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Bosch and FIA WEC / 24 Hours of Le Mans announce partnership

  • Bosch continues its 120-year dedication to motorsports with a new extensive partnership with the FIA World Endurance Championship and the racing monument: the 24 Hours of Le Mans
  • The marketing partnership extends the technology partnership Bosch Motorsport has with ACO for the new hypercar category
  • Bosch boosts its brand presence and invests in its visibility in European motorsports
  • Bosch supplies the system technology as well as the e-motor, inverter, hybrid control unit, and electric braking system for the new LMDh racers in the WEC
Cornelia Dürr

Cornelia Dürr

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Cornelia Dürr

Cornelia Dürr
Spokesperson for Bosch Engineering GmbH, motorsports

Abstatt, Le Mans – Following the successful 100th anniversary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and to support the fast growing development of WEC following the participation of major manufacturers Bosch and Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) announce a multiyear partnership. "By teaming up with ACO, we continue to invest in our brand presence and will be able to expand it further worldwide," says Ingo Mauel, Head of Bosch Motorsport. In addition to boosting Bosch’s brand presence along selected racetracks, the Bosch logo will also appear on the official safety car. This package of promotion measures is supplemented by digital and media formats focusing on Bosch Motorsport and its technologies. In addition, motorsports enthusiasts can experience multiple Bosch technologies in special fan zones during the races. Together with the sponsoring partnerships with ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, Japan’s Super GT500, and IMSA, Bosch Motorsport is building yet another strong presence with ACO, thereby securing the high global visibility of its brand in various race series.

FIA WEC CEO Frédéric Lequien commented: “Bosch has a long-standing tradition of competing in motorsport and their knowledge and expertise will greatly benefit the WEC – most specifically the hypercar category, where they are actively involved on the technical side. We are looking forward to working with the team at Bosch more closely and developing this relationship further."

As the motorsports industry increasingly focuses on sustainability and conservation of resources, Bosch is pushing the development of components and systems for electrified drives that supplement its portfolio of components and services for conventional internal-combustion engines.
Starting this season, in the new LMDh series, a prototype race car with a standardized hybrid powertrain is competing for the overall victory in the WEC's hypercar class. In this series, Bosch Motorsport is an exclusive partner for the hybrid powertrain in each LMDh car. The special highlight is that the vehicles in this category compete in the endurance races of both the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) and the U.S. IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship (IMSA GTP).

"Bosch has a motorsports tradition that goes back more than 120 years. In all that we do, we are driven by the deep passion we put into developing components, systems, and technologies, such as our electronics and telemetry systems that allow data-based monitoring of vehicles on and off the racetrack or our new LMDh technology. I am therefore even more thrilled that we are involved in this year's 100th anniversary of the endurance classic at Le Mans and that we are playing a key role in shaping the future of motorsports here as well," explains Ingo Mauel. After a successful debut at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, Florida, the teams and cars also delivered an impressive performance at the races in Portimao and Spa-Francorchamps. The highlight of the racing season is the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

All components of the LMDh system, including the software for the hybrid control unit, were developed in-house by Bosch. This required close collaboration not only with chassis designers and battery and transmission partners, but also with both racing series and all manufacturers. The hybrid system is highly flexible and can be combined with various vehicle and engine concepts while still offering an impressive level of performance. In line with current LMDh regulations, the system delivers a permanent output of 50 kW in drive mode and up to 200 kW in recuperation mode. However, the hybrid system has been designed for scalability and is also capable of higher levels of performance, enabling Bosch to meet the ever-evolving power and torque demands of racing. As a result, electrification solutions from Bosch play a key role in climate-friendly mobility – and in successes on the racetrack.

Mobility is the largest Bosch Group business sector. In 2023, its sales came to 56.2 billion euros, or just under 60 percent of total Group sales. This makes the Bosch Group one of the leading mobility suppliers. Bosch Mobility pursues a vision of mobility that is safe, sustainable, and exciting. For its customers, the outcome is integrated mobility solutions. The business sector’s main areas of activity are electrification, software and services, semiconductors and sensors, vehicle computers, advanced driver assistance systems, systems for vehicle dynamics control, repair-shop concepts, as well as technology and services for the automotive aftermarket. Bosch is synonymous with important automotive innovations, such as electronic engine management, the ESP anti-skid system, and common-rail diesel technology.

