Farfus-Krohn-Marciello-van der Linde win 53rd NUR24

NUR24

Jun 22

📷 Luc Warnotte at N24 2025. ROWE Racing’s #98 BMW M4 GT3 EVO

The 2025 Nürburgring 24 Hours was just the perfect race for the 280.000 spectators (+50K comparing to last year) with sun, cool night and a thrilling battle between Manthey' EMA’s Porsche and ROWE Racing BMW who finished within 22 seconds after 24 hours racing.

ROWE Racing’s #98 BMW wins

Kudos to Augusto Farfus, Jesse Krohn, Raffaele Marciello and Kelvin van der Linde who drove faultless during 24 hours in the 162 curves, 20.832 kilometres “Green Hell” passing more than 100 cars almost every two or three laps offering BMW Motorsport its 21st victory at the 2025 N24 with the ROWE Racing’s #98 BMW M4 GT3 EVO.

It was also BMW’s fourth straight IGTC triumph and second of the season after Van der Linde and Farfus won at Bathurst.

Despite crossing checkered flag 22 seconds behind the “Grello”, the ROWE Racing’s #98 BMW M4 GT3 EVO wins the 53rd 24 Hours of Nürburgring with a 1:17.810 gap with the Manthey EMA’s Porsche after a remarkable comeback from 17th on the grid.

Farfus made a dream start, moving into the top ten within the first lap. After an hour and a half, a power outage in the paddock caused a red flag. Following a 2-hour and 15-minute interruption, van der Linde stormed through the field during the restart, advancing the #98 BMW M4 GT3 EVO from ninth to third in just two laps.

📷 Luc Warnotte at N24 2025. ROWE Racing’s #98 BMW M4 GT3 EVO

Subsequently, Marciello and Krohn solidified their positions in the podium ranks, with ROWE Racing navigating the night flawlessly and steadily in second place, building a comfortable gap to the cars behind. As the sun rose over the Nordschleife, the #98 BMW M4 GT3 EVO closed a gap of over two minutes to the leader. By the morning, the race turned into a true thriller in the "Green Hell". Three and a half hours before the finish, Farfus claimed the lead for ROWE Racing for the first time.

After a penalty was issued to the competing #911 Porsche, the #98 BMW M4 GT3 EVO was firmly on course for victory, which van der Linde secured after 24 hours.

📷 Luc Warnotte at N24 2025. ROWE Racing’s #98 BMW M4 GT3 EVO

Augusto Farfus (#98 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, ROWE Racing, Winner): "I had the privilege of driving the formation lap and seeing all these fans. This place is magical. We are blessed to be part of this show and to race in front of these people. I celebrated my first major victory for BMW M Motorsport here 15 years ago, and to stand here again is something special – and with the only BMW M4 GT3 EVO. We came here with just one car, but in the end, we represented BMW in the best possible way. Our goal was to finish the race, and in the end, we did so as winners. Thank you to BMW M Motorsport and ROWE Racing for the trust. Bringing this trophy home is also a big reward for the people in Munich."

Manthey EMA ‘Grello’ second

Kevin Estre, in the #911 Manthey' EMA’s Porsche, took the checkered flag with a 22-second gap to the #98 but the 24 hours continuous (almost) leading Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) was dropped down to second after a 100-second penalty for a collision with the #179 Doerr Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage GT4 was applied.

📷 Luc Warnotte at N24 2025. #911 Manthey EMA Porsche 911 GT3 R.

The decisive moment occurred at approximately 10:15 am. While still in the lead, factory driver Kévin Estre in the 911 GT3 R of the Manthey EMA customer team came under increasing pressure from the #98 BMW. In the “Miss-Hit-Miss” section of the circuit, the Frenchman encountered an Aston Martin and attempted to overtake the car on the inside at the third corner apex. This resulted in contact, causing the British sports car to crash. A good three hours later, race control imposed a 100-second stop-and-go penalty for this incident, which was added retrospectively to the car’s overall time after the finish.

