100 Years of 24h Spa-Francorchamps: Record winner BMW M Motorsport begins mission to defend title.

Munich. 25 victories in 100 years: BMW M Motorsport has an impressive history of success at the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps (BEL). At the anniversary of the endurance classic, four BMW M4 GT3s are competing in the Pro category to achieve the 26th triumph for the BMW brand. For ROWE Racing, the #98 BMW M4 GT3, and the driver trio of Philipp Eng (AUT), Marco Wittmann (GER), and Nick Yelloly (GBR), the goal is to repeat last year's victory. BMW M Team WRT celebrates its home race in the Ardennes with cars in special designs. As part of the supporting programme, BMW M Motorsport will display winning cars from the past.

In total, the two BMW M Motorsport teams competing in the Pro category have already achieved five Spa victories – ROWE Racing three (2016, 2020, 2023) and BMW M Team WRT two (2011, 2014). While ROWE Racing is focused on defending its title, BMW M Team WRT aims to end a long dry spell at its home race and celebrate the first victory with the BMW M4 GT3 at one of the major endurance classics.

The trio that was victorious in 2023 remains unchanged. The cockpit of the ROWE Racing #98 BMW M4 GT3 will be shared by Eng, Wittmann, and Yelloly. The sister car with the #998, in the design of BMW M Motorsport partner MultiBank Group, will be driven by Augusto Farfus (BRA), Dan Harper (GBR), and Max Hesse (GER). These three won the season opener of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Endurance Cup in Le Castellet (FRA) in April and head to the Ardennes leading the overall standings.

For BMW M Team WRT, as in 2023, Sheldon van der Linde (RSA), Dries Vanthoor, and Charles Weerts (both BEL) will race in the #32 BMW M4 GT3. In the number 46 car, Raffaele Marciello (SUI), Maxime Martin (BEL), and Valentino Rossi (ITA) will take turns. The two cars in the Pro category will feature a special design to commemorate the event's 100th anniversary. The team is fielding a third car in the Bronze category. The #30 BMW M4 GT3 will be driven by BMW M works driver Jens Klingmann (GER), Ahmad Al Harthy (OMA), Sam De Haan (GBR), and Calan Williams (AUS). In the Team Century Motorsport #991 BMW M4 GT3, which is also starting in the Bronze class, BMW M works driver Connor De Phillippi (USA) will race with Pedro Ebrahim (BRA), Darren Leung, and Toby Sowery (both GBR).

The 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps starts on Saturday at 16:30 CEST. Ahead of the race, BMW M Motorsport and BMW Group Classic will present some historic winning cars during the traditional parade into the town of Spa, giving fans a glimpse of a BMW 635 CSi, a BMW 3.0 CSL and a BMW 1800 TI/SA.

Thursday, 14:00-14:30: Meet the ROWE Racing Team, ROWE Hospitality

Friday, 11:30-12:00: Meet the WRT Team, WRT Hospitality

Comments before the 24h Spa-Francorchamps:

Andreas Roos (Head of BMW M Motorsport): “The third 24-hour highlight within five weeks is on the schedule in Spa-Francorchamps. After finishing third and second on the podium with the BMW M4 GT3 at the Nürburgring and in Le Mans, the goal for this race is clear: to repeat last year's victory. With defending champion ROWE Racing and BMW M Team WRT, four BMW M4 GT3s, and 12 BMW M works drivers in the Pro category, we have an extremely strong line-up. All four crews have the potential to win the race – and we at BMW M Motorsport thus have many irons in the fire. We saw how important that is with our victory last year. At that time, we brought one of four cars through, which then luckily was able to cross the finish line first. Also, in the Bronze category, the two BMW M4 GT3s of the WRT and Century Motorsport teams are very strongly positioned and can play a leading role in their class. I congratulate the organisers on the 100th anniversary and look forward to an always spectacular event, which we hopefully will conclude with our 26th overall victory.”

