BMW explains late exit of second Rowe-BMW at 24h Spa

(Motorsport-Total.com) - According to BMW, "damage to the chassis area" is the cause of the surprising retirement of the Rowe BMW #998 (Harper/Hesse/Eng) from the 2025 Spa 24 Hours – just ten minutes before the end of the race. The BMW M4 GT3 Evo was in sixth place at the time when Philipp Eng suddenly pitted, and the car was withdrawn from the race. BMW has not provided any further details about the alleged defect.

Car #998 is not a regular participant in the 2025 GT World Challenge (GTWC) Europe and competed in Spa as a one-off guest starter. Due to the late retirement, the car was classified in 29th place.

BMW has no chance after BoP adjustment

Overall, the race was rather disappointing for BMW. The cars suffered from a lack of pace – partly because BMW didn't benefit from the last-minute BoP adjustment before the race start . Quite the opposite: After McLaren, BMW received the second-highest weight penalty and thus ranked lower in the race than in practice compared to most of its competitors.

"This was the last of the three 24-hour races in June, and unfortunately we were unable to follow up our fantastic victory at the Nürburgring with a better result here in Spa-Francorchamps," said BMW Motorsport Director Andreas Roos.

"It was clear that we lacked the pace over the race distance to be able to compete at the front. We tried everything to get the most out of our package."

Rowe team boss HP Naundorf added: "Our performance in the final phase was not as good as it should have been compared to the competition. That's what happens in motorsport, and you have to accept it."

The Rowe BMW #98 (Farfus/Krohn/Marciello) took the checkered flag in third place, but was subsequently demoted to fifth due to a track limit violation by Raffaele Marciello. "It was a bitter end for us. We gave it our all. It was difficult to keep the car on the track, so I feel sorry for Lello," said teammate Augusto Farfus.

"Apart from that small mistake with the track limits, we executed our race plan very well. I think a podium finish was within reach, but nothing more." Farfus was one of the seven drivers who contested the 24-hour triple-header consisting of Le Mans, the Nürburgring, and Spa.

"Personally, I have enough reasons to smile, having had the opportunity to participate in the three biggest 24-hour races in the world with a competitive car. That's what I take with me - including the victory at the Nürburgring," he says.

WRT benefits from Rowe's withdrawal

The two WRT BMWs, #32 (Weerts/de Wilde/K. van der Linde) and #31 (D. Vanthoor/S. van der Linde/Wittmann), benefited from the retirement of the #998, each gaining a position. For the WRT team, seventh and eighth places were a result to forget. Both cars finished one lap down.

"That was a disappointing race for us," says team principal Vincent Vosse bluntly. "I think we BMW teams made the best of the resources available to us. Fifth, seventh, and eighth place reflect the balance of power quite well in my opinion. It's a shame we couldn't fight for victory at our home race this time."

Ugo de Wilde echoes the same sentiment: "This time we didn't have the means to win the race, but we made the most of what we had. And achieving a result always requires a factor called luck. Sometimes you just have to be in the right place at the right time—that wasn't the case in this race."

All-Star BMW misses top 10

As part of the large contingent, BMW also fielded a star-studded "All-Star" car. However, Kevin Magnussen, Rene Rast, and Valentino Rossi struggled throughout the race. The WRT BMW #46 ultimately finished eleventh.

"It's emotional to finish a race like this because it involves a lot of effort. The last ten hours were very long. I find it more challenging than Le Mans because the track is more physically demanding," says MotoGP legend Rossi.

"I was tired at the end, but I drove well in my last two stints. The goal was to finish in the top 10. Unfortunately, we never had the pace needed for more than that, and we were never fast enough. Ultimately, we drove a good race, and I got along very well with Kevin and René. I enjoyed it. I also learned a few things that will make me even stronger next time."

Magnussen, who was competing in his first GT3 race, added: "All in all, it was a great experience to take part in this race and drive the BMW M4 GT3 Evo. It didn't go as we had hoped, but we had a clean race. We had no problems, no penalties, no damage."

"It's obviously not the best result you could wish for, but it was a nice experience, and I'm grateful for the opportunity. It was great to share the car with Valentino and René—a real privilege."