📷 Luc Warnotte at N24 2025. #911 Manthey EMA Porsche 911 GT3 R.

The #911 Manthey' EMA’s Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) started on pole and led the vast majority of laps after Saturday’s restart until Sunday lunchtime when Farfus passed Ayhancan Güven. Estre eventually took the lead back later on.

Kévin Estre (Porsche 911 GT3 R #911): “100 seconds – that’s a harsh penalty. I saw the gap on the inside and went for it. The other car had already been shown three blue flags but still turned into the corner. I had nowhere to go, despite swerving over the kerbs and onto the grass. That led to the contact, which sadly had serious consequences and caused the other car to roll. I’m very relieved the other driver is okay. Unlike my penultimate stint, the final one went well – the tyres held up better, and the Porsche was performing brilliantly again. We raced the entire 24 hours with relentless determination and gave it everything. I think we did a fantastic job.”

#54 Dinamic’s Porsche third

Thanks to an impressive comeback drive, Dinamic GT’s #54 Porsche crossed the finish line in third place after 24 hours. Joel Sturm, Loek Hartog and the two former Porsche Juniors Matteo Cairoli and Bastian Buus delivered a flawless performance, steadily powering their way up from 19th on the grid. The quartet made consistent progress on the historic 25.378-kilometre circuit and, with less than 30 minutes remaining on the clock, moved into a podium position.

📷 Luc Warnotte at N24 2025. #54 Dinamic Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)

Joel Sturm (Porsche 911 GT3 R #54): “Unbelievable, I still don’t know what to say. We never would’ve thought we could make it onto the podium. Everyone did a flawless job and I’m incredibly proud of the whole team. The boys really deserve this success. I’m just incredibly happy.” Source: Porsche

P4 and SP 9 Pro-Am class victory for the #65 HRT Ford Performance Mustang GT3

The #65 HRT Ford Performance Mustang GT3 overcame the challenges of the “Green Hell” to score an SP 9 Pro-Am class victory.

The #65 HRT Ford Performance Ford Mustang GT3, driven by the German racing talents of David Schumacher, Dennis Fetzer, Salman Owega and Jusuf Owega, started 25th in the overall grid. The team battled through the night, giving Mustang consistent representation in the top five. The #65 finished the race fourth overall and as the only Pro-Am competitor in an all-Pro top 10.

📷 Luc Warnotte at N24 2025. #65 HRT Ford Performance Mustang GT3

David Schumacher, No. 65 HRT Ford Performance Ford Mustang GT3 – “We had a good race, and we fought to the finish in our HRT Ford Performance Mustang GT3. The pace was great all week long. I’m happy we survived all of it, especially through the night where our pace created the gaps we needed. This is the first major win for Mustang GT3 in Europe, so we’re very proud of it.”

Dennis Fetzer, No. 65 HRT Ford Performance Ford Mustang GT3 – “The beginning of the weekend was tough, but we worked to improve to the start of the race. We are very happy to have finished the race, as we fought hard in the final hours with our Mustang GT3. It’s a great start to this HRT Ford Performance project.” Source: Ford

Long time third Lamborghini #28 end fifth

The #28 ABT Sportsline Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO II was third until the final hour when it had to undergo a rear-brake change costing a top-three finish. The ABT Huracan dropped to fifth but came back in fourth on the final lap. A 32-second post-race time penalty for causing a collision did sent it back to fifth again.

From P6 to P10

📷 Luc Warnotte at N24 2025. The #84 Eastalent Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II finished sixth ahead of the #37 PROsport Aston Martin Vantage GT3, seventh.

📷 Luc Warnotte at N24 2025. The overall top ten was completed by the #7 Konrad Motorsport Lamborghini, 8th, #55 Hankook Motorsport Porsche, 9th and #786 Renazzo Motorsport Team Lamborghini 10th.

53rd 24 Hours of Nürburgring top 10 overall