BMW lands factory GT4

BMW continues to expand its racing effort Down Under with the arrival of its first GT4 contender, the M4 GT4.

The new racer will be added to Steve Richards’ BMW Team SRM squad’s fleet for 2018 and will be raced in February’s Liquid Moly Bathurst 12 Hour and the 2018 Australian GT Championship.

The new racer is one of a number of GT4 entries expected in local completion in 2018. Both McLaren and Aston Martin GT4 racers are known to be coming Down Under, as is at least one other M4 GT4 (see below).

According to Richards, Team SRM has been working on securing one of the brand new GT4-spec M4s since BMW first revealed the car early in 2017.

“The experience gained with the BMW Team SRM GT3 programme has encouraged us [BMW] to further the relationship,” said BMW Group Australia CEO, Marc Werner.

“The M4 GT4 enables us to take it to the next level. As well as competing alongside the M6 GT3 in the 2018 Australian GT Championship, the M4 GT4’s ability to participate in the GT Trophy Series further expands the motorsport possibilities for our passionate BMW M customer base,” Werner commented.

“Being so closely related to the M4 road car, the BMW M4 GT4 is an ideal step for those wanting to progress from track days to racing,” he said.

The M4 GT4 uses the same engine and DCT gearbox as its road car counterpart but features a swag body, aero, chassis and other changes to prepare it for the rigours of racing.

While the cheapest M4 roadcar variant is priced from around $140,000, the racer is priced at $294,000 ex-factory (170,000 auro).

BMW Motorsport built 80 M4 GT4s in its first tranche for worldwide consumption. All are left-hand drive.

Richards’ first drive of the car was at its Winton (Vic) shakedown.

"It's been a 12-month build-up since BMW first had the prototype running, and it's everything they said it would be," said the multi-times Bathurst winner.

"It's so easy to run. When we picked it up from the airport, I drove it onto the trailer. Everything about it is simple; it's perfect for an amateur racer to put on the trailer, head to the track, have a drive, and then put it back in the shed. It's a very user-friendly, low-overhead car.”

"It's a proper racecar, too. Its corner speed is fantastic. There were some Supercars and some Carrera Cup cars running during the [Winton] test, and through the corners the M4 GT4 was as fast, if not faster, than anything else,” he enthused.

A second M4 GT4 has also recently arrived in the country and is now in the possession of new owner, and former BMW Motorsport factory driver, Tony Longhurst.

Xavier West and Dean Grant have been pencilled in for the Bathurst 12 Hour drive. A young ‘gun’ will also be announced soon.

BMW Motorsport M4 GT4 specifications:
Engine: Inline 3.0-litre six-cylinder M TwinPower
Output: More than 317kW (depending on Balance of Performance)
Engine management: Standard OEM engine electronics – output via power stick per BoP
Exhaust system: Motorsport-specific lightweight exhaust system
Transmission: Seven-speed dual clutch transmission with motorsport software; mechanical differential lock with separate cooling
Fuel tank: FT3 safety tank
Capacity: 125 litres (depending on regulations)
Chassis: FIA-certified welded safety roll cage; roof, doors and bonnet made from CFRP; Makrolon discs; aero from CFRP
Suspension: Fully-adjustable Öhlins front and rear
Wheels/tyres: 11 x 18-inch alloy wheels; 300/660 R18 racing slicks
Front brakes: Six-piston, fixed calliper front, 390mm rotors by AP Racing
Rear brakes: Four-piston, fixed calliper rear, 355mm rotors by AP Racing