One-two for the BMW M4 GT3 in the dress rehearsal for the Nürburgring 24 Hours. 09.05.2022: The BMW M Motorsport teams used the new format of the Qualifiers for the Nürburgring 24 Hours (GER) to put the finishing touches to their preparations for the highlight of the endurance season, which takes place on 28th/29th May. The new BMW M4 GT3 impres

The BMW M Motorsport teams used the new format of the Qualifiers for the Nürburgring 24 Hours (GER) to put the finishing touches to their preparations for the highlight of the endurance season, which takes place on 28th/29th May. The new BMW M4 GT3 impressed in the two three-hour races, with two pole positions, a lap record, a one-two result and a further podium finish.


On Saturday, the BMW Junior Team took victory ahead of the #99 BMW M4 GT3 of ROWE Racing. On Sunday, Dan Harper (GBR), Max Hesse (GER) and Neil Verhagen (USA) finished runner-up, despite a time penalty. BMW M GmbH, which celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2022, has announced some spectacular events to feature on the support programme for the 24-hour race; the BMW M Race of Legends with the BMW M2 CS Racing and test drives for media representatives in current BMW M cars.

 


Race 1: Lap record and one-two.


Top 30 Qualifying on Friday evening saw Farfus set a new practice lap record of 8:08.421 minutes in the #99 ROWE Racing BMW M4 GT3. In doing so, he secured pole position for his team for Saturday’s opening race. BMW Junior Hesse put the #72 BMW M4 GT3 in second place on the grid, ahead of Christian Krognes (NOR) in the #101 BMW M4 GT3 of Walkenhorst Motorsport.

 

In race one, spectators witnessed a battle at the front of the field between the #99 and the #72. After just over an hour, BMW Junior Harper overtook Nick Yelloly (GBR) in the ROWE Racing car. From that point on, the BMW Junior Team was on course for the victory, and even the onset of rain with roughly 20 minutes remaining could not knock final driver Hesse off his stride.



After three hours of racing, the BMW M Motorsport teams claimed a one-two, with Verhagen, Harper and Hesse taking victory in the #72, ahead of ROWE Racing drivers Philipp Eng (AUT), Yelloly and Augusto Farfus (BRA) in the #99 car. Their team-mates Marco Wittmann (GER), Sheldon van der Linde (RSA) and Nick Catsburg (NED) came home fourth, narrowly missing out on the podium.

 



Race 2: Pole position for Walkenhorst Motorsport.


The second Top Qualifying session took place on Sunday morning – and again the first two places on the grid went to the BMW M4 GT3. This time, it was Krognes in the #101 Walkenhorst Motorsport car who secured pole position. Harper was again second fastest in the #72 for the BMW Junior Team.


In the race, the two BMW M4 GT3s initially pulled clear of the chasing pack, however the #101 BMW M4 GT3, with Sami-Matti Trogen (NOR) at the wheel, was then forced to retire following a crash. The BMW Junior Team again crossed the finish line in first place, but was then relegated to second place following a time penalty, awarded for exceeding the speed limit in Code 60 zones.


The Sunday race did not go to plan for ROWE Racing. The #98 BMW M4 GT3 fell well back through the field as a result of a collision in the pit lane. The #99 car retired with a technical issue. The #20 BMW M4 GT3 of Schubert Motorsport, sporting the BMW M Motorsport anniversary livery, ended the three-hour race in ninth place, after drivers Jens Klingmann (GER), Alexander Sims (GBR), Jesse Krohn (FIN) and Niklas Krütten (GER) had previously finished tenth on Saturday.

 



Andreas Roos (Head of BMW M Motorsport): “The two qualification races mark the end of our preparations for the BMW M4 GT3’s debut at the Nürburgring 24 Hours. The new format of this event was – particularly after the cancellation of NLS 2 – another valuable opportunity to work on the set-up of the car and the processes in the teams.


As in all of this season’s races on the Nordschleife, we showed this weekend what our teams and drivers are capable of with the new car. The races and lap times are very encouraging, and we hope we can back our performances up at the highlight of the season in three weeks’ time.


Congratulations to the BMW Junior Team and ROWE Racing on the one-two in the Saturday race. We had the necessary pace again on Sunday, as proved by Christian Krognes’ pole position for Walkenhorst Motorsport and another podium for our Juniors.


 However, we have also seen that speed alone is not enough if you don’t have a flawless race. In the 24-hour race, it will be all the more important to do a perfect job. Together with our teams, we will now focus fully on that.”

 





 Andrea Schwab- photos Marc HILGER AutoMobilSport.com