The 2022 BMW M4 GT3 has been revealed to the world in camouflage during the new car’s roll out and shakedown test at Dingolfing in Germany. Factory race driver Augusto Farfus shook the car down on the streets of the town near the plant. The car’s development will continue at Miramas in France where Farfus will lead the testing drivers.
The M4 is the eagerly awaited replacement for the ageing and never particularly rapid BMW M6 GT3 which debuted in the British GT Championship by Century Motorsport.
“It is always an emotional moment when a newly-developed BMW race car takes to the track for the first time,” Jens Marquardt, head of BMW Motorsport said. “This time, however, I am particularly proud. Given the difficult conditions of the past few months, it is quite remarkable that we have managed to implement our development programme as planned, and whilst complying with the BMW Group’s strict safety and hygiene regulations throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, have managed to stick to the date originally envisaged for the rollout of the BMW M4 GT3.
“I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who has shown such commitment and the passion we have become accustomed to in the face of the extraordinary challenges faced in recent months, and who have overcome these challenges imperiously. Thanks to the very close and intensive collaboration with our colleagues at BMW M GmbH, we have been able to use the basis provided by the new BMW M4 production model to develop a race car that has everything it needs to continue the successful history of BMW Motorsport as a new GT icon.”
Augusto Farfus added, “It was fantastic and a great honour for me to be able to drive the first few metres in the new BMW M4 GT3. I have been involved in the development of several BMW race cars and am always particularly pleased to be a part of such an important project. Although our main job during the rollout is to perform functional tests, I had a good feeling in the car from the outset and am already looking forward to the tests scheduled for the coming months.”
The brand will likely develop the car over the remainder of 2020, before selected competitive outings in both the Nurburgring Langstreke Series and GT World Challenge Europe in 2021, the normal pattern for manufacturers developing new top flight customer racing cars. With recent changes to the Balance of Performance regulations, we could see the car in action in customer hands as early as the 2022 Bathurst 12 Hours in January, or just 18 months away.
