The M4 GT4 DTM livery contest launched by BMW in early August finally has a winner—and the race car has a savvy new design.
For those that have not yet heard, the competition encouraged BMW enthusiasts far and wide to create their very own livery for the brand’s M4 GT4, which currently races in both virtual and real-life settings on BMW’s sim iRacing platforms and on the DTM circuit. Provided with a template, competitors were challenged to create an original livery design for the race car around the given “The Fusion of Real World and Sim Racing” tagline.
With the exception of a few rules regarding sponsorship placements and color palettes, enthusiasts were encouraged to use their imagination to create a timeless design that would serve to enhance the natural lines and shapes of both the virtual and real-world race cars. The final submissions were then judged collectively by BMW Art Car artist Cao Fei; BMW Motorsport’s head of design, Michael Scully; and BMW works driver Bruno Spengler, in addition to the BMW Motorsport community online.
After nearly a month of reviewing submissions, the jury has finally reached a consensus and the final verdict is in. Just days ago, BMW announced Malaysian graphic designer Chan Wen Bin as the grand-prize winner, a victory which has earned him a $3,000 cash prize along with the priceless experience of seeing his artistic vision immortalized on a 2020 M4 GT4 DTM-spec race car competing at Hockenheim this November, with a digital variant on BMW’s iRacing virtual platform.
Second-place winner Juan Diego Sánchez.
The talented professional artist recalls receiving the news, saying, “I’ve been a fan of BMW since my childhood, and always dreamed of achieving something with BMW one day. This livery contest was a fantastic opportunity for me to show my passion for BMW and have my design used by BMW Motorsport.” And while he’s “over the moon” with the result, it appears that the judges are, too—including BMW Art Car designer and multimedia artist Cao Fei.
Fei expressed her fondness of the winning livery’s color palette, which incorporates a rich black (not unlike some of BMW’s recent racing models) into the design along with the traditional M colors—a stylistic choice similar to the one that Fei herself also made when she designed BMW’s sixteenth Art Car, the M6 GT3.
Geometric lines and abstract shapes throughout the livery create a design that evokes BMW’s current conceptual design language, a visual that successfully unites both virtual and real racing platforms through a common technology theme, a success that BMW and the judges have recognized as a truly timeless design.
Third place winner Monholo Oumar.
The second- and third-place winners, Juan Diego Sánchez and Monholo Oumar, also produced brilliant designs, taking home cash prizes of $2,000 and $1,000 for their winning submissions.
Enthusiasts and artists alike can look forward to the release of Chan Wen Bin’s freshly designed virtual M4 GT4 to iRacing platforms, along with the real car’s debut at this year’s DTM Trophy at Hockenheim season finale in November.—Malia Murphy
[Photos courtesy BMW AG.]