BMW’s new racing car won’t debut until 2016. The M6 GT3 is aiming for a debut at Hankook 24 Hours of Dubai and/or Rolex 24 at Daytona.
Speaking to reporters during last weekend’s Total 24 Hours of Spa, BMW Motorsport director Jens Marquardt admitted Dubai and Daytona are on the radar screen.
“That’s obviously what I think customers would like to run and that’s what we’re clearly aiming at,” Marquardt told SportCar365.
“That’s the focus of our development program is that we hand over a car to the customers that’s already developed, that not necessarily has raced in the hands of a works effort from our side.”
BMW’s Motorsport chief also emphasized that the company’s focus is on customer racing, while rivals like Audi and Mercedes are rolling out new-generation cars with their factory or work-supported teams.
“It’s competition. But as we’ve said before and I would like to stress again, this is really customer racing,” he said.
“Therefore, for us, it’s not an option to enter a prototype on a works level and compete against our customers or potential customers. This is customer racing and nothing but.”
In the development of the M6 GT3, BMW worked with Marc VDS Racing and MTEK.
“Development program wise, we’re definitely on track,” Marquardt said. “We’ve split it in terms of performance-related testing and endurance testing. We’ve done both types quite intensively.
“I’m definitely very much looking forward to the next weeks as we get more and more done.”
While Marquardt wouldn’t confirm new car sales projections, he indicated a strong level of customer interest for 2016.
Both Marc VDS and Turner Motorsport are among the teams likely to campaign the M6 GT3 next year, as well as BMW Team Brasil, which recently put its two Z4 GT3s up for sale.
“I’m really happy with the M6 that we have a successor to the Z4, that is a M car again. That’s also what was important to us, to really showcase M as a brand.
“With the M235 and next year the M6 and some space in-between, I think we’re well set for the future regarding customer racing,” Marquardt concluded.
