As reported by RACER.com, Montreal driver Kuno Wittmer will return to competition next year as a BMW Team RLL driver in the GT Le Mans class of IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Wittmer will be at the wheel of the new BMW M6 GTLM that the German manufacturer will launch into competition at the start of 2016.
After becoming GTLM champion in 2014, this year Wittmer competed in IMSA’s GTD class, winning the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona in a Viper, before completing the season at the wheel of the TRG Aston Martin North America team. For Wittmer, this return to the GT Le Mans category next year is important but becoming a BMW of North America official driver is a key step in the 33-year old French-Canadian’s driving career.
Wittmer’s first race in a BMW M6 GTLM will be the Rolex 24 at Daytona at the end of January. He will follow that up with the 12 Hours of Sebring in March and conclude his season at Petit Le Mans on the Road Atlanta circuit in October.
“I will take part in these three big races, which count towards the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup and I will participate in the development of the new BMW M6 GTLM. I will also be at BMW North America’s disposal to support their customer-racing program if needed throughout the season,” he explained.
Testing of the new BMW M6 GTLM has already taken place in Europe and North America prior to the official IMSA session at Daytona next week. Wittmer says his initial interaction has been very promising:
“The dialog with the engineers and all the BMW Motorsport personnel is very positive. They completely understand auto racing, and it’s amazing for a driver to work in such a great environment,” said Wittmer. “I had multiple options on the table for the 2016 season. I chose BMW because for me, it’s the best racing program in the world. It doesn’t bother me to not contest the entire 2016 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season. It’s worth it to me to focus on the development of the M6 GTLM and compete in the biggest endurance races.”
