigns.

The Bavarian marque has so far deployed three of its permitted five jokers until the end of 2027, with a change of brake supplier ahead of the 2025 seasons and a more wide-ranging update this year, including an aero overhaul and changes to the cooling, which required the use of two jokers.

It means BMW is left with two more jokers to play next year, as well as an additional two that were given to each manufacturer for use in the 2028 and ’29 seasons upon the extension of the current Hypercar rules.

However, asked by Sportscar365 about its plans, Roos said that more work can be done on bringing out the full potential of this year’s upgrade.

“Not for next year,” Roos said. “We had quite a big Evo this year which proved to work, where we did a big update on the aero and cooling, to improve the car’s predictability and consistency, which is what you need in endurance racing.

“We still believe there is potential in the car that we are not fully there in extracting. Before we did the first Evo joker, I always believed there was no need to do one before we had extracted 100 percent, to reach clearly the maximum.

“As long as there is something [more] you can extract, in our opinion it doesn’t make sense to bring an Evo.”

However, Roos said that work remains ongoing as BMW mulls how to develop its existing LMDh contender over the remaining three seasons of its life span.

Changes to the suspension are thought to be an area that could be developed, as the M Hybrid V8 completed five days of seven-post rig testing in September and has a further ten days planned this month.

“You don’t develop an Evo in two or three months,” said Roos. “So we are already looking at what we can improve, and the areas we can work on.

“There are some people on the team side and at BMW Motorsport in Munich are already looking at what a future Evo could look like.”

When pressed on when BMW would likely deploy its remaining jokers ahead of the transition to the new regulations in 2030, he replied: “For sure if you don’t take your jokers by the end of 2028 [for the 2029 car], you will lose them.

“Then there’s the question of whether you would take one for 2029 when anyway you are developing a new car for 2030. In the end, it’s a strategic decision how you use them.”

When the 2030 regulations were outlined ahead of this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, IMSA President John Doonan expressed hopes the current generation of LMDh cars would not be made obsolete by the new rules.

While Roos said it was “too early” to be certain of whether the current M Hybrid V8 tub could be used in 2030 and beyond, as rules discussions remain ongoing, but made clear his preference for any decision that would help reduce costs.

“I have always been clear that the LMDh concept works very well,” said Roos. “Most manufacturers in this championship, and the new ones that are entering the championship, are coming with LMDh.

“For me it’s clear this ruleset works, and speaking for BMW, there is no reason to go away from this kind of regulation. Now we have to define the base for 2030, whether it’s LMDh 2.0, and what changes there.

“I can’t say often enough: when you look outside and read the news, the automotive industry is not in the best situation. The more money we spend the more difficult it is to have the level of manufacturers we have now.

“The goal must be that the costs are under control and that the costs do not increase in 2030. They should even be less.”