ROWE RACING successfully rounded off the 2016 racing season with a strong debut at the FIA GT World Cup in Macau. In the last race of the year, the team from St. Ingbert finished seventh in the world GT racing finale, claiming second place in the Independence rankings, on the famous street circuit in the former Portuguese colony in southern China, with Dutch driver Nick Catsburg in the BMW M6 GT3.
Events in Macau are often chaotic but this was still an extraordinary race, ending with a spectacular bang. The safety car made its first appearance after the first lap, heralding an interruption that lasted around an hour: a competitor had crashed into a track barrier, damaging it so severely that it had to be replaced.
Only 15 minutes remained of the scheduled race duration remained after the restart, but the race came to a final halt after just a few seconds. Belgian driver Laurens Vanthoor had just fallen back from the lead into second place when his car rolled spectacularly and slid along, upside-down, for several hundred metres. Vanthoor was unhurt and even claimed the jackpot in this gamblers’ paradise: after the stoppage, the race was classified with the positions from the previous lap, with him as the winner.
Nick Catsburg: “This circuit is unique, and extremely difficult. This was the first time here for me and the team, so it was a major challenge. We got faster with each session. But that main race was just crazy. The main thing is that Laurens is OK after his accident. The race wasn’t that exciting for us, as we hardly drove at all. But overall it was a sensational experience to race the BMW M6 GT3 at high speed, so close to the crash barriers.”
ROWE RACING team principal Hans-Peter Naundorf: ”Many thanks to our entire team, which has done a very good job throughout the whole year. Our debut in Macau was a great, successful way to round off the season. As newcomers, we put in a good performance on this unique circuit and we can be proud of that. Now we are looking forward to having a bit of a break, and then starting our intensive preparations for the next season. It was a shame that there wasn’t more racing action for the spectators, and us, to enjoy today but I am glad that no-one was injured in the accidents.”