50 Years of BMW North America: Anniversary livery makes the BMW M Hybrid V8 a standout at the 12h Sebring. – AutoMart Canada

Sebring. The 73rd edition of the Twelve Hours of Sebring (USA)
this coming Saturday, 15th March, is all about a significant
anniversary. BMW North America celebrates its 50th anniversary this
year, and the endurance classic in Florida plays a special role in
this history. The story of BMW North America began in 1975 with the
victory of the BMW 3.0 CSL at Sebring. Accordingly, the two BMW M
Hybrid V8s of BMW M Team RLL will compete from this season’s second
race of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IWSC) with a
special anniversary livery.

1975 was a historic year for BMW in North America. BMW North America
was founded on 15th March, and just days later, the BMW 3.0 CSL
secured the brand’s first major sports car victory in the USA at
Sebring. This triumph came in the very first race that BMW Motorsport
GmbH and the newly established BMW North America entered together.
Exactly 50 years later, the BMW M Hybrid V8 livery at the Twelve Hours
of Sebring pays tribute to half a century of motorsport success in
North America. It showcases key milestones from 1975 to today,
embedded within the track silhouette of Sebring. As witnesses of
history, Jochen Neerpasch, co-founder and first managing director of
BMW Motorsport GmbH, and Brian Redman (USA), Sebring winner of 1975,
will be present for the anniversary. The BMW M Hybrid V8s will
continue to feature these special liveries throughout the IWSC season.

The Twelve Hours of Sebring marks the second event of the 2025 IWSC
season. At the endurance classic in Florida, BMW M Motorsport teams
aim to extend the 50-year legacy of success. BMW M Team RLL fought for
an overall podium finish with its two BMW M Hybrid V8s in the GTP
class at the season opener at Daytona (USA) in January. In the GTD-PRO
class, Paul Miller Racing, with two BMW M4 GT3 EVOs, is among the
favorites, while Turner Motorsport is targeting victory in the GTD
class with the BMW M4 GT3 EVO.

The 12-hour race at Sebring starts on Saturday, 15th March, at 10:10
local time (15:10 PM CET) and can be watched live at www.imsa.tv.

Andreas Roos, Head of BMW M Motorsport: “Sebring and
BMW M Motorsport share a very special bond. This track has played an
outstanding role in our history in North America, which now spans half
a century. We are excited for the anniversary weekend, and our goal is
to add new milestones to those already displayed on the liveries of
our BMW M Hybrid V8s. We have already shown at Daytona and at the FIA
WEC season opener in Qatar that we have made another significant step
forward with our LMDh car. This gives us confidence for a strong
performance in the GTP class. Our new BMW M4 GT3 EVO has also
immediately demonstrated its winning potential. Celebrating 50 years
of BMW of North America with the corresponding results would be fantastic.”

BMW M Motorsport line-ups at a glance:

GTP Class, BMW M Team RLL:

#24 BMW M Hybrid V8:
Philipp Eng
(AUT)
Dries Vanthoor (BEL)
Kevin Magnussen (DEN)

#25 BMW M Hybrid V8:
Sheldon van der Linde
(RSA)
Marco Wittmann (GER)
Robin Frijns (NED)

GTD–PRO Class, Paul Miller Racing:

#1 BMW M4 GT3 EVO:
Madison Snow (USA)
Neil
Verhagen (USA)
Connor De Phillippi (USA)

#48 BMW M4 GT3 EVO:
Dan Harper (GBR)
Max
Hesse (GER)
Jesse Krohn (FIN)

GTD Class, Turner Motorsport:

#96 BMW M4 GT3 EVO:
Robby Foley
(USA)
Patrick Gallagher (USA)
Jake Walker (USA)