Factory two-car BMW team confirmed for LIQUI MOLY Bathurst 12 hour

To be run by BMW M Team WRT in their first year as a BMW squad, the iconic brand will field a pair of BMW M4 GT3 entries in the February 3-5 event next year.

The race will represent the southern hemisphere debut of the brand-new BMW M4 GT3, a two-door coupe with striking looks and a powerful twin turbo six-cylinder engine.

The news comes as BMW announce their full 2023 racing program, which includes a commitment to the full Intercontinental GT Challenge powered by Pirelli, the global GT3 series which commences at Mount Panorama next February.

BMW will confirm drivers for their Bathurst campaign in due course, however has locked in a 20-strong squad of factory drivers for the 2023 season.

That roster includes former Bathurst 12 Hour winner, Dries Vanthoor, DTM Champion Sheldon van der Linde plus experienced 12-Hour internationals Marco Wittmann, Augusto Farfus, Jake Dennis and Rene' Rast, giving the brand a wide array of experienced Bathurst talent on which to draw.

Team WRT are no strangers to Bathurst either; the team claimed victory in the dramatic 2018 event for Audi.

BMW has a long history in Australia's International Enduro, including claiming two victories in the Production Car era, in 2007 and 2010.

The brand returned to the Mountain with the BMW M6 GT3 in 2017, Chaz Mostert scoring pole position a year later aboard a privately entered car run by MARC Cars Australia.

The best finish in the GT3 era came in 2019, when Mostert, Augusto Farfus and Martin Tomczyk finished fifth outright aboard a BMW Team Schnitzer M6 GT3.

"It's incredibly exciting to have a brand like BMW commit to the LIQUI MOLY Bathurst 12 Hour," Event Director Shane Rudzis said.

"As the world returns to Mount Panorama in 2023, a two-car, factory BMW team is an awesome addition to what is shaping as a world-class field.

"BMWs driver roster is remarkably strong and they have something special planned for their 12-Hour squad.

"The BMW M4 GT3 making its Australian racing debut at Mount Panorama will draw a lot of attention and knowing BMW, we know they will give it everything to try and win."

Andreas Roos, Head of BMW M Motorsport, said the brand was building towards a significant 2023 racing program.

“After a successful 2022, including the title win in the DTM, we are shifting up another gear next year," he said.

"We have improved what was already a very strong squad of works drivers with René Rast, Maxime Martin, Dries Vanthoor and Charles Weerts.

"We also welcome BMW M Team WRT as a new BMW M Motorsport team. We are facing some exciting sporting challenges in 2023 and the years to come, for which we need the best teams and drivers. After all, the goal is to add to the success story of the BMW brand in motor racing.”