BMW M Motorsport teams survive turbulent opening stage to battle for the lead

Nürburgring (GER), 3rd-6th June 2021: 24h Nürburgring, ROWE Racing, #1 BMW M6 GT3, Nick Catsburg (NED), John Edwards (USA), Philipp Eng (AUT), Nick Yelloly (GBR).

The BMW M Motorsport teams managed to avoid any accidents during the turbulent opening stage of the Nürburgring 24 Hours (GER) and are battling for top positions after four hours of racing. Heavy rain on parts of the Nordschleife and dry stretches in in other areas made tyre selection extremely difficult. Both ROWE Racing and Schubert Motorsport displayed a knack for making the right choice. The three cars for the two teams are now in the top five on a much drier track. The chasing performance given by Martin Tomczyk (GER) was particularly impressive, as the starting driver in the #98 BMW M6 GT3 from ROWE Racing moved up from 25th on the grid to third place.

Nürburgring (GER), 3rd-6th June 2021: 24h Nürburgring, Adrenalin Motorsport Team Alzner Automotive, #241 BMW M2 CS Racing, Markus Flasch (AUT), Matthias Malmedie (GER), Jörg Weidinger (GER), Niki Schelle (GER).

Nürburgring (GER), 3rd-6th June 2021: 24h Nürburgring, BMW Team RMG, BMW Junior Team, #77 BMW M6 GT3, Dan Harper (GBR), Max Hesse (GER), Neil Verhagen (USA), Augusto Farfus (BRA)

Nürburgring (GER), 3rd-6th June 2021: 24h Nürburgring, Walkenhorst Motorsport, #100 BMW M6 GT3, Henry Walkenhorst (GER), Friedrich von Bohlen (GER), Jörg Breuer (GER), Andreas Ziegler (GER).

BMW Junior Team endured some poor luck in the opening stage however. Together with BMW Team RMG, Augusto Farfus (BRA) decided to switch to wet-weather tyres immediately after the formation lap. That proved to be a premature decision, as the expected rain did not appear straight away. An additional pit stop pushed the #77 BMW M6 GT3 further back. The best-placed Walkenhorst Motorsport car is the #102 BMW M6 GT3. Like the BMW Junior Team car, it is still in the top 20.

Nürburgring (GER), 3rd-6th June 2021: 24h Nürburgring, Schubert Motorsport, #20 BMW M6 GT3, Jesse Krohn (FIN), Jens Klingmann (GER), Alexander Sims (GBR), Stef Dusseldorp (NED).

The #241 BMW M2 CS Racing, featuring BMW M CEO Markus Flasch (AUT) at the wheel, lost time due to a break for repairs and is in fifth place in the CUP5 class.