BMW, Cadillac and Porsche LMDH in IMSA and WEC

IMSAWECHyperCar

Aug 8

The LMDh based GTP/hypercars from BMW, Cadillac and Porsche are participating in IMSA and FIA WEC with different fortunes. Porsche leads with a strong margin the IMSA championships (drivers, Manufacturers and teams) while Cadillac leads the LMDh based hypercars in FIA WEC. One could easily point BoP adjustments as the cause. Let’s look at it.

Porsche leads BMW in IMSA

Porsche leads the Manufacturers WEATHERTECH SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP, 148 points ahead of BMW (third only 3 points behind Acura). Porsche Penske Motorsport started the season with four wins and four doubles in a row, a podium at Detroit, a P4 at The Glen and a P5 at Road America for the #6 Porsche 963.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Sebring. Winning Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963 #7 with F. Nasr-N. Tandy-L. Vanthoor.

On the contrary, the BMW M Hybrid V8s of BMW M Team RLL started the season with their first P3 on the East Coast at races 3 and 4 (Long Beach and laguna Seca) despite four poles in a row by Dries Vanthoor. The Belgian demonstrated the speed of the Hybrid V8 on different tracks but the team was never able to outpace the Porsche 963 in Michelin Endurance or sprint races.

📷 © IMSA. #24 BMW M Team RLL, BMW M Hybrid V8: Philipp Eng, Dries Vanthoor

A P5 for #24 and P7 for #25 at Detroit followed by a disastrous race at Watkins Glen with P8 for #24 BMW and abandon for sister #25 sounded the death knell for Team RLL to the point where BMW M Motorsport announced the end of its collaboration with Team RLL in GTP for the end of the 2025 season.

After the announcement, luck turned at Road America for BMW M Team RLL with van der Linde Motul Pole award and the first victory of the season topped with a double for both BMW M Hybrid V8s.

📷 © IMSA. #25 BMW M Team RLL, BMW M Hybrid V8: Marco Wittmann, Sheldon van der Linde.

Cadillac Racing is fourth so far in the manufacturers championship, 42 points behind BMW. The Wayne Taylor Racing results at Detroit and Watkins Glen sounded as a turn around for Cadillac with two P2 and one P3. The Road America race halted the momentum with WTR finishing in P8 and P9. The American marque's honor was saved with Cadillac Whelen finishing in P4. With two races left, 30 points as the biggest points gap between two end of race positions, the IMSA Championship is seriously compromised for Cadillac Racing.

#6 Porsche leads teams and drivers championships

Both Porsche 963 and BMW M Hybrid V8 — 📷 © Luc Warnotte at Daytona. Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963 #6 with M. Campbell-M.Jaminet lead ahead of Felipe Nasr-Nick Tandy with #7 Porsche 963 and Philipp Eng-Dries Vanthoor are third with #24 BMW M Team RLL BMW M Hybrid V8 in both IMSA drivers and teams championships.

After eighth rounds (out of ten) of the North American season, Matt Campbell and Mathieu Jaminet lead the drivers’ championship with #6 Porsche Penske Motorsport leading the teams’ standings, just ahead of their Porsche teammates Felipe Nasr and Nick Tandy with #7 Porsche 963.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Daytona. Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963 #6 with M. Campbell-M.Jaminet-K.Estre.

Philipp Eng and Dries Vanthoor are third with #24 BMW M Team RLL BMW M Hybrid V8 but 181 behind the #6 Porsche duo and 106 points behind the #7 Porsche team.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Sebring. #24 BMW M Team RLL BMW M Hybrid V8

It would take two catastrophic races for the two Porsche 963s and victories for the #24 BMW for them to dethrone the Porsches from these championships.

Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA leads the LMDh in FIA WEC

For the first time after three years of racing in Hypercar, Cadillac wins a FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) race and a 1-2 finish in the 6 Hours of São Paulo thanks to the new venture Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA.

Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA Cadillac V-Series.R — 📷 © FIA WEC at Sao Paulo. Cadillac Winning Hertz Team JOTA Cadillac V-Series.R #12

As both cars now score points in the manufacturers championship, the São Paulo double plus Alex Lynn’s pole point enabled Cadillac to overtake Porsche with 9 points as Cadillac scored the maximum 44 points for 27 to Porsche at the 6 Hours of São Paulo race.

It was the first time in the season that the both German LMDh (BMW and Porsche) and the American LMDh (Cadillac) were outpacing the Ferrari 499P. During the initial 4 races of the season, the three Ferrari’s outrageously dominated the race thanks to a favorable BoP.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Le Mans. P2 for Estre-Vanthoor-Campbell with #6 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963

Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963 in WEC, contrary to IMSA sisters, didn’t have the pace to score a podium except at Le Mans where the relyability of the 963, consistency of the drivers and strategy of the team enabled Estre-Vanthoor-Campbell to end second and beat two Ferrari’s. At São Paulo, Julien Andlauer and Michael Christensen achieved their best result of the season with a top-three result while Laurens Vanthoor and Kévin Estre finished fourth.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Le Mans. #20 BMW M Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8

BWM M team WRT was the best of the three (BMW, Cadillac, Porsche) during the two first races (Qatar and Imola) but only scored 11 points at Spa and São Paulo and 0 at Le Mans which count for double the points of a six hours race.

Cadillac, Porsche, BMW in Drivers Championship

In the FIA Hypercar World Endurance Drivers Championship, Alex LYNN, Norman NATO, Will STEVENS lead the LMDh trio with their #12 Cadillac V-Series.R, 14 points ahead of last year champions Kevin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor in Porsche 963 #6. René Rast and Sheldon van der Linde follow (17 points behind the #6 Porsche duo) with #20 BMW M Hybrid V8.

Cadillac, Porsche and BMW — 📷 © Luc Warnotte at Spa-Francorchamps. LYNN-NATO-STEVENS lead the LMDh trio with their #12 Cadillac V-Series.R, Estre-Vanthoor in Porsche 963 #6 are following and René Rast-Sheldon van der Linde with #20 BMW M Hybrid V8 are third of the three manufacturers.

The #12 Cadillac team is third overall behind two Ferrari 499 teams and the Porsche #6 duo is fifth overall behind the third Ferrari trio. #7 Toyota GR 010 Hypercar and #38 Cadillac V-Series. R are in front of BMW M Hybrid V8 #20 drivers.

BoP the difference?

Does Balance of Performance (BoP) implementation for GTP in IMSA and Hypercar in FIA WEC make the difference in results between BMW, Cadillac and Porsche results in both championships?

BoP involves adjusting power, weight, and other parameters at different speed thresholds. The adjustments are based on a data-driven process, with the goal of equalizing performance not just in top-end speed but also in acceleration among different manufacturers.

As we have already stressed different times it is a very challenging aim with different race tracks and weather conditions can also be a critical factor in the outcome of a race. Considering pole and race results also makes abstraction of the luck factor which can be determinant when several cautions affect the race.

The level of coordination between teams of both championships for a single manufacturer is also a determinant factor in the success of a car. No doubt Porsche Penske Motorsport, being active on both championships, is optimizing it which was key in their success last year. With Wayne Taylor Racing and Hertz Team JOTA joining Cadillac Racing, Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA team principal Dieter Gass stated clear communication between them and Cadillac was determinant for their fast success in FIA WEC. Not surprising BMW M Motorsport is maneuvering to get Team WRT managing the cars in both championships next season…