ROWE Racing narrowly misses the podium in the strong spa premiere of the BMW M4 GT3.
01-08-2022 21:31 - MOTORSPORT
Around two hours and a bit of luck were missing for the perfect premiere of the BMW M4 GT3 at the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps (BEL). Ultimately, a puncture on each of the two vehicles of the ROWE Racing Team prevented the deserved podium after a very strong and flawless performance. The BMW Junior Team with Dan Harper (GBR), Max Hesse (GER) and Neil Verhagen (USA) finished their Spa debut in an excellent fifth place overall. Nick Catsburg (NED), Augusto Farfus (BRA) and Nick Yelloly (GBR) fought for the lead in the #98 sister car for almost the entire race distance before a puncture stopped them with around 120 minutes to go. The trio finally finished sixth.
From positions 15 and 20 on the grid, both ROWE Racing crews gradually worked their way forward in the first few hours thanks to their level-headed, consistent and flawless driving style. A few clever strategic decisions during pit stops during caution phases brought the #98 BMW M4 GT3 into the fight for the lead in the first quarter of the race, where Catsburg, Farfus and Yelloly held their own as the race progressed. The trio was in the lead both in the interim ranking after six hours and in the half-time ranking. After twelve hours, the BMW Junior Team was second. Yelloly was in a secure second place with around two hours to go and even had the leading Mercedes within reach before losing a lot of time due to a puncture and falling behind. After that, final driver Catsburg was no longer able to do better than sixth place. Just before that, Harper crossed the finish line as the final driver of the BMW Junior Team. He, too, had previously lost valuable seconds due to tire damage, which he ultimately missed in third place. Nevertheless, the BMW M4 GT3 impressed with its high speed and high reliability. Drivers and team also showed flawless performances.
Walkenhorst Motorsport was in good shape for a long time with the #34 BMW M4 GT3 in the Gold class and was fighting for a podium finish. But then BMW M works driver Jens Klingmann (GER) and the Americans Michael Dinan, Robby Foley and Richard Heistand were eliminated on Sunday morning. The #35 BMW M4 GT3, driven by team principal Henry Walkenhorst, Jörg Breuer, Theo Oeverhaus (all GER) and Don Yount (USA), finished second in the bronze category. Samantha Tan Racing finished ninth in the Silver category at the debut of the team with Samantha Tan, Nick Wittmer (both CAN), Harry Gottsacker (USA) and Maxime Oosten (NED).