Spa-Francorchamps. BMW M Motorsport is set to compete in the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps (BEL) this weekend, with a strong team of drivers and teams aiming for the 25th overall win for the BMW brand in the Ardennes region. With 24 previous wins, BMW holds the record and has a good chance of continuing their success at the largest GT3 race in the world. In the Pro category, BMW M Team WRT and ROWE Racing, with two BMW M4 GT3s each, along with 12 BMW M works drivers, will be competing for the top spot on the podium on Sunday. There will be a total of seven BMW M4 GT3s on the starting grid.
Belgium’s BMW M Team WRT will be making their debut at their home event with the BMW M4 GT3 and will be fielding four cars. Maxime Martin, Dries Vanthoor, and Charles Weerts, along with Valentino Rossi, Sheldon van der Linde, and Augusto Farfus, will be representing Belgium in the two Pro cars. BMW M Team WRT has had a challenging season so far in the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS (GTWC) Endurance Cup races and is hoping to secure their first podium at Spa-Francorchamps. On the other hand, they had a successful Sprint Cup race at Brands Hatch with three podium finishes, including Valentino Rossi’s first in the GTWC. The 24h Spa-Francorchamps is the highlight of both the GTWC Europe and the Intercontinental GT Challenge seasons. In the previous race at Kyalami, BMW M Team WRT achieved a one-two result in the series.
ROWE Racing has a strong track record at Spa-Francorchamps and in the GTWC Europe Endurance season. The team has won at Spa-Francorchamps twice (2016 & 2020) and finished in second place twice as well (2018 & 2019). Philipp Eng, Marco Wittmann, and Nick Yelloly currently lead the driver standings of the Endurance Cup after their victory in Monza and third place in Le Castellet. The members of the BMW Junior Team and BMW M works drivers Dan Harper, Max Hesse, and Neil Verhagen are also contributing to ROWE Racing’s lead in the team standings of the Endurance Cup.
Aside from the Pro category, Team WRT is entering a BMW M4 GT3 in the Gold Cup and one in the Bronze Cup. Walkenhorst Motorsport, the winner of the 2018 Spa race, is also participating in the Bronze Cup with a BMW M4 GT3. The 24h Spa-Francorchamps will start at 16:30 CEST on Saturday, July 1st.
Note to editors:
We are offering two media roundtables in the paddock at Spa-Francorchamps:
Thursday, 15:00: Head of BMW M Motorsport, Andreas Roos, WRT team principal, Vincent Vosse, ROWE team principal, Hans-Peter Naundorf
Saturday, 13:00: Head of BMW M Motorsport, Andreas Roos
Quotes ahead of the race.
Andreas Roos (Head of BMW M Motorsport): “After the Nürburgring and Le Mans, the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps is the third iconic endurance race in the span of a few weeks. Spa is the biggest GT3 race in the world and winning there is highly esteemed. With our top-class teams and 12 BMW M works drivers, the conditions are favorable for us. ROWE Racing and BMW M Team WRT have had many wins and podiums in the GT World Challenge Europe and Intercontinental GT Challenge races so far. The BMW M4 GT3 has proven to be competitive on every track. We want to convert this potential into victory and win the first 24-hour classic with our new GT3 flagship. I’m cheering for our pro teams and the WRT and Walkenhorst Motorsport crews in other classes. It’s a source of pride that there will be seven BMW M4 GT3s on the starting grid, thanks to the hard work of every BMW M Motorsport employee.”
Dries Vanthoor (#32 BMW M4 GT3, BMW M Team WRT): “We are all extremely motivated to have a good weekend at Spa with our strong driver lineup. Our warm-up test went well, and the car feels good on the track. Our first goal is to make it through the night without any incidents. Then we’ll assess our position. It would be a dream come true to win my home event in Belgium. Together with the whole team, we will give our all to try and achieve this.”
Maxime Martin (#46 BMW M4 GT3, BMW M Team WRT): “I’m really looking forward to racing at my home event with BMW M Motorsport once again. I’m curious about the weather, as it can be unpredictable in the Ardennes. With Augusto and Vale, I have two fantastic drivers by my side, and I want to try and win the 24h Spa-Francorchamps with them, just like I did with BMW in 2016.”
Philipp Eng (#98 BMW M4 GT3, ROWE Racing): “It would be amazing to celebrate my third win with BMW and the third ROWE Racing win in Spa. I’m really excited about the event; it’s always a highlight of the season. Our first two races in the GT World Challenge Europe were fantastic, with a first and third place finish. We are heading into the weekend as championship leaders and aim to gather as many points as possible to stay in the running for the overall win at the end of the year.”
Neil Verhagen (#998 BMW M4 GT3, ROWE Racing): “I’m super excited for the 24 Hours of Spa this year. It’s like a comeback, the second time with the BMW M4 GT3. We had a pretty good season last year and aim to build on that success. We’ll approach the race the same way as last year, with a clean race and minimal errors. We know we have the speed; we had it last year. It’s one of my favorite races of the year, and I can’t wait to get back on the track at Spa-Francorchamps.”
Overview of the BMW M4 GT3 driver line-ups:
Pro Cup.
#32 BMW M4 GT3, BMW M Team WRT
Sheldon van der Linde (RSA)
Dries Vanthoor (BEL)
Charles Weerts (BEL)
#46 BMW M4 GT3, BMW M Team WRT
Augusto Farfus (BRA)
Maxime Martin (BEL)
Valentino Rossi (ITA)
#98 BMW M4 GT3, ROWE Racing
Philipp Eng (AUT)
Marco Wittmann (GER)
Nick Yelloly (GBR)
#998 BMW M4 GT3, ROWE Racing
Dan Harper (GBR)
Max Hesse (GER)
Neil Verhagen (USA)
Gold Cup.
#30 BMW M4 GT3, Team WRT
Niklas Krütten (GER)
Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer (FRA)
Calan Williams (AUS)
Bronze Cup.
#31 BMW M4 GT3, Team WRT
Adam Carroll (GBR)
Lewis Proctor (GBR)
Tim Whale (GBR)
#35 BMW M4 GT3, Walkenhorst Motorsport
Anders Buchardt (NOR)
James Kell (GBR)
Thomas Neubauer (FRA)
Bailey Voisin (GBR)