ROWE to Make Endurance Cup Return with BMW M4 GT3

Two-time TotalEnergies 24 Hours of Spa winner ROWE Racing will return to the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Endurance Cup this year with a pair of BMW M4 GT3s.

The German squad, which is operated by Motorsport Competence Group, has announced that its 2022 plan will focus on the 24-hour races at Spa and the Nürburgring.

It will not return for a second season in the DTM after fielding two BMW M6 GT3s last year.

ROWE Racing’s Pro-class Endurance Cup program will consist of all five rounds, marking the team’s comeback to the series after one year of absence.

It won the 24 Hours of Spa in 2016 with a BMW M6 GT3 and claimed a second victory in 2020 with a Porsche 911 GT3 R, during its most recent GTWC Europe spell.

The organization will also continue to race at the Nürburgring 24, which it won in 2020 with a BMW M6 GT3 driven by Nicky Catsburg, Alexander Sims and Nick Yelloly.

Its preparations for the 24-hour race at the Nordschleife will include appearances in rounds two and three of the NLS championship in April, followed by the Nürburgring 24 qualifying event in early May.

Team principal Hans-Peter Naundorf confirmed to Sportscar365 that ROWE Racing will run a pair of BMW M4 GT3s in both competitions.

Drivers for the Endurance Cup and Nürburgring programs are yet to be announced.

“We are really looking forward to starting with the new BMW M4 GT3 at the two major European 24‑hour races at the Nürburgring and Spa this year,” Naundorf said.

“The BMW M4 GT3 is a completely new race car with state-of-the-art technology and a far more aggressive look than its predecessor.

“We are all excited about working with this car. We hope to benefit from the improvements made to the chassis, set-up and performance.

“However, we are also aware that not everything immediately runs smoothly with such a new car. Many details only become apparent during a tough race outing.”

ROWE Racing signed up for the DTM’s move to GT3 machinery last year but endured a challenging season as Sheldon van der Linde and Timo Glock finished 11th and 17th in the standings with no podiums between them. 

Explaining the team’s decision to forgo the German series this year, Naundorf said: “For us, the project with the new BMW M4 GT3 is a long-term one, and again in the field of endurance racing.

“We entered the DTM in 2021, because we wanted to be involved in the new GT3 era of the series and see how it suited us. However, we at ROWE Racing have primarily established ourselves as a long‑distance team in the last ten years.

“This is where we can best bring our big strengths – strategy, reliability and error management – to play.

“For this year and the coming years, the opportunity has arisen for us to appear at the 24 Hours of Spa again, alongside our usual Nürburgring program.

“This was behind our decision, taken together with our partners, to race in the Endurance Cup in the GT World Challenge Europe in 2022.”

Walkenhorst Motorsport was BMW’s Pro-class representative in GTWC Europe Endurance Cup last season with a pair of BMW M6 GT3s. Boutsen Ginion also operated an M6 GT3 in the Pro-Am class.