The upcoming BMW M4 GT3 will join another racing venue in 2022. Century Motorsport will run the new GT3 in the Intelligent Money British GT Championship next season. Team principal, Nathan Freke, says one car will be delivered in early 2022 with a second one potentially following at a later date. The privateer has been an official BMW partner since 2018 when it won the GT4 title with an M4. A year later, they started racing the BMW M6 GT3.
Due to their long-standing relationship with BMW Motorsport, Century Motorsport was able to secure one of the first M4 GT3s. According to BritishGT.com, Century is the only British team to get the M4 GT3 next year. Turner Motorsport is also one of the first racing teams to compete aboard the M4 GT3. The maiden race is scheduled for January 2022 at the Rolex 24 at Daytona.
“We’ve enjoyed an incredible season in GT4, which has helped us secure the new M4 and BMW’s backing for next year,” he said. “We’re already talking to a few drivers about the first car, which we’ll get our hands on in the New Year, but are keen to hear from anyone interested in joining a programme. “Securing an M4 GT3 for next season is very difficult even with official ties, as we have, and impossible without them given the global demand. So this represents the only realistic opportunity for someone to race the car in Britain next year.”
The new racing car will replace the current M8 GTE and M6 GT3 across various racing championships around the world. The new racing car is built on the backbones of the BMW M4 Competition. Testing began last year and it already has over 14,000 test kilometers under its belt. The goal with the M4 GT3 was to significantly reduce life cycle costs and maintenance expenditure compared to its predecessor. There are also some noticeable differences compared to its predecessor, the BMW M6 GT3. The new M4 GT3 is 45 millimeters longer, 6 millimeters narrower and has a longer wheelbase by 16 millimeters.
The biggest change comes under the hood though. Whereas the old M6 GT3 used a 4.4-liter P63 V8 with up to 580 HP, the new M4 GT3 uses a 3-liter P58 straight six turbocharged engine good for up to 590 HP. The new engine therefore saves about 40 kilograms of weight compared to its predecessor and has extensive changes compared to the S58 engine it is based on.
The purchase price of the BMW M4 GT3 begins at € 415,000 net – that is € 4,000 less than the price of its predecessor, the BMW M6 GT3, and similar to that of its competition. The “Competition Package” is available as an option for an additional charge.
