ROWE Racing has given BMW M Motorsport the first major success of the year 2024 at the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Le Castellet (FRA) season opener. Augusto Farfus (BRA), Dan Harper (GBR), and Max Hesse (GER) were rewarded following a magnificent performance in the #998 BMW M4 GT3 and celebrated their first victory in the highly competitive race series.
Starting from fifth place, the trio put on an impressive show and crossed the finish line in first place with a 13.5-second lead. In the BMW M Team WRT #46 BMW M4 GT3, Valentino Rossi (ITA), Maxime Martin (BEL), and Raffaele Marciello (SUI) also gave a strong performance to finish fourth.
The #998 BMW M4 GT3, sporting the design of BMW M Motorsport partner MultiBank Group, moved up to third place thanks to a strong start by Farfus, and Harper put the car on the path to victory with a remarkable overtaking manoeuvre on the leading Lamborghini. Hesse then confidently drove to the finish line, securing the fifth overall victory for ROWE Racing in the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS.
The sister car with Marco Wittmann (GER), Nick Yelloly (GBR), and Philipp Eng (AUT) also gave a very strong performance and was on track for a podium finish, but a problem during the second refuelling initially cost valuable seconds and then forced Eng to make an additional pit stop shortly before the end of the race. That dropped the #98 BMW M4 GT3 back to twelfth position.
There were mixed feelings at BMW M Team WRT. While Rossi, Martin, and Marciello could be satisfied with fourth place thanks to a strong final sprint, the #32 BMW M4 GT3 was forced to retire after an unprovoked collision for Charles Weerts (BEL) with a competitor resulting in tyre damage. The Team WRT #30 BMW M4 GT3, in which BMW M works driver Jens Klingmann (GER) shared the cockpit with Ahmad Al Harthy (OMA) and Sam De Haan (GBR), finished sixth in the Bronze Cup. The #991 BMW M4 GT3 of Century Motorsport with Jake Dennis, Darren Leung, and Toby Sowery (all GBR) at the wheel was on course for a podium in the Bronze Cup but then retired.
