ST Racing has confirmed it will return to the 24H SERIES powered by Hankook in 2022, and will step up the GT3 class with two brand-new BMW M4 GT3s. 

The Canadian team, which made its maiden start in the 24H SERIES at the Circuit of the Americas in 2019, began its first full endurance racing campaign with CREVENTIC this season, and has already taken GT4-class wins in Dubai and the non-championship round at Abu Dhabi with its BMW M4 GT4. Subsequent class podiums at Mugello, Circuit Paul Ricard and Hockenheim mean the Canadian team, which led the Overall GT Teams’ standings after two rounds, now lies just nine points adrift of standings leader DUWO Racing and is currently level-pegging with PROsport Performance in the GT4-class standings.

From the 2022 Hankook 24H DUBAI onwards though, ST Racing is set to transition from GT4 into CREVENTIC’s GT3 top tier for the 2022 season with two brand new BMW M4 GT3s as the Canadian team embarks upon “new challenges.” 

“I think I speak for everyone when I say that we have all worked very hard to get here and are ecstatic to be making the next step up to GT3,” explains team co-owner and driver, Samantha Tan. “We’d like to thank all of our sponsors, BMW Motorsport, and BMW USA for their support in helping us achieve our goals as we continue to push the boundaries of motorsport. I’m extremely proud to work with brands that are willing to celebrate diversity and help empower people from various backgrounds to pursue their dreams unapologetically. We’re all very excited to start testing the new M4 GT3 in the fall and will be making adequate preparations until then. Here’s to more wins and podiums with the all-new Samantha Tan Racing BMW M4 GT3s!”

“I am very excited for our team to be moving up to GT3 in 2022, and would like to thank BMW Motorsports and BMW USA for their continued support of our team and our development,” team principal Kenneth Tan continues. “This has been a dream and a goal for a long time, one that sometimes felt so far away given the much bigger budget and expertise needed to be a proper GT3 contender. Now, I feel we are ready to take this big step after four years racing in GT4 and the extensive time we have experienced in the 24H SERIES. 

“The whole team is ready and very excited for the step up and the new challenges that await us. Our crew and drivers hope to test the new car sometime this fall in Europe in preparation for Dubai. There really isn’t much time between delivery and the race in January. In the meantime, we need to focus on our remaining races for the season. We still have a championship to win!”

Though driver line-ups have yet to be fully confirmed, Samantha Tan is set to compete aboard the team’s ‘Pro-Am’ entry, the team swapping its GT4-assigned ‘438’ for the ‘38’ it traditionally runs in the GT4 America Series. This year, Tan has competed at every championship round with Jon Miller and Chandler Hull (Tan and Miller ran solo in Abu Dhabi), while Nick Wittmer joined the line-up for Dubai and Hockenheim. 

The second BMW M4 GT3 meanwhile – the #28 – will be “dedicated to experienced gentlemen racers” who will also have the opportunity to “learn from the Canadian team’s fast-developing driver coaching program.” No drivers have been announced thus far for the second entry.

In development since 2019, the BMW M4 GT3 replaces the M6 GT3 as the Bavarian team’s flagship racing model and features a 3-litre M TwinPower Turbo straight-six, a new cockpit design and a larger platform than even the M6. Unveiled in full BMW M colours ahead of this year’s Nürburgring 24 Hours, the model’s competitive debut has since been delayed until later in the year. 

ST Racing’s announcement means BMW is set to be represented in the top class of the Hankook 24H DUBAI for the first time since 2015, at which Britain’s Triple Eight finished 7th in A6-Am and 19th overall with a Z4 GT3. BMW is a three-time outright winner in Dubai, Need for Speed by Schubert Motorsport having taken the brand’s last win in 2011 with a Z4 GT3. Austria’s Duller Motorsport took back-to-back wins at the first two Hankook 24H DUBAIs with an M3 CSL (2006) and a Z4 Coupe (2007).