Modelling of Le Mans Daytona Hybrid Hypercar Powertrain System

This study presents the development, validation, and application of a full-vehicle simulation model of the BMW M Hybrid V8 LMDh Hypercar, designed to investigate and optimise hybrid energy recovery strategies in compliance with FIA and IMSA 2025 technical regulations. With increasing regulatory and sustainability demands in endurance racing, the deployment and recovery of electric energy using MGU-K have become pivotal for both performance and fuel efficiency. A physics-based simulation model was constructed in GT-SUITE, incorporating a map based internal combustion engine, transmission, and 50 kW rear-axle hybrid system. Complementary to this, a novel telemetry extraction method using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) in MATLAB and Python was developed to generate real-world drive cycles from on-board race footage. The model was validated using telemetry data. Subsequently, multiple energy deployment strategies were evaluated under varying race scenarios to identify optimal control logic that minimises fuel consumption without compromising lap time. The proposed methodology offers constructors a regulation-aware, circuit-specific tool for virtual system development, hybrid strategy optimisation, and compliance planning, with practical applications extending beyond motorsport to sustainable road car hybrid platforms.