
FASCINATION 24H NÜRBURGRING.
Welcome to hell.
FASCINATION 24H NÜRBURGRING.
Welcome to hell.
In 2018, the legendary Nürburgring-Nordschleife hosted the 24-hour race for the 46th time. To date, BMW has claimed more victories in the “Green Hell” than any other manufacturer. The brand currently has 19 overall triumphs to its name – of which eight were one-two finishes. The Nordschleife is the toughest circuit in the world – and that is why BMW puts every new production car to the ultimate endurance test there. The over 20 kilometre long circuit demands skill, courage and a cool head at all times.
NÜRBURGRING 24-HOUR RACE: 2018 REVIEW.
“That was not the 24-hour race we had hoped for.”
Freak weather conditions, incidents and plenty of bad luck: the BMW representatives in the SP9 class endured a disappointing time at the 46th edition of the Nürburgring 24-hour race. In the end, it was Augusto Farfus, Markus Palttala, Christian Krognes and Fabian Schiller who crossed the line in 13th place to make the #102 Shell Helix BMW M6 GT3 the best-placed BMW car. They achieved this despite suffering the major setback of a collision during the opening phase of the race. The #33 BMW M6 GT3 from Falken Motorsports also lost the chance of securing a top finish during the first third of the race and finished in 15th position. The ROWE Racing team enjoyed even less luck during the race in the Green Hell: after claiming a great second place in 2017, the two BMW M6 GT3s (#98 and #99) both had to retire early. “Unfortunately, that was not the 24-hour race we had hoped for,” said BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt. “Our pace was up there with the leading group and there were phases when we had the fastest car in the field. That makes it even more disappointing that some incidents and technical difficulties prevented us from getting involved in the battle for the top positions in the overall standings.” Even if BMW had no say in the fight for overall victory, the brand did record three class wins at the classic endurance race. In the BMW M235i Racing Cup class, Heiko Eichenberg, Yannick Mettler, Torsten Kratz and Tristan Viidas from the Team Securtal Sorg Rennsport finished ahead of the cars from Hofor Racing powered by Bonk Motorsport and the Pixum Team Adrenalin Motorsport. BMW customer teams also claimed class wins in the V4 and SP4 classes.

THE ROWE RACING TEAM.
Eau Rouge Champions.
In 2016, principal Hans-Peter Naundorf’s team triumphed at the 24 Hours of Spa – in its first year with BMW. The team also impressed at the Nürburgring in the same year: fifth place overall with the number 23 BMW M6 GT3 represented the best result for a BMW-assisted team. In 2017, the team from St. Ingbert, in the Saarland region of Germany, stepped onto the podium.
THE DRIVERS OF ROWE RACING TEAMS.
The lineup for the „Green Hell“.







CONNOR DE PHILLIPPI.
The new face in the BMW Motorsport family: Connor De Phillippi joined BMW Motorsport for the 2018 season. “This is a dream come true for me. I am very proud to be a part of the BMW family. I cannot thank them enough for giving me this opportunity,” said De Phillippi, who has earned a reputation as a genuine GT specialist in recent years. Among his achievements is victory at last year’s Nürburgring 24 Hours.
NICK CATSBURG.
Dutchman Nick Catsburg has increasingly made a name for himself on the GT scene in recent years. He began his career back in 2004, at the age of 16. Since 2011, he has driven BMW race cars in various international series and 24-hour races. Together with Marc VDS Racing, he won the Team title in the 2013 Blancpain Endurance Series with the BMW Z4 GT3. The greatest success of his career so far also came in the same car in 2015, when he took victory at the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps alongside Markus Palttala and Lucas Luhr.
ALEXANDER SIMS.
For the fourth year in a row, Alexander Sims contested the GT season as a BMW works driver, but he was racing for the first time in North America this year. The biggest success of the Brit’s career so far came at Spa-Francorchamps in 2016. Driving alongside Maxime Martin and Philipp Eng, he won the 24 Hours of Spa in a ROWE Racing BMW M6 GT3. He had previously demonstrated his talent in emphatic fashion in the European Le Mans Series, the Blancpain Endurance Series and the British GT Championship. In 2018, Sims shares the #25 BMW M8 GTE with Connor De Phillippi in the IMSA series. He also starts selected races in the WEC.
RICHARD WESTBROOK.
Over the years, Richard Westbrook has made quite a name for himself on the international GT scene. In 2018, he lined up for BMW Motorsport on the Nordschleife again. The Englishman has competed in all the major 24-hour races for various manufacturers, and has enjoyed plenty of success in the process. Westbrook races in Europe and North America. The biggest success of his career so far came in 2009, when he won the GT2 title in the FIA GT Championship. Westrbrook has also contested many races on the Nordschleife, including at the wheel of the BMW Z4 GT3 in 2015. In 2017, he finished runner-up alongside Alexander Sims, Markus Palttala and Nick Catsburg in the BMW M6 GT3.
JOHN EDWARDS.
John Edwards has been collecting records since he was a child. On 17th January 2004, aged just 12, he won a round of the Skip Barber Series in Daytona, making him the youngest winner of a single-seater race at that time. He took his next steps in Europe, where he raced in Formula Renault in 2005 and 2006 and became the youngest driver ever to receive an FIA racing licence. Edwards is contesting his fifth season for BMW Team RLL in 2018. In 2017, he drove at the Nürburgring 24 Hours alongside Jens Klingmann, Jörg Müller and Tom Onslow-Cole in the #19 BMW M6 GT3, run by the Schubert Motorsport team.
JESSE KROHN.
From “BMW Motorsport Junior of the Year” to regular IWSC driver: Jesse Krohn is the finest example of just how successful BMW Motorsport’s promotion of young drivers has been. The Finn was crowned “BMW Motorsport Junior of the Year” in 2014, the first year since the programme was realigned. Since then, he has been a permanent fixture in BMW’s driver line-up for international GT races. Even early on in his career, the Finn made a name for himself on the Formula racing scene, before increasingly switching to GT racing. The second place in the European Le Mans Series did not go unnoticed, and he soon moved on to bigger and better things. In 2016 he lined up in the ADAC GT Masters at the wheel of the BMW M6 GT3. Together with Jörg Müller, Bruno Spengler and Kuno Wittmer, he came home eleventh in the BMW M6 GT3 at the Nürburgring 24 Hours in 2017.
MARTIN TOMCZYK.
Every ending is a new beginning: This was Martin Tomczyk’s thinking when he announced his retirement from the DTM in 2016, paving the way for a career in GT racing. For the man from Rosenheim, the move away from the DTM brought to the end a long chapter in his motorsport career, after 16 years of battling for victories and titles in the touring car series. During his time in the DTM, he also gained experience in GT racing, taking part in both the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps and the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring. In 2017, he moved to the USA, where he lined up at the wheel of the BMW M6 GTLM in the IMSA series. In the same year, Tomczyk narrowly missed out on a podium finish at the Nürburgring 24 Hours. Together with Marco Wittmann, Tom Blomqvist and Augusto Farfus, he finished fourth in the BMW M6 GT3 run by BMW Team Schnitzer.