BMW Open to Pre-Homologation Race Outing for GT3 EVO

BMW is evaluating the possibility of giving the M4 GT3 EVO a pre-homologation race outing later this year, with an SP-X entry in the NLS cited by motorsport boss Andreas Roos as a key option.

The Munich marque unveiled its updated GT3 challenger, which is set to make its customer racing debut in 2025, ahead of last weekend’s Nürburgring 24.

Visual tweaks to the new car include new headlights and taillights, while under the skin the car has received new anti-roll bars on both the front and rear axles,  larger rear brake discs and a new, easier to adjust differential.

BMW M Motorsport director Andreas Roos indicated to Sportscar365 that the EVO-spec GT3 could see race action before 2025, with the option of racing in the SP-X class in the NLS under consideration.

“We are working on this, especially if we maybe see the Evo car this year on the Nordschleife,” Roos said.

“Or something like this because it’s also special for the Nordschleife and here for example it would be the possibility to run the car also in the SP-X class which is quite easy then because you don’t need a homologation for that.

“Everywhere else you need a car which is homologated and so we will see what is possible.”

BMW has gone through the process of racing its unhomologated cars at the Nordschleife before, doing so with the original M4 GT3 in September 2021 when Augusto Farfus and Philipp Eng drove the car at the ADAC Ruhr Cup six-hour race.

Porsche did something similar in the development of its Type-992 911 GT3 R with Manthey Racing giving the car its competition debut at the Nordschleife in October 2022.

“It’s more about than running the car, just to run it on the race conditions to get some experience and knowledge because you can do a lot of testing but it’s always on the race conditions sometimes you learn different things,” said Roos.

“This is why we would like to do just some more testing and get some more experience that when we deliver the car, when the car is running with the team from 2025 on, that they have a car which is fully sorted.”

Roos said that the decision to race would be determined by multiple factors including driver availability and that further evaluation would take place after the N24.

Currently, four rounds remain on the NLS schedule, with the upcoming ADAC Westfalenfahrt falling on the same weekend as the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen.

The six-hour ADAC Ruhr Cup, where the original M4 GT3 debuted, is scheduled for August 3, with two further rounds on Oct. 19 and Nov. 16.

Should BMW make the decision to have the M4 GT3 EVO compete in NLS before the end of the year, then “it for sure can be an option” to have BMW M Team RMG operate the car, according to Roos.

The team, which finished third overall in last weekend’s shortest-ever N24, has played a key role in the development of the car along with factory drivers Augusto Farfus, Jens Klingmann and Bruno Spengler.

“It’s not the only option, but for sure it can be an option,” said Roos said.

“Because they have done all the development, they have a lot of knowledge about the car yet. So it’s for them then easy to run the car.”

Roos further added that BMW is proceeding “according to plan” with the homologation process, with the current indication that the process is likely due to start in September.

A key fixture to consider is IMSA’s traditional sanctioned Daytona test, which has been scheduled for Nov. 15-17 this year.

“It’s still in the discussion to find the right date with FIA,” he said.

“Also we have to do the SRO BOP test, which is normally in March. Also IMSA, because we run the car in IMSA. So it’s a quite big process, but the guys are now working on this to really make the timeline and the schedule.

“But I have to say, everything is according to plan, but it’s still not done because the car is coming next year and we work this out at the moment with the governing bodies.”