ROWE Racing will return to the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS Endurance Cup in 2022 with a pair of new BMW M4 GT3 entries.
Led by Hans-Peter Naundorf, the German squad was a regular entrant between 2014 and 2021 and secured a pair of wins at the TotalEnergies 24 Hours of Spa. Notably, the team triumphed in the Ardennes with two different brands, putting BMW on top in 2016 and giving Porsche victory in 2021.
It is with the former that ROWE has partnered for its 2022 programme. It is the first outfit to officially confirm plans to field the hotly anticipated M4, which made its Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS debut in last season’s closing round as an invitational entry.
A two-car operation is planned, with a combination of youth and experience among the driver line-up. Long-time factory representatives Nick Catsburg, Augusto Farfus and Nick Yelloly will bring their extensive knowledge to the programme, while the sister entry features BMW Junior Team members Dan Harper, Max Hesse and Neil Verhagen.
“The BMW M4 GT3 is a completely new race car with state-of-the-art technology and a far more aggressive look than its predecessor,” commented ROWE Racing team principal Naundorf. “We are all excited about working with this car. We hope to benefit from the improvements made to the chassis, set-up and performance.
“For this year and the coming years, the opportunity has arisen for us to appear at the TotalEnergies 24 Hours of Spa again, alongside our usual Nürburgring programme. This was behind our decision, taken together with our partners, to race in the Endurance Cup in Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS in 2022.”
The team will be present at the official Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS test days at Circuit Paul Ricard on 7-8 March. The Endurance Cup season begins at Imola on 1-3 April before visiting Circuit Paul Ricard (3-5 June), the TotalEnergies 24 Hours of Spa (28-31 July), Hockenheim (2-4 September) and Barcelona (30 September-2 October).