Jordan Pepper Joins BMW M Motorsport for 2026
November 17, 2025BMW M Motorsport has announced that Jordan Pepper will join the manufacturer as a works driver from the 2026 season.
Pepper joins Kelvin and Sheldon van der Linde to become the third driver from South Africa to drive for the Munich-based marque.
Pepper, the son of former South African Touring Car driver Iain Pepper, began his racing career in 2000 when, at the age of four, he started competing in karts. Graduating to cars at the age of 15, Pepper went on to finish 3rd in the VW Polo Cup South Africa. Pepper moved up to the Scirocco R-Cup from 2013, finishing third in his debut season and winning the overall title in 2014.
Pepper stepped up to GT racing in 2015 with Abt Racing, driving the Audi R8 LMS Ultra in the ADAC GT Masters. Two wins and three further podium finishes led to a 12th-place finish in the standings. The South African re-joined the ADAC GT Masters grid for 2016 with Bentley Team ABT, driving the Bentley Continental GT3.
Pepper made his mark on the world stage when, alongside Jules Gounon and Maxime Souler, he won the 2020 Bathurst 12 Hour for Bentley. In 2023, he became a Lamborghini factory driver and went on to win the 2025 24 Hours of Spa as a member of the driver line-up for the #63 GRT – Grasser Racing Team Lamborghini Huracan with Mirko Bortolotti and Luca Engstler.
Head of BMW M Motorsport Andreas Roos is delighted to welcome Jordan Pepper to the BMW motorsport family.
“In the coming season, we will once again undertake a very extensive racing programme with our BMW M4 GT3 EVO,” said Roos. “Our goal is always to compete at the highest level in the best GT racing series in the world and fight for victories and titles. To achieve this, we need a driver line-up that is both large and of the highest quality. Jordan Pepper fits our requirements perfectly. Over the years, he has established himself as one of the top GT3 drivers.
“His performances, especially in the past two seasons, have been impressive. I am very pleased to welcome him to the BMW M Motorsport family and look forward to many shared successes in the future.”
For Jordan Pepper, the opportunity to work with childhood friends Sheldon and Kelvin van der Linde will make the BMW M Motorsport opportunity extra special.
“It’s very exciting to begin a new chapter of my career with BMW M Motorsport,” he said. “I can’t wait to work with all the great drivers at BMW M Motorsport – including, of course, Sheldon and Kelvin van der Linde. We’ve known each other since we were kids and are good friends. We’ve always dreamed of winning races together. Now we’re with the same manufacturer and hopefully we’ll get the chance to make that dream come true someday.”
