Attention, Herr Frog! We return to your land of speed und cheese without ze mighty prototype but with two M3s und ze British touring-car dynamo known as Andy "Hammer" Priaulx! Faszination: Ze Porsche is easy Le Mans for little girl!
No official announcement has been made, but French motorsport paperwork rarely lies: According to the Automobile Club de l'Ouest's 24 Hours of Le Mans entry list, BMW is registered for this year's running of the French endurance classic. Two M3 GT2s, piloted by Jörg Muller and British touring-car champion Andy Priaulx, are set to compete. Both cars will receive factory backing.
In case you aren't up on all things propellerhead, this is a big deal. There hasn't been a factory-sponsored BMW at La Sarthe since 1999, the last year that the firm's V-12 LMR prototype competed. We can only assume this is where all that F1 money went. Booyah.
BMW Fanboy Note: For the record, Priaulx is awesome. He drives a 320si in the WTCC and is the only FIA touring-car champion to win an international sedan title for four years in a row (2004-2007). The previous record holder, Italian Roberto Ravaglia, won three (1986-1988). You get three guesses as to which car he drove, and the first two don't count. (Hint: It wasn't an E90.)
[Lemans.org via BimmerFile]