In the chaotic, unforgiving crucible known as the “Green Hell,” sometimes all you need is one perfect car, one flawless team, and a little bit of post-race drama. In front of a record-breaking crowd of 280,000 spectators, BMW M Motorsport and ROWE Racing delivered a masterclass in endurance racing, turning a disastrous starting position into a sensational victory at the 2025 24 Hours of Nürburgring.
The weekend started looking less than promising for the lone #98 BMW M4 GT3 EVO in the top class. After missing out on the top qualifying session, the team found itself languishing in 17th on the grid, a position from which victory on the treacherous Nordschleife seems more like a fantasy than a strategy. However, driver Augusto Farfus clearly didn’t get the memo. With the green flag waving under perfect Eifel weather, Farfus launched the BMW with audacious intent, slicing through the field to crack the top ten within the very first lap.
Just as momentum was building, the track’s notorious unpredictability struck in a modern way: a power outage in the paddock triggered a red flag, silencing the engines for two hours and fifteen minutes. When the race roared back to life, it was Kelvin van der Linde’s turn to play hero. In a stunning display of skill, he catapulted the #98 car from ninth to third place in just two laps. From there, the driver quartet, including Raffaele Marciello and Jesse Krohn, settled into a relentless rhythm. They flawlessly navigated the night, solidifying their spot in second place and methodically erasing a two-minute deficit to the leader as the sun rose over the Nürburgring.
The final hours were a true “Green Hell” thriller. With three and a half hours remaining, Farfus seized the lead for the first time, setting the stage for a nail-biting conclusion. In a twist worthy of a Hollywood script, van der Linde actually crossed the finish line behind the rival #911 Porsche. However, the race wasn’t over. The Porsche had been slapped with a penalty, and after their appeal was officially dismissed, the victory was awarded to ROWE Racing. It was a stark reminder that in a 24-hour race, the final lap ends in the steward’s office.
This dramatic win marks BMW’s 21st overall victory at the endurance classic, breaking a five-year dry spell since their last win in 2020, which was also secured by ROWE Racing. For the drivers, it was a moment of immense triumph. It was van der Linde’s third Nürburgring win, Farfus’s second after a 15-year wait, and a first-ever victory at the event for both Krohn and Marciello.
As Franciscus van Meel, CEO of BMW M GmbH, put it, “when the team and drivers deliver a perfect performance, the ‘Green Hell’ can be forgiving”. Team Principal Hans-Peter Naundorf admitted his disbelief, stating, “If someone had told me on Thursday that we’d be standing here as winners on Sunday, I wouldn’t have believed them”.
The success wasn’t limited to the top class. The new BMW M2 Racing celebrated a perfect final endurance test with a commanding victory in the SP 3T class, while BMW M Motorsport customer teams collected a staggering seven class victories in total, underscoring the brand’s dominance across the board. It was, as Head of BMW M Motorsport Andreas Roos described, an “absolutely flawless and perfect performance” from the entire BMW family.
