BMW has confirmed it will return to IMSA competition in 2016 with the new WeatherTech SportsCar Championship-spec M6.

While the BMW M6 GT3 will contest race events and series with FIA GT3 regulations as of next season, BMW Motorsport is also working on a new challenger for the elite class of North American GT racing: the BMW M6 GTLM. The plan is to return for an eighth season with BMW Team RLL and field the newly developed racing car in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in 2016.

“Using the basis of our new BMW M6 GT3 to develop a car for the WeatherTech Championship was a logical step,” said BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt.

“The BMW M6 GTLM has all the essential ingredients to thrill fans in the USA and Canada. We are keen to continue our works commitment on the other side of the Atlantic at the highest level since the WeatherTech Championship is a fantastic stage with a high quality field and legendary venues. We feel right at home there.”

The M6 GTLM will follow in the footsteps of the BMW Z4 in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship – also developed as an upgraded version of the German brand’s GT3 spec machine.

Bobby Rahal’s BMW Team RLL will again run the BMW program in 2016.

“A new car, a very competitive field and the hundredth anniversary of BMW means 2016 will be an exciting year,” Rahal said.

” I am thrilled that RLL will continue to represent BMW’s motorsport program in North America for an eighth season. The M6 GTLM will be the third model we have raced since 2009 (M3 (2009-2012); Z4 (2013-2015) and we look forward to the challenge.”

BMW Motorsport engineers derived the BMW M6 GTLM from the BMW M6 GT3, and the BMW M6 GTLM took part in the official “Balance of Performance” tests performed by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) for GTLM homologation alongside GT3 testing by the FIA and ACO at Michelin’s test track in Ladoux, France.

Like the GT3 version, the car is powered by a lightly modified version of the V8 production engine with M TwinPower Turbo Technology from the BMW M6 Coupé.

In the previous three seasons, BMW Team RLL contested the American Le Mans Series and the United SportsCar Championship with the BMW Z4 GTLM and celebrated five victories and an additional 15 podiums to date.

Further milestones in the recent GT history of BMW in North America include winning the title in the American Le Mans Series in 2001 with the BMW M3 GTR (Drivers’, Team and Manufacturer titles), as well as with the BMW M3 GT in 2010 (Team and Manufacturer titles) and 2011 (Drivers’, Team and Manufacturer titles).