Hans-Peter Naundorf (Team Principal ROWE Racing): “Being able to participate in the 100th anniversary of the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps – and as the defending champions – is a great honour for ROWE Racing. All the more so as we are also celebrating a small anniversary, as this year marks our tenth start at this extraordinary race, to which we have a special connection. In Spa, we won our first 24-hour race in 2016, and in our nine starts so far we have achieved three victories and a total of five podium finishes. That is a very good rate that we want to improve on this year. To finish at the front again would, of course, be a dream, but that is incredibly difficult in this high-calibre field with so many top drivers and teams. It is no coincidence that the last successful title defence was 18 years ago. But with our partner BMW M Motorsport and our six first-class BMW M works drivers, we are happy to take on this challenge.”

Vincent Vosse (Team Principal BMW M Team WRT): “I grew up a few kilometres from the track and used to go to Spa-Francorchamps to watch the races since I was a kid. That’s where and how my passion for motorsport began. The 24 Hours was always a special race, with the largest crowd. So to be able to take part in it was a dream that became a reality in 1995, and to win it in 2002 was the crowning of an ambition. My last run was in 2010 when I stopped racing to focus entirely on the Team WRT project. To win again in 2011 and 2014, as a team, was magic. Since then we have always been fighting at the front. We want to win again.”

Nick Yelloly (#98 BMW M4 GT3, ROWE Racing): “We achieved the victory last year, and I see no reason why we shouldn't be able to do it again. Philipp, Marco, and I get along very well on and off the track, have a similar mindset, and complement each other excellently. We have the same team and the same engineers with ROWE Racing, so we are very experienced and well-coordinated. During the test, we gained some insights for the setup of the BMW M4 GT3 that we didn't have last year. That should definitely help us. Even though the conditions are good, as with any 24-hour race, the main thing will be to make no mistakes and survive the night. If we are still at the front on Sunday morning, we should have a good chance.”

Max Hesse (#998 BMW M4 GT3, ROWE Racing): “Expectations are high. We have a good starting position for the 24h Spa-Francorchamps with last year's victory for ROWE Racing and our opening win this season in Le Castellet. Our goal is to collect as many points as possible in the fight for the Endurance Cup title and hopefully drive onto the podium. I am very much looking forward to my first 24-hour race with Augusto in a long time. We are ready.”

Charles Weerts (#32 BMW M4 GT3, BMW M Team WRT): “With the line-up that BMW M Motorsport and BMW M Team WRT are bringing to the start, the goal can only be victory. I was close to success a few times at my home race, but it was never enough. Last year a BMW M4 GT3 won. We want to repeat that, but, of course, we prefer it to be with our car. The 24h Spa-Francorchamps are at the top of the list of races I want to win. Hopefully, my streak of bad luck with retirements in endurance races is over after the podium at the Nürburgring, and I can fulfil my dream.”

Maxime Martin (#46 BMW M4 GT3, BMW M Team WRT): “The 24h Spa-Francorchamps is a very special race for me. On the one hand, it's my home race, and on the other hand, my family has played an important role in the 100-year history of the event. My father has celebrated four overall victories, my uncle two, and I one. Therefore, it is important for me to be part of this anniversary. With my driving colleagues Raffaele and Valentino, we have a very strong package, and I hope we can have a say in the fight for the podium or even the victory.”

Driver line-ups for the BMW M4 GT3s:

Pro category:

#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:

Raffaele Marciello (SUI)

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:

Augusto Farfus (BRA)

Dan Harper (GBR)

Max Hesse (GER)

Bronze category:

#30 BMW M4 GT3, Team WRT:

Ahmad Al Harthy (OMA)

Sam De Haan (GBR)

Jens Klingmann (GER)

Calan Williams (AUS)

#991 BMW M4 GT3, Century Motorsport:

Connor De Phillippi (USA)

Pedro Ebrahim (BRA)

Darren Leung (GBR)

Toby Sowery (GBR)

All BMW overall winners at Spa-Francorchamps: