24h Nürburgring: ROWE Racing targets overall victory with BMW M4 GT3 EVO and a quartet of works drivers

BMW M Motorsport and ROWE Racing will compete on 21st/22nd June 2025 in the Green Hell to continue their joint success story at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring (GER). After the team secured BMW's 20th and most recent overall victory in the Eifel region in 2020, the 21st triumph is now the major goal. The new BMW M4 GT3 EVO and a strong quartet of BMW M works drivers are taking on this mission.

ROWE Racing has been competing in BMW M Motorsport race cars at the 24h Nürburgring since 2016 and boasts an impressive record. Besides the overall victory in 2020, the team, led by Team Principal Hans-Peter Naundorf, has finished second on the podium three times (2017, 2021, 2023). Last year, the BMW M Team RMG BMW M4 GT3 finished in third place.

This year, ROWE Racing aims for its second victory and BMW's 21st win at the endurance classic. Taking the wheel of the #98 BMW M4 GT3 EVO will be Augusto Farfus (BRA), Jesse Krohn (FIN), Raffaele Marciello (SUI), and Kelvin van der Linde (RSA). Farfus (2010) and van der Linde (2017 and 2022) are already on the winners' list of the 24h Nürburgring, while it would be a first for Krohn and Marciello. To prepare for the highlight, ROWE Racing will compete in the first two season races of the Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS) on 22nd March and 26th April.

The BMW M4 GT4 EVO will also make its debut on the Nordschleife in the hands of BMW M Motorsport customer teams during the 2025 season. The BMW M2 Racing, which BMW M Motorsport will offer as a new entry-level car starting in 2026, will undergo test runs at the Nürburgring, including the 24-hour race. Additionally, many privately entered BMW race cars of various generations will excite the fans.

Statements:

Andreas Roos (Head of BMW M Motorsport): “We are highly motivated to clinch the 21st overall victory for BMW at this year's 24-hour race. Last year, we were very close, and this time we are doing everything we can to stand at the top of the podium for the first time since 2020. With a top team like ROWE Racing and four high-class works drivers, we have created the best possible conditions. The fact that the three most important 24-hour races of the year take place on three consecutive weekends is a massive logistical challenge and anything but ideal. Nevertheless, our goal is to make the most of the situation and provide a great show for our many fans at the Nordschleife. The many private BMW M Motorsport teams and drivers will also contribute to this, giving the event its unique character.”

Björn Lellmann (Head of Customer Racing at BMW M Motorsport): “I am very much looking forward to seeing the EVO versions of our BMW M4 GT3 and BMW M4 GT4 in action for the first time at the world's toughest endurance race. The 24 Hours of Nürburgring is an absolute highlight for customer racing at BMW M Motorsport every year. The 20 overall and countless class victories over the past 55 years speak for themselves: BMW and the Nordschleife are inseparably linked. Seeing our BMW M2 Racing, which is still in development, in race action is another highlight of what will surely be another great weekend.”

Hans-Peter Naundorf (Team Principal ROWE Racing): “Fundamentally, with the BMW M4 GT3 EVO, our experienced team, and our strong driver line-up, we have all the prerequisites to win at the Nürburgring for the first time since 2020. That is our goal. ROWE Racing is competing for the 14th time, and our drivers, including former Nürburgring winners Augusto Farfus and Kelvin van der Linde, as well as Raffaele Marciello and Jesse Krohn, need not shy away from any other crew. At the same time, the race calendar gives us the unique opportunity to stand at the top of the podium at two 24-hour races within seven days. These are the positives, but it must also be said openly that the very unfortunate scheduling of the 24h Nürburgring presents us with unprecedented organisational challenges. It hurts us that we can only present ourselves with one car to the great fans at the Nürburgring, but given the double burden with the 24h Spa-Francorchamps, it was not possible otherwise.”