When BMW->ke178 decided to retire the Z4 GT3 race car in 2015 after five years spent competing in races all over the world, the German automaker decided to switch things up a bit by replacing it with a GT3-spec version of the 2016 BMW M6. The racer, predictably dubbed the M6 GT3, made its world debut at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show->ke235 ahead of its first season in motor sports.

Now that the 2016 racing calendar is scheduled to begin, the pressure on the M6 GT3 to live up to the success of its predecessor is becoming more and more palpable. That’s even the case in Australia where the car is scheduled to make its racing debut in the opening round of the GT Championship in Adelaide on March 5, 2016.

So as the days draw closer and the pressure mounts even higher, BMW Team SRM drivers Steve Richards and Max Twigg spent some time putting the race car through its paces on behalf of BMW Australia. Considering how much BMW has invested into the M6 GT3,->ke208 anything less than wins and competitive finishes would be deemed a disappointment.

Remember, the Z4 GT3->ke289 scored 32 overall wins and 27 class victories during its time as BMW’s resident GT racer. That’s a really high bar for the M6 GT3 to reach, but if the car is as good as Richards and Twigg both say it is, then we could be looking at the next great GT race car.->ke148

BMW M6 GT3

Read our full review on the BMW M6 GT3 here.