BMW Z4 GTE

BMW Z4 GTE

Category	American Le Mans Series GT (2013) United SportsCar Championship GTLM (2014-2015) European Le Mans Series (2015)
Constructor	BMW
Predecessor	BMW M3 GT2
Successor	BMW M6 GTLM
Technical specifications
Chassis	Unitary construction steel body with welded safety cell made of extremely rigid precision steel tubing; safety fuel tank in CRP sandwich tray; pneumatic four-stamp jack system
Suspension (front)	MacPherson axle with pushrods and wishbone, additionally with adjustable shock absorbers, H&R coil springs
Suspension (rear)	As front
Length	4,395 mm (173 in)
Width	2,010 mm (79 in)
Height	1,205 mm (47 in)
Wheelbase	2,512 mm (99 in)
Engine	BMW P65B44 4.36 L (4,360 cc; 266 cu in) V8 90° cylinder angle, 32-valve, DOHC, four valves per cylinder, naturally aspirated (no turbocharger), front engined, longitudinally mounted
Transmission	Hewland/Xtrac 6-speed semi-automatic, paddle-shift gearbox, mechanical limited slip differential with additional oil/air cooler
Power	480 hp (358 kW) at 7000 rpm (including air restrictor) 500 hp (373 kW) @ 7500 rpm (excluding air restrictor), Over 480 N⋅m (354 ft⋅lbf) at 5500 rpm torque
Weight	1,150 kg (2,535 lb) (excluding driver and fuel) 1,245 kg (2,745 lb) (including driver and fuel)
Fuel	VP Racing Fuels Ethanol E85 + 15% gasoline
Lubricants	Castrol EDGE later Pennzoil
Tyres	Michelin Front: 300/680 - R18 Rear: 310/710 - R18 BBS Kraftfahrzeugtechnik/O.Z. Racing aluminum wheels Front: 12.5 x 18 inches Rear: 13 x 18 inches
Competition history
Notable entrants	/ BMW Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing BMW Sports Trophy Marc VDS
Notable drivers	Bill Auberlen Maxime Martin Jörg Müller Joey Hand Uwe Alzen Dirk Müller John Edwards Andy Priaulx Dirk Werner Graham Rahal Bruno Spengler
Debut	2013 12 Hours of Sebring
First win	2013 American Le Mans Series at Long Beach
Last win	2015 4 Hours of Estoril
Last event	2015 4 Hours of Estoril
Races Wins Poles F/Laps 35 6 4 2
Constructors' Championships	0
Drivers' Championships	0

The BMW Z4 GTE is a racing car which competed in the sports car races such as the American Le Mans Series, Tudor United SportsCar Championship and European Le Mans Series. It competed from 2013 to 2015 and was replaced in 2016 by the M6 GTLM.^[1]

Development

In late 2012, BMW Motorsport set out to replace the successful M3 GT/GT2, a car which brought BMW two team and manufacturers' championships (2010 & 2011), one drivers' championship (2011), back to back Sebring 12 Hour GT class wins in 2011 and 2012 in the American Le Mans Series, as well as numerous victories in the then Intercontinental Le Mans Cup (now the World Endurance Championship) in Europe. BMW turned to the successful Z4 GT3 platform to develop a LM GTE specification race car for the ALMS, and any GTE class series.

Technical

The Z4 GTE uses the Z4 body and the same 4.4-litre V8 engine as the GT3 car. The drivetrain and gearbox are much the same in the two different types of Z4. The engine in the GT3 version produces around 500 horsepower, likewise in the GTE version, but the RPM limits are 9000, and 7500, respectively. Most of the differences between the two automobiles are in aerodynamics. The GT3 car has a much more sophisticated aero, with a set of winglets on the front fenders to provide additional downforce. Both cars share a front splitter, while the GTE has slight modifications on the side edges to condition the airflow around the front wheels. The GT3 version also has a double-deck rear wing, with the GTE car having a single deck wing. The rear diffuser is also less aggressive in the GTE car; it also has much wider bodywork in the rear of the car, with heavily modified aero around the wheel arches, front, and specifically rear, compared to the GT3.

