BMW Motorsport has shared more information and photos related to testing of the new M4 GT4 race car, which is set to be available to teams for the 2023 racing season. The car will have a lot to live up to, as the current F82 M4 GT4 has been very successful around the world, but if the G82 road car is anything to go by, the race car should be cracking good.
Like the M4 GT3, BMW M Motorsport engineers are focusing on ease of maintenance as well as cost efficiency with the new race car. “When developing the new BMW M4 GT4, we wanted to retain the strengths of its predecessor and even improve them in some areas,” said Vice President Sales and Marketing at BMW M GmbH Thomas Felbermair. “We are confident that BMW M Motorsport teams and drivers will have a huge amount of fun with this model.”
Sticking to GT4 specs, the complete drivetrain, including engine, transmission, and electronics, has been adopted from the production M4 model, and the race car will be built alongside the M4 road car at the Dingolfing plant in Germany. It will also share some components from the M4 GT3, such as the CFC roof and rear wing design.
The first tests with the car on track took place at the Almeria circuit in Spain. Works driver Jens Klingmann has been doing much of the development driving of the new M4 GT4 and has been impressed. “Although we are still in a very early phase of testing, there are already areas in which we have achieved progress compared to the current BMW M4 GT4,” he said. “This applies in particular to the seat ergonomics, ease of operation, and many additional functions that the predecessor did not have. As far as driveability, the new BMW M4 GT4 feels very secure from the word go. It has a large top range, in which you can push the car to the limit. We still have a full year to optimize the car to be used by private teams and drivers, but it is already a lot of fun to drive.”
Like the current M4 GT4, the new car will be eligible to compete in GT4-spec championships around the world, including the Michelin Pilot Challenge and the SRO GT4 America series here in the U.S.—David Haueter
[Photos courtesy BMW AG.]