Yokohama Returns to Nürburgring with BMW M Motorsport After Nearly 40 Years

The ADVAN brand will supply racing compounds to two BMW M Motorsport cars in the 2025 Nürburgring 24 Hours and NLS — the partnership's first outing at the circuit since a run that yielded two overall victories between 1980 and 1990.

Nearly four decades after their last shared appearance at the Nürburgring, Yokohama Rubber and BMW M Motorsport have confirmed a racing tyre supply partnership that will see ADVAN compounds fitted to two factory entries in this year's ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring and the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie. The announcement marks a significant moment for the ADVAN brand, reconnecting it with one of the most demanding and commercially visible endurance circuits in the world.

Yokohama will supply ADVAN racing tyres to the BMW M4 GT3 EVO, which competes in the SP9 class for FIA GT3-specification production cars, and to the newly developed BMW M3 Touring 24H in the SPX class. The M3 Touring 24H is mechanically identical to the M4 GT3 EVO (sharing the same technical specifications throughout) but is built on the estate body shell of the BMW M3 Touring, making it 200 millimetres longer and 32 millimetres taller than its GT3 counterpart, including the rear wing.

The SPX class is reserved for high-performance experimental vehicles or those with modifications that fall outside standard competition categories. Yokohama's involvement here carries practical significance beyond the race result: the class is explicitly used for the development and validation of emerging technologies, meaning the ADVAN compounds will be exposed to conditions and data cycles that inform product development rather than simply fulfilling a promotional role.

According to Yokohama Rubber, the company previously partnered with BMW M Motorsport at the Nürburgring from 1980 to 1990, during which time they secured two overall championship victories. The 2025 season therefore represents the first renewal of that specific combination at the circuit in approximately 35 years. Yokohama will also supply ADVAN tyres to several other top teams competing in both the 24-hour race and the NLS alongside the BMW M Motorsport programme, broadening the brand's track exposure across the season.

For performance tyre manufacturers, endurance racing at the Nürburgring carries a particular kind of commercial validation. The Nordschleife's combination of extreme surface variation, gradient, and duration creates tyre loading profiles not reproducible in controlled testing. Yokohama's decision to field compounds across two separate class entries maximises the range of performance data gathered over a single race weekend.

What This Means

For tyre retail businesses stocking the ADVAN performance range, the renewed Nürburgring presence strengthens the brand narrative at a time when Yokohama's overall brand value has been rising sharply: the company recorded 23% brand value growth to US $1.5 billion in Brand Finance's 2025 rankings. Motorsport visibility at an event with global broadcast reach supports premium positioning in the UHP and performance segments, where purchase decisions are demonstrably influenced by competition provenance. Retailers and wholesale buyers should expect Yokohama to leverage this programme actively in 2025 marketing materials; aligning in-store merchandising or promotional activity around the race calendar (particularly the June 24-hour event) is a straightforward way to capitalise on increased brand awareness.

‍

‍

Tagged with:Yokohama Rubber, ADVAN racing tyres, BMW M Motorsport, Nürburgring 24 Hours, BMW M3 Touring 24H, BMW M4 GT3 EVO, NLS, SPX class, motorsport tyre supply, performance tyres, endurance racing, tyre validation

‍