BMW has confirmed what many have suspected: the Z4 will replace the M3 in American Le Mans Series competition in 2013. The announcement was made on December 1 at BMW’s annual Motorsport party in Germany.
In an official release on its 2013 plans, BMW acknowledges past successes in ALMS, and says, “BMW will again compete in this series next year. However, they will no longer be using the BMW M3 GT. Instead, BMW Motorsport and BMW of North America will turn to the new GTE version of the BMW Z4 GT3.”
No specific information is provided in the release on the 2013 team, the driver lineup, or the GTE version of the car.
BMW motorsport director Jens Marquardt says “This change in model shows that we are focusing fully on the BMW Z4 as an all-encompassing GT car. The BMW Z4 GT3 has been very successful on the GT3 scene in recent years, and has proven its ability to win races.
BMW had previously announced that the Z4 GT3 would be at the forefront of BMW’s worldwide GT efforts for customer teams in the near-term. In a release on the success of the 4.4-liter V8 powered car in 2012, Marquardt said, “We are fully committed to this car and have numerous optimizations lined up which will make the BMW Z4 GT3 even stronger in 2013. Until the end of 2015 at least, this model will spearhead our range of cars for privateer teams and drivers looking to achieve success in GT racing.”
We will provide more details on the ALMS effort as soon as they become available.—Brian S. Morgan
