Rowe Racing takes Nürburgring 24 victory

Nürburgring. Victory for BMW M Motorsport and ROWE Racing at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring (GER)! In front of a record crowd in the "Green Hell", Kelvin van der Linde (RSA), Augusto Farfus (BRA), Jesse Krohn (FIN), and Raffaele Marciello (SUI) crowned an outstanding comeback with BMW's 21st overall victory at the endurance classic on the Nordschleife. Additionally, the new BMW M2 Racing impressed as in its final endurance test, the new entry-level race car – fielded by Team FK Performance Motorsport – celebrated a class victory.

ROWE Racing had a challenging start to the weekend in the Eifel region. After the #98 BMW M4 GT3 EVO missed out on the top qualifying session, the BMW M works driver quartet started the race from 17th position. However, under perfect weather conditions, Farfus made a dream start, moving into the top ten within the first lap. After an hour and a half, a power outage in the paddock caused a red flag. Following a 2-hour and 15-minute interruption, van der Linde stormed through the field during the restart, advancing the #98 BMW M4 GT3 EVO from ninth to third in just two laps.

Subsequently, Marciello and Krohn solidified their positions in the podium ranks, with ROWE Racing navigating the night flawlessly and steadily in second place, building a comfortable gap to the cars behind. As the sun rose over the Nordschleife, the #98 BMW M4 GT3 EVO closed a gap of over two minutes to the leader. By the morning, the race turned into a true thriller in the "Green Hell". Three and a half hours before the finish, Farfus claimed the lead for ROWE Racing for the first time.

After a penalty was issued to the competing #911 Porsche, the #98 BMW M4 GT3 EVO was firmly on course for victory, which van der Linde secured after 24 hours. Although he crossed the finish line behind the Porsche, the Manthey EMA team's appeal against the penalty was dismissed, ensuring ROWE Racing's victory. For van der Linde, this marked his third triumph at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring after wins in 2017 and 2022 – his first with BMW M Motorsport. Alongside Farfus and his brother Sheldon van der Linde (RSA), the 29-year-old had also won the season opener of the Intercontinental GT Challenge at Bathurst, Australia. That series includes the 24h Nürburgring as well as the upcoming 24h Spa-Francorchamps (BEL) next weekend.

For Farfus, it was his second victory on the Nordschleife after a 15-year wait, while Marciello celebrated his first 24h-race win for BMW M Motorsport in front of a record crowd of 280,000 spectators. For Krohn, it was also his first victory at the 24h Nürburgring. BMW, the record champions at the Nürburgring, last triumphed five years ago. In 2020, the BMW M6 GT3, also fielded by ROWE Racing, claimed victory.

Impressive class victory for the BMW M2 Racing.

The new BMW M2 Racing also delivered an outstanding performance. BMW M works drivers Jens Klingmann (GER), Charles Weerts, and Ugo de Wilde (BEL), along with motorsport journalist Michael Bräutigam (GER), were unbeatable in the SP 3T class with the #310 car. It marked a perfect final endurance test before the sales phase begins for the new BMW M Motorsport entry-level race car.

In total, BMW M Motorsport customer teams achieved seven class victories at the 24h Nürburgring. The #67 BMW M4 GT4 EVO from AV Racing by Black Falcon triumphed in the SP10 class. Additional successes included the #650 BMW M240i Racing from Adrenalin Motorsport Team Mainhattan Wheels in the BMW M240i class, the #500 BMW 330i from the same team in the VT2 rear-wheel-drive class, the #700 BMW 325i from rent2Drive-racing in its respective class, and the #277 BMW 318ti from RAVENOL Motorsport by MDM Racing in the SP3 class.