BMW Could Return Supercars To Three Manufacturer Race

Walkinshaw Andretti United (WAU) have been in talks with German manufacturer BMW, in an effort to make Supercars a three-manufacturer competition again after Kelly Racing swapped the Nissan Altima for a Ford Mustang.

BMW could begin taking on Holden and Ford in 2021 in a fully factory-backed M4 as WAU have made it clear they are determined to return the sport to a three-make category after being in talks with three separate car manufacturers since their talks fell through with Chevrolet because of a platform size issue.

WAU co-owner Michael Andretti, son of America’s most successful Formula One driver, Mario Andretti, already has a BMW deal in the FIA Formula E with his team, Andretti Motorsport, which is fully funded by the German manufacturer.

WAU’s BMW bid received another boost last week after signing part-time BMW driver Chaz Mostert to a multi-year deal starting in 2020, who races as an international BMW GT driver between Supercars events.

A WAU insider told The Sunday Telegraph it is still unclear whether BMW would use a V6 engine or a purpose-built V8 engine especially for the Australian Supercars.

“That is something that is being talked about right now,” the insider said.

“As is the model that would be used.

“It could be either an M3 or an M4.

“Both of those models would fit on the current generation Supercars chassis,” they said.

Supercars CEO, Sean Seamer, said he is happy to encourage companies like BMW to join the Supercars roster.

“We are actively working with manufacturers on the day to day operations of Supercars via the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) Council,” Seamer said.

“We are also in active discussions with other manufacturers about what they would like to see from our next generation (gen 3) car.

“As part of the Gen 3 planning work we are doing, we are looking to maximise manufacturer suitability to increase manufacturer participation and market relevance in the medium to long term,” he said.

WAU are reportedly currently discussing engine and model options with BMW, with the two-door BMW M4 and the four-door BMW M3 being brought up as potential rivals for the Commodore and the Mustang in future Supercars seasons.