It looked for a long time as though several BMW M4 GT3s would have a say in the battle for overall victory. However, that all changed as incidents occurred thick and fast in the early hours of the morning on the 25-kilometre Nordschleife. 13 hours into the race, Connor De Phillippi, Philipp Eng, Augusto Farfus and Nick Yelloly were forced to retire from the race in the second ROWE Racing BMW M4 GT3, after De Phillippi collided with a slower car. Shortly after, the BMW Junior Team hit trouble; the number 72 BMW M4 GT3 suffered more damage as the result of a puncture. BMW M Team RMG spent a long time trying to repair the car and get it back out onto the track. Eventually however, Dan Harper, Max Hesse and Neil Verhagen had no choice but to retire, having spent much of the race in the top three.

Walkenhorst Motorsport was also unlucky with its remaining SP9 cars; on course for a top-ten finish in the seventh hour of the race, the #101 BMW M4 GT3 was forced out after two crashes in close succession. The race also came to a premature end for the number 102 car after an accident in the early hours of Sunday morning. At the time of the crash, the BMW M4 GT3 was running seventh.
 
This all means that BMW remains on 20 overall victories in “Green Hell”. No other manufacturer can look back on a more successful history at the 24-hour race. The last BMW win on the Nordschleife came courtesy of ROWE Racing with the BMW M6 GT3 in 2020.

Despite this, there was still cause for celebration in the SP10 class. The FK Performance Motorsport team took victory with the new BMW M4 GT4. Christian Konnerth, Maxime Oosten, Lorenz Stegmann and Miklas Born crossed the finish line well ahead of their closest rivals. Third place also went to an FK Performance BMW M4 GT4. In the BMW M240i Racing class, first place went to Adrenalin Motorsport Team Motec. Giti Tire Motorsport by WS Racing took victory in the SP 8T class with the first-generation BMW M4 GT4, while Adrenalin Motorsport also won the VT 2 class with the BMW 330i. Hofor Racing triumphed in the SP 6 class with the BMW M3 GTR, and the number 542 BMW 325i came home first in the V4 class.

“I was thrilled by the atmosphere this 24-hour race provided. 235,000 spectators turned the race into a festival that is unrivalled in the world of motorsport. The action on the racetrack was also gripping, and I was delighted to see that we could stage a fantastic comeback with the BMW M4 GT3 and ROWE Racing and fight for the win. Second place is not quite the result we had hoped for in the end, but still an excellent performance. Congratulations and a big thank you to everyone! As always, it was also fantastic this year to see the entire range of BMW M and BMW vehicles on the starting grid and at our traditional M Corso before the race. BMW M and the Nürburgring are and will remain closely connected. I'm already looking forward to returning in the 2024 season!"

“That was an eventful 24-hour race for us. Second place with the #98 BMW M4 GT3 of ROWE Racing is a fantastic result. Congratulations and a big thank you to everyone! Our drivers did a flawless job and worked their way into the leading group from outside the top 30. At the same time, I would like to congratulate the Frikadelli Racing Team on a deserved victory. Our other SP9 crews were also showing good pace and were in with a chance of a podium finish. At times, we had four BMW M4 GT3s in the top ten. However, the ‘Green Hell’ then struck back, particularly in the night, and took out no fewer than four of our trump cards with the #99 BMW M4 GT3 of ROWE Racing, #72 BMW M4 GT3 of the BMW Junior Teams, and the two Walkenhorst Motorsport Pro cars. As such, the podium is a nice way to finish and, above all, a worthy reward for the hard work of all the teams, drivers, and the BMW M Motorsport employees. I would also like to thank all the BMW teams who gave it everything and produced some fantastic motorsport in the various different classes. We were also able to make a statement with our new BMW M4 GT4. I congratulate the FK Performance Motorsport team on victory and third place in the SP10 class. Generally speaking, the 24-hour race was an outstanding event in 2023 with a crowd and atmosphere, the likes of which I have never experienced in my career. We will be back next year, when we will again do our best to make it 21 overall victories.”

“For us, the top priority is always to be capable of winning here – and we were precisely that! We were always in contention for the podium. The challenge we faced was not easy, but everyone involved did a super job. We don’t know what we could have done better. The drivers, particularly in the race, did a flawless job. You cannot but admire the ability to come through from 31st on the grid to finish runner-up, and to be in contention for the win for so long. That is a really great effort. My team feels like a champion. It is a real honour to stand on the podium here. That cannot be taken for granted.”