BMW M4 GT4 Hits The Track For Testing Before 2023 Competition Debut

The latest iteration of the BMW M4 GT4 race car is now in development on the track ahead of starting competition in 2023. A new batch of official photos shows off the racer's testing on a circuit in Spain.

GT4 class cars are largely similar to their production counterparts. For example, the engine, transmission, and electronics come from the road-going M4. This model gains multi-mode traction control with optimization for use on the track. The carbon-fiber roof and rear wing design come from the M4 GT3 race car.

The engineers are working on ease of maintenance and controlling operational costs for race teams. There's also an emphasis on cooling because these machines are pushing harder than something you'd see cruising down the highway.

BMW is developing some of the components for the M4 GT4 out of sustainable materials like natural fibers to replace the usual carbon and plastic components.

“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. This applies in particular to the seat ergonomics, ease of operation, and many additional functions that the predecessor did not have," test driver Jens Klingmann said.

The previous version of the M4 GT4 debuted in 2017 and went racing for the 2018 season. Like the road car, it used a turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six and a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. Depending on the series where a team was racing, customers could choose from various power outputs. Prices started at €169,000.

The M4 GT4 will have lots of competition on the track. For example, Porsche just debuted the 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport that races in the same class. Teams in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, SRO GT4 America, GT America series plan to start competing with it in 2022.