Former DTM champion Martin Tomczyk and 2016 Spa 24 Hours winner Alexander Sims have joined BMW's factory assault on the IMSA SportsCar Championship for next season.

Tomczyk and Sims will contest the full IMSA season in the Rahal team's pair of BMW M6 GTLMs, starting at the Daytona 24 Hours on January 28-29.

Tomczyk, who retired from the DTM at the end of the 2016 season, will be teamed with John Edwards in BMW's GT Le Mans class assault.

Sims, whose primary programme last year was in the Blancpain GT Series with the Rowe Racing squad, will share with marque stalwart Bill Auberlen.

Tomczyk and Sims respectively replace Lucas Luhr and new Porsche signing Dirk Werner in the Rahal line-up.

BMW Motorsport boss Jens Marquardt said: "I'd like to thank Dirk Werner and Lucas Luhr for their hard work last season - and now it's time to welcome Alexander Sims and Martin Tomczyk.

"I am convinced that they will both settle in very quickly at BMW Team RLL [Rahal] and will soon be successful."

Kuno Wittmer stays on board at Rahal as part of the line-up for the IMSA enduros and will be joined by Nicky Catsburg in a similar role.

DTM drivers Bruno Spengler and Augusto Farfus Jr will bolster Rahal's driving strength at Daytona next month.

The Le Mans 24 Hours-winning Schnitzer squad, which is leaving BMW's roster of DTM teams to return to sportscars, will compete at the Nurburgring 24 Hours in May, as well as contesting the ADAC GT Masters series in Germany with the M6 GT3.

Rowe and Schubert Motorsport will retain factory support for their GT3 campaigns that will cover the BGTS, the VLN long-distance championship on the Nurburgring-Nordschleife and the 24 Hours at the 'Ring.

Tomczyk, Sims and Formula E driver Antonio Felix da Costa will be part of departing BMW DTM team MTEK's preparations for the marque's entry into the GTE Pro class of the World Endurance Championship in 2018.