Manager, Andreas Roos, revealed the choice to fit BBSs instead of Rimstocks came because the latter declared bankruptcy last year, which played a role in the decision to change the supplier.
“This factor played a role and the technical glitches and issues we had in early 2023 pushed us to move to BBS,” explains Roos.
Initially, BMW believed that the problems encountered with the rims had to do with the hardness of a track like the Nurburgring Nordschleife, but the failure occurred at Oschersleben, which forced factory driver René Rast to retire, saying goodbye to his DTM title hopes , forced her to reconsider.
Since then, the Bavarian brand has been working on a solution behind the scenes, with the new BBS product now ready for use. The original idea was to introduce the wheels in 2025, to coincide with the update of the BMW M4 GT3 Evo, but the plan was brought forward by a year in response to the problems.
BBS wheels were already used on the M4 GT3 racing in the Japanese Super GT since the car's debut in 2022, but the Bavarian company has further refined the components by making them available across the entire range this year.
“The current rim that we are mounting everywhere this year is based on it. It has been further developed in order to be able to bring a great product to the market with BBS.”
Roos is convinced that potential wheel cracks, which first appeared on the M4 GT3 during the testing phase in 2021 but then appeared to be brought under control, are now a thing of the past.
“Otherwise we wouldn't be bringing a new rim to the field. The results obtained with the Rimstock and the experiences gained in Japan have been acquired, so we are very confident that we can now do well with this model.”
To bring the new BBS wheel to the M4 GT3, BMW had to complete a post-homologation modification with the FIA, a now common practice in GT3 racing. The wheel carriers also had to be adapted to the new rims.
The change comes as a relief to BMW's customer teams, who had been forced to undergo a rigorous testing process during race weekends to eliminate defective rims.
Everyone praised BMW for reacting quickly to the problem and finding a solution in a short space of time, especially with 40 M4 GT3s sold worldwide since the presentation three years ago.
“Hats off, because six months is not a long time when you're talking about supply chains,” said one team member. “Also, the rims have to be available to everyone by then.”
#BMW #wheels #GT3 #failures #accidents
