PHILOSOPHY
ROWE RACING was founded in 2011 in order to participate in races on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife and, in less than ten years, has developed into one of the best and most successful endurance racing teams in the world.
ROWE RACING was founded in 2011 in order to participate in races on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife and, in less than ten years, has developed into one of the best and most successful endurance racing teams in the world. The double victory gained in both 24-hour classics at the Nürburgring and in Spa in 2020 – within just four weeks of each other and as the only team in the GT3 era with two different manufacturers – was the initial highlight for the season.
Apart from intermediate excursions into short-course races, such as the ADAC GT Masters, the Blancpain GT Series, the FIA GT World Cup in Macau, where ROWE RACING finished in second and third place in 2019, and the 2021 DTM Season, the team’s main focus has been on endurance racing – and especially on the extreme challenge of the 24- hour races.
“The more difficult the situation and the greater the strain, the more ROWE RACING can shine,” says Team Principal Hans-Peter Naundorf. In a race lasting one or three hours, there aren’t many unforeseeable events, so there is less room for manoeuvre with tactics. Endurance races are always elimination races for the drivers, teams and cars. So it’s always about surviving the longest and trying not to make any mistakes.
In order to guarantee this success, ROWE RACING relies heavily on a well-coordinated team of engineers and mechanics as well as detailed preparation. For example, the engineers spend a week just concentrating on tactics before a 24-hour classic like the ones held at the Nürburgring or in Spa. They look at the strategies of previous years, transfer new regulations to them, run through all possible scenarios in their minds. If you encounter a situation like this for the first time in race, it is difficult to make the right decision. If you have run through it in your head already, it is easier. “To have this assurance, you need to have the right staff, and give them enough time.” says Hans-Peter Naundorf: “We have a lot of passionate lads that are hungry for success. Making the right decision at the right time isn’t luck, it’s the result of perfect preparation.”
