Newly-crowned 24H SERIES Overall GT Teams’ champion ST Racing and former Hankook 24H DUBAI winner Schubert Motorsport were among the first BMW customer racing outfits to take delivery of their brand-new M4 GT3s this week.

ST Racing which secured Overall GT honours in the Teams’ and Drivers’ standings this season, will transition from the GT4 category to the 24H SERIES’ GT3 top tier for 2022, this time with a two-car effort. 

“It was an absolutely surreal experience getting to unveil the first two BMW M4 GT3 customer cars at the BMW Welt in Munich,” explained team co-owner and namesake Samantha Tan. “I’d like to thank BMW Motorsport and BMW M for helping us bring our vision to life, and I can’t wait to compete with them in the upcoming season! I'd also like to thank Bas Koeten Racing for staying late to ensure that the cars made it to the Dubai shipping transport on time.

Both ST Racing GT3s will run an evolution of the ‘starry night’ design – penned by Toronto artist George Bucur in-homage to Vincent Van Gogh’s celebrated painting – worn by the team’s M4 GT4 since 2020. Subtly reworked by designer and photographer theghostofmozart to incorporate a flash of purple on the #1 car, the livery pays tribute to a quote from Van Gogh himself – “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together” – and is said to pay tribute to each member of the ST Racing team.

Both BMWs are now with 24H SERIES stalwart Bas Koeten Racing, ST Racing’s European partner, ahead of their Dubai debut.

Schubert Motorsport, winner of the 2011 Hankook 24H DUBAI and set to make its event return in January, was also on-hand to collect its own BMW M4 GT3, with which it will compete for its second outright event win with drivers Nick Yelloly, Jordan Witt, Marcel Lenerz and Jens Liebhauser. The sister BMW M2 CS Racing meanwhile will race for TCX-class honours, and is set to be driven by Stefan and Michael von Zabiensky, Christopher Dreyspring, and team boss Torsten Schubert. So keen was the German team to receive its new contender, Schubert himself personally drove the M4 GT3 out of the factory! 

“I was just rolling, but it was a lot of fun” he explained.“We will now completely check the vehicle and adapt it to our needs. Since we are competing in the [Hankook] 24H DUBAI in January, we are also installing all the accessories that are required for the mission. Then the vehicle gets its wrapping before it goes to the racetrack for the first roll-out. This will take place in December.

“Due to the logistical effort, we won't have the vehicle in our workshop again until the end of January 2022. Then the intensive test work and preparation will begin."

As previously reported by Sportscar365, and ahead of the M4 GT3’ maiden customer racing campaign, BMW Motorsport’s prioritized deliveries according to each team’s race debuts. Schubert Motorsport and ST Racing will both race at the Hankook 24H DUBAI on 13-14-15 January, while fellow BMW customer Turner Motorsport, set to context the Daytona 24 Hours on 30-31 January, is expected to be among the next wave of deliveries ahead.

The new flagship of BMW M Motorsport, the M4 GT3 made its competitive debut at last month’s Hankook 24H SEBRING, and, according to project manager Achim Klein, suffered no mechanical issues en-route to 16th overall.