BMW M4 DTM to be close to the current M3 challenger

BMW motorsport director Jens Marquardt has confirmed that the team’s 2014 challenger, the BMW M4 DTM, will be largely a carry-over from the outgoing M3 due to the series’ technical freeze in October 2012.

Over the Nürburgring race weekend, BMW announced it would be replacing the M3, which won all three titles in its 2012 comeback year, with the M4 for the 2014 DTM season in order to fit in with BMW’s decision to replace its M3 road-car with the new M4 in 2014.

“Well, it’s a different body, but it won’t be a completely new car underneath,” Marquardt told TouringCarTimes. “There are a lot of carry-over parts and evolutionary developments, but for sure, the upper body work above the 270-free aero line will be transferred from the production car, as the regulations define.

“It will definitely look better than the M3, too.”

Marquardt also said BMW is not yet thinking about driver line-ups for 2014, and is just focussed on scoring maximum points from the final three races of the 2013 DTM season, as Bruno Spengler tries to defend his title from Mike Rockenfeller, despite now being some 39 points behind the Audi driver after the Nürburgring.

“Honestly, at the moment we’re concentrating on the last three races as there is a lot at stake still; some 300 points.

“I think over all, we need to be in first position and this is what we’re focussing on this year.

“After the last race, then we’ll start thinking about next year.”