BMW M Motorsport reached the podium with the BMW M4 GT3 at all three major 24-hour races in June. Following third place at the Nürburgring (GER) and second at Le Mans (FRA), the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps (BEL) saw Sheldon van der Linde (RSA), Dries Vanthoor, and Charles Weerts (both BEL) finish in third place. The trio secured the first BMW M Team WRT podium at their home race together with BMW M Motorsport. The ROWE Racing #998 BMW M4 GT3 was in second position until just before the end but fell back to sixth place due to a late additional pit stop.
During the 24-hour race, which began in warmth and sunshine but had to be neutralised for several hours behind the safety car at night due to heavy rain showers, the #998 BMW M4 GT3 was strong. Augusto Farfus (BRA), Dan Harper (GBR), and Max Hesse (GER) led the race despite a drive-through penalty during the night and fought for the win, however a slow puncture forced the ROWE Racing team to bring forward the last planned pit stop. Since the final driver Hesse would have exceeded the maximum allowed duration of a stint by about a minute, he had to enter the pit lane shortly before the finish, dropping from second to sixth place.
The #32 crew moved from 23rd on the grid to the front with strong driving and good strategy amid the numerous difficult tyre choices. In the final sprint, van der Linde, Vanthoor, and Weerts were in fifth place, but after the #998 pit stop and a time penalty for a competitor the trio was able to secure third place. It was the first podium for BMW M Team WRT at their home race in Belgium with the BMW M4 GT3 – and that at the 100th anniversary of the Ardennes endurance classic.
The #46 BMW M4 GT3 was also in contention for the podium for a long time, but an accident involving Valentino Rossi (ITA), combined with a repair break and a penalty, pushed him and his teammates Raffaele Marciello (SUI) and Maxime Martin (BEL) back to 24th place. The second ROWE Racing car of the defending champions Philipp Eng (AUT), Marco Wittmann (GER), and Nick Yelloly (GBR) retired after about three hours with a technical defect in the cooling system.
In the Bronze category, Connor De Phillippi (USA), Pedro Ebrahim (BRA), Darren Leung (GBR), and Toby Sowery (GBR) in the #991 BMW M4 GT3 from Century Motorsport crossed the finish line in ninth place after a challenging weekend. The #30 BMW M4 GT3 from Team WRT with Ahmad Al Harthy (OMA), Sam De Haan (GBR), Jens Klingmann (GER), and Calan Williams (AUS) at the wheel was doing well and in bronze podium contention but retired due to a technical issue, which has to be evaluated later.
