The Nürburgring 24 Hour race is one BMW’s most important endurance races. For German racing fans, going to the Nordschleife in the Eifel Mountains for the 24 hour is the highlight of their year, and it’s been a hugely popular race within Germany for decades. With 21 overall victories, BMW is its winningest manufacturer and are defending winners from last year. With a bevy of works drivers in three cars, BMW will be well-prepared to go for another win in 2026.
Two of the three works-backed M4 GT3 EVO entries will be from ROWE Racing, which won the race last year. Defending champs Kelvin van der Linde, Raffaele Marciello and Augusto Farfus will reunite in the #1 car along with Jordan Pepper, who is in his first year with BMW but has previous experience in the race. The second ROWE Racing entry (#99) will be driven by Dan Harper, Max Hesse, Sheldon van der Linde and Dries Vanthoor. Both cars will compete in the SP9 class, which will also see works entries from Mercedes-AMG, Porsche and Audi. One of the high-profile Mercedes-AMG entries will include four-time Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen along with a trio of works drivers.
Schubert Motorsport will enter a third M4 GT3 EVO (#77) in the SP9 class with works drivers Charles Weerts, Marco Wittmann and Robin Frijns. Unlike the two other works-backed entries which will run on Michelin tires, the Schubert car will run on Yokohama tires and will run with a livery that is very reminiscent of the Team PTG E46 M3’s that ran in the American Le Mans Series twenty years ago. “Returning to the 24 Hours of Nürburgring is not entirely new territory for us, but it remains a very special challenge, and I am very pleased to be back,” said team owner Torsten Schubert. “Together with Yokohama, we are advancing tire development for the Nordschleife and hope to guide the BMW M4 GT3 EVO successfully through the Eifel once again.”
Most teams who compete in the ‘Ring 24 Hour use the Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS) races to prepare. ROWE Racing will enter the NLS race on March 21st, as well as the qualifying races for the 24-hour on April 18th-19th. Schubert Motorsport will enter the April 11th NLS race and the qualifying races on the 18th-19th. “We want to put on a great show for our many fans at the Nordschleife – not only during the 24-hour race but already at the Nürburgring Endurance Series rounds,” said Head of BMW M Motorsport Andreas Roos. “The private BMW M Motorsport teams and drivers also contribute to making racing on the Nordschleife truly unique.”
Another interesting car that will race in this year’s 24-hour is a Z4 GT3, which will be entered by Walkenhorst Motorsport in the SP9 class and driven by Ralf Schall, Christian Scherer and Henry Walkenhorst. It’s been eight years since the Z4 GT3 raced in the 24-hour by the Walkenhorst team, but race rules accommodate a broad range of models and age.
—David Haueter
[Photos courtesy BMW, David Haueter]