Kelvin van der Linde claims dramatic Nurburgring 24 Hour victory

The South African

6 days ago

South Africa's Kelvin van der Linde brought home another dramatic 24-hour race win this weekend. Unarguably, motorsport fans acknowledge the Nurburgring 24 Hour (N24) to be the toughest endurance race in the world. And this is the third time South African Kelvin van der Linde has tasted success there.
Kelvin van der Linde formed part of the four-member #98 Rowe BMW M4 GT3 team. He shared the single-car entry with Augusto Farfus, Jesse Krohn and Raffaele Marchiello. Therefore, the Jo'Burg-born 29-year old has now won the daunting N24 race three times. His breakthrough N24 victory came back in 2017. Kelvin van der Linde (far left) celebrates with his #98 Rowe BMW teammates this weekend at the Nurburgring. Image: Cruppe C Photography
The 2025 edition of the N24 race was unarguably the most intense in recent years. While previous editions have been hampered by rain and fog delays, the 2025 race unfolded in near-perfect conditions. Nevertheless, a bizarre power outage still necessitated a two-and-a-half-hour red-flag delay.
However, when racing eventually resumed, Kelvin van der Linde was tasked with chasing down the leading #911 Manthey Porsche. With the legendary Kevin Estre at the wheel of the Porsche, a spell-binding chase ensued. And the rapid South African had the unenviable task of closing down a 90-second gap. Eventually, after handing over the BMW to teammate Marchiello, the race was settled in a dramatic moment (watch below) … The 2025 N24 race-defining moment. Video: GT World on YouTube
Don't forget, the N24 is the most unique endurace race of its sort. Owing to the length of the track, there are no full course yellows or safety cars to condense the pack. As such, you don't get any contrived racing. And the way Kelvin van der Linde had to chase down the leader over several hours was utterly spellbinding.
Nevertheless, after heaping tons pressure on the leading Porsche, the race was effectively settled in one moment (watch above). Coming upon a slower back marker, Estre in the #911 Porsche dived for the corner to make the pass. He went up one on a tall curb and collected the Aston Martin, putting the hapless car on its roof as he sped away. The chasing #98 BMW somehow avoided the incident, too, by taking to the grass. And the #911 Manthey team was handed a 100-second penalty. #98 Rowe BMW chased all through the night to close the gap to the #911 Manthey Porsche. Image: Gruppe C Photography
Still, with several hours to go in the race, the Manthey team appealed the stewards' penalty. They argued the Aston Martin driver had turned in on them. Nevertheless, this kept intrigue the whole way through. As such, the #98 BMW kept ahead of the 100-second gap, as the race ebbed and flowed.
Finally, South Africa's Kelvin van der Linde brought the BMW M4 GT3 over the line. And he now heads to Belgium for the Spa 24-Hour race this coming weekend (28-29 June 2025). Impressively, he is one of only seven drivers in the world who is racing all three major endurance races this month. These include the 24 Hours of Le Mans, N24 and Spa 24 Hour.
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