ROWE RACING has concluded the intensive first phase of the season with a second podium finish within eight days. Following the victory a week earlier at the opening of the GT World Challenge Europe at Le Castellet, St. Ingbert team also collected trophies along with valuable insights during its first race outing of 2024 on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. At the second race of the ADAC 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers, the two team BMW M4 GT3s finished in second and fourth places, after having achieved a twelfth place the previous evening.
Particularly jubilant on Sunday was Raffaele Marciello, who in his first race weekend for ROWE RACING achieved his first podium success as a new BMW M works driver. The fast Swiss driver had taken over the #98 BMW M4 GT3 after an early first pit stop following the fifth lap from the two time German DTM Champion Marco Wittmann who had driven the start. After Raffaele Marciello had temporarily advanced to second place, it was the Belgian Maxime Martin who secured the second spot in the final stage.
In the #99 BMW M4 GT3, Brazilian Augusto Farfus, Belgian Dries Vanthoor and Sheldon van der Linde from South Africa drove to fourth place on Sunday with an equally flawless performance. At one point, due to different pit strategies of the numerous cars in the leading group, the trio with Dries Vanthoor at the wheel even led for a few laps. Final driver Sheldon van der Linde then advanced his car from seventh to fourth place.
The first of the two “Qualifiers” runs, which are an important step in the preparation for the Nordschleife season highlight with the ADAC 24h Nürburgring on the first weekend of June, did not go quite as smoothly. The #98 retired after 19 of the total 27 laps on the 25.378 kilometre combination of the Nordschleife and Grand Prix track through no fault of their own when Maxime Martin could no longer avoid another car that had spun on the track. In the sister car, Sheldon van der Linde secured twelfth place with an overtaking manoeuvre on the last lap.
Hans-Peter Naundorf, Team Principal ROWE RACING: “Our team and our drivers did a very good job this weekend. Despite the unprovoked retirement in the race on Saturday, we covered many kilometres and gained valuable insights about the new tyres. Our drivers were able to get used to the Nordschleife and the tuning again. We have already got into a good groove with Raffaele Marciello. Thanks to the good work of the team and some lucky circumstances, we were rewarded with a podium on Sunday, the second within eight days after our victory in the GT World Challenge Europe. It’s a nice reward for the intensive work in the past weeks.”
Raffaele Marciello (#98 BMW M4 GT3, ROWE RACING): “We can be very happy with the podium today. Our pace was good, and we had a good strategy. The main goal this weekend was to prepare ourselves as well as possible for the 24 hour race because that’s where it really counts. Of course, you can never be one hundred percent perfectly prepared for such a special race, but I think we are in a good position.”
Sheldon van der Linde (#99 BMW M4 GT3, ROWE RACING): “Fourth place is a good result to end the weekend. We may not have had the fastest car, but our pit stops were great and ultimately got us to this position. Of course, the preparation for the 24 hour race was the main focus, and we ticked all the boxes on our list. That also applies to me personally. It was my first time this season on the Nordschleife, and I was able to complete many laps which helped me a lot. I feel very well prepared.“
CALENDAR NÜRBURGRING
04.05.2024: NES 2
01.06.2024: ADAC 24h Nürburgring
Published by: Rowe Racing
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