At the end of last year we had the opportunity to attend the internal presentation of the products and events that BMW was planning to launch for this new season. Among them was a surprising development, the BMW M4 GT3 that mixed in a way never seen before real and virtual motoring. It was first released in iRacing before making its track debut and would feature a Fanatec-developed steering wheel that could be placed directly on the Podium bases without modification. Being a carbon ring, with double magnetic cams and licensed for competition was clear that it would not be cheap, as we were clarified from the BMW itself. Now we know what they mean.
In the BMW blog have appeared some statements from Rudolf Dittrich, head of BMW Motorsport SIM Racing, and Fanatec CEO Thomas Jackermeier that among other things leave some clue about the euros it will cost.
According to both, the steering wheel has an expected price of less than 5000 euros and a weight of 1400 grams, and will be available in the second quarter of 2021. Knowing this, we can be looking at an optimistic 3999.95 euros or about 4999.95 euros in the worst case. Anyway so far the only similar thing (the attempt to use a real steering wheel) in the market were the steering wheels used in Formula Renault that were around 2000 euros.
About the future of simRacing, both think that we are still in the early stages and that the growth of the medium is clear. This allows both companies to face many challenges on different fronts. From the commitment of hybrid drivers to the implementation of more projects that make simRacing as real as possible.
See you on the track!