About Bosch Engineering GmbH
Bosch Engineering GmbH is a wholly owned subsidiary of Robert Bosch GmbH and is head-quartered in Abstatt, Germany. As a systems development partner to the automotive industry since 1999, the company with its more than 3,300 associates offers development services for powertrains, safety and convenience systems, and electrical and electronic systems – from the original concept to series production. Specialized in electronics and software, it draws on Bosch’s proven large-scale series production technology to develop tailored solutions for a wide variety of applications in passenger cars, commercial vehicles, off-highway and recreational vehicles, and in rail applications, ships, and industry. Bosch Engineering GmbH also coordinates all the Bosch Group’s motorsports activities.
Additional information can be accessed at www.bosch-engineering.com.

The Automobile Club de l’Ouest
Founded in 1906, the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) organised the first ever Grand Prix in 1906 and introduced the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1923. A staunch defender of endurance racing, the ACO contributes to the organisation and promotion of the FIA World Endurance Championship and instigated the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in the USA, the European Le Mans Series and Asian Le Mans Series. Aside from the world-famous Le Mans 24 Hours, ACO circuits host the 24-hour motorcycle race (24H Motos), the French motorcycle Grand Prix, the 24-hour go-karting event and the 24-hour truck race (24 Heures Camions). The 24 Hours of Le Mans is a test bed for innovations in automotive technology, the ACO’s main focus in terms of development. The ACO’s commitment to sustainable mobility currently takes the shape of the MissionH24 project to introduce a hydrogen class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The ACO defends the interests of everyday motorists and takes pleasure in offering excellent hospitality to members at motor sports events organised by the club. Driving skills being an important part of the safety and the pleasure of motoring, the club has a driving school, Le Mans Driver, as well as a go-kart complex with simulators and an international standard track. The club’s trackside facilities are a sought-after event venue, often coupled with multi-lingual tours of the circuit. Merchandise and tickets are on sale in outlets in Le Mans, Tours, Rouen, Paris.

About the FIA World Endurance Championship
The WEC is the premier international sportscar championship in the world, offering motor manufacturers a real-world relevance to advances in road car design and crossover technology, performance and safety. Strong, stable regulations allow for complex yet beautiful sports prototypes featuring the latest in hybrid technology, independent chassis and engines suppliers competing at the highest levels, and the world’s leading luxury car marques going head-to-head on track. Over 35 cars are on track at the same time, leading to action, excitement, endless passing and entertainment for fans worldwide.
The WEC offers teams, drivers, partners and stakeholders a unique stage on which to compete, at premier race circuits around the world. Ranked alongside the Olympics, the Super Bowl and the soccer World Cup, the cornerstone of the WEC remains one of the world’s greatest sporting events, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Contested over seven rounds across North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East – there are races of varying distances, from the shortest at 6 hours to the longest at 24 hours.

The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. It employs roughly 429,000 associates worldwide (as of December 31, 2023). The company generated sales of 91.6 billion euros in 2023. Its operations are divided into four business sectors: Mobility, Industrial Technology, Consumer Goods, and Energy and Building Technology. With its business activities, the company aims to use technology to help shape universal trends such as automation, electrification, digitalization, connectivity, and an orientation to sustainability. In this context, Bosch’s broad diversification across regions and industries strengthens its innovativeness and robustness. Bosch uses its proven expertise in sensor technology, software, and services to offer customers cross-domain solutions from a single source. It also applies its expertise in connectivity and artificial intelligence in order to develop and manufacture user-friendly, sustainable products. With technology that is “Invented for life,” Bosch wants to help improve quality of life and conserve natural resources. The Bosch Group comprises Robert Bosch GmbH and its roughly 470 subsidiary and regional companies in over 60 countries. Including sales and service partners, Bosch’s global manufacturing, engineering, and sales network covers nearly every country in the world. Bosch’s innovative strength is key to the company’s further development. At 136 locations across the globe, Bosch employs some 90,000 associates in research and development, of which nearly 48,000 are software engineers.

Additional information is available online at www.bosch.com, www.iot.bosch.com, www.bosch-press.com.

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