BMW Motorsports management used the occasion of its year-end party on Dec. 1 to announce that it was replacing its M3 sedan with a newly homologated GTE version of its Z4 coupe for the 2013 American Le Mans Series (ALMS).
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, BMW’s de facto factory ALMS team, will be racing the new Z4 GTE after four successful seasons with the M3, in which it earned two team and manufacturer titles and one driver title, never finishing worse than third in team or manufacturer championship points.
“This change in model shows that we are focusing fully on the BMW Z4 as an all-encompassing GT car,” said BMW Motorsport director Jens Marquardt on the BMW-motorsport’s website. “The BMW Z4 GT3 has been very successful on the GT3 scene in recent years, and has proven its ability to win races. I am confident this car will also play a major role as a GTE car in the ALMS.”