American Le Mans Series

The car was debuted at the 2013 12 Hours of Sebring by BMW Team Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing running competitively despite being a new car. Leading the GTE class at times, both Z4 GTEs encountered suspension problems with three hours to go and went 3–5 laps down from the class leaders. The cars also showed exceptional handling, but a slight lack of straight-line speed as a result. The 2013 Long Beach Grand Prix proved to be the first win for the car, with the #55 Z4 GTE driven by Bill Auberlen and Maxime Martin driving a fine race, bringing home a 1-2 finish for BMW. A second win for the #56 car of John Edwards and Dirk Muller from pole position at Lime Rock Park proved the pace of the car.

Tudor United SportsCar Championship

The Z4 GTE will feature in the GTLM class of the Tudor United SportsCar Championship - a merger of the ALMS and Grand-Am, debuting at the 2014 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona in January.

Turner Motorsport won the inaugural 2014 Tudor United SportsCar GT-Daytona Championship with an altered version of the Z4 GT3. Drivers Dane Cameron and Markus Palttala won four races (Laguna Seca, Watkins Glen 6-Hour, Road America, and Virginia) with Cameron earning the pole position for the 12 Hours of Sebring. To compete in the GTD class, the Turner Z4 lost its GT3-spec aerodynamics, ABS, and traction control systems.

Competition history

Complete American Le Mans Series results

(key) Races in bold indicates pole position. Races in italics indicates fastest lap.

Complete American Le Mans Series results

Year	Entrant	Class	Drivers	No.	Rds.	Rounds										Pts.	Pos.
						1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
2013	BMW Team RLL	GT	Bill Auberlen Maxime Martin Jörg Müller Joey Hand Uwe Alzen	55	1-9 1-7, 9-10 1, 10 8 10	SEB 4	LBH 1	LAG DNF	LRP 4	MOS 5	ELK 7	BAL 4	COA 4	VIR 5	PET 4	2nd	140
			Dirk Müller Joey Hand John Edwards Bill Auberlen	56	All 1-2, 5, 7, 9 1, 3-4, 6, 8, 10 10	SEB 7	LBH 2	LAG 3	LRP 1	MOS 6	ELK 8	BAL 3	COA 3	VIR 4	PET 2
Sources:[2][3]

Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results

(key) Races in bold indicates pole position. Races in italics indicates fastest lap.

Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results

Year	Entrant	Class	Drivers	No.	Rds.	Rounds											Pts.	Pos.
						1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11
2014	BMW Team RLL	GTLM	Bill Auberlen Andy Priaulx Joey Hand Maxime Martin	55	All All 1-2, 11 1	DAY 2	SEB 3	LBH 6	LGA 2	WGL 10	MOS 6	IMS 6	ELK 8	VIR 4	COT 6	PET 10	7th	298
			John Edwards Dirk Müller Dirk Werner Graham Rahal	56	All All 1-2, 11 1	DAY 4	SEB 10	LBH 2	LGA 10	WGL 6	MOS 4	IMS 7	ELK 2	VIR 3	COT 7	PET 7	5th	300
2015	BMW Team RLL	GTLM	John Edwards Lucas Luhr Jens Klingmann Graham Rahal	24	All All 1-2, 10 1	DAY 4	SEB 4	LBGP 5	LGA 1	WGL 8	MOS 2	ELK 6	VIR 4	AUS 7	PET 2		5th	291
			Bill Auberlen Dirk Werner Augusto Farfus Bruno Spengler	25	All All 1-2, 10 1	DAY 2	SEB 8	LBGP 1	LGA 2	WGL 3	MOS 4	ELK 5	VIR 5	AUS 1	PET 4		2nd	305
Sources:[2][4][5]

Complete European Le Mans Series results

(key) Races in bold indicates pole position. Races in italics indicates fastest lap.

Complete European Le Mans Series results

Year	Entrant	Class	Drivers	No.	Rds.	Rounds					Pts.	Pos.
						1	2	3	4	5	79	2nd
2015	BMW Sports Trophy Marc VDS	LMGTE	Henry Hassid Jesse Krohn Andy Priaulx	52	All All All	SIL 4	IMO 4	RBR 4	LEC 2	EST 1
Source:[2][6]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to BMW Z4 GTE.

This page was last edited on 26 March 2024, at 09:51