BMW M Team WRT takes fifth podium of the season at Fuji as #32 M4 GT3 EVO wins LMGT3
Kevin Magnussen, Raffaele Marciello and Dries Vanthoor finished third in the #15 BMW M Hybrid V8 at the 6 Hours of Fuji, while Augusto Farfus charged from sixth to win LMGT3 in the #32 BMW M4 GT3 EVO.
- 3rd
- 14th
- 1st
- 13th
What Happened
BMW M Team WRT celebrated its fifth podium of the season at the sixth round of the FIA World Endurance Championship at Fuji Speedway. Kevin Magnussen, Raffaele Marciello and Dries Vanthoor finished third in the #15 BMW M Hybrid V8 at the 6 Hours of Fuji, giving that car its third podium of the season. In LMGT3, the Team WRT #32 BMW M4 GT3 EVO won after BMW M works driver Augusto Farfus fought from sixth place to the lead in the closing stages.
Qualifying was cancelled due to heavy rain, so the #15 BMW M Hybrid V8 started the race from 14th on the grid.
With flawless performances from Magnussen, Marciello and Vanthoor plus a strong strategy, the #15 worked into the top ten step by step, and a safety car period in the final hour moved BMW M Team WRT into podium contention.
Vanthoor brought the #15 car home third; the #20 Shell BMW M Hybrid V8 finished 13th and the #32 BMW M4 GT3 EVO won LMGT3.
- 3rd in Hypercar
- 13th
- 1st in LMGT3
The #20 Shell BMW M Hybrid V8 of René Rast, Robin Frijns and Sheldon van der Linde had a difficult weekend, dropping well down the order after several contacts through no fault of their own after almost two hours and eventually finishing 13th. Rast and Frijns, who travelled to Fuji as championship leaders, now occupy third place in the drivers' standings, directly ahead of Magnussen and Marciello. BMW M Motorsport retained second place in the manufacturers' standings.
In LMGT3, Darren Leung and Sean Gelael quickly brought the #32 BMW M4 GT3 EVO from 14th on the grid into the fight for the podium positions. The final safety car period initially dropped Farfus back to sixth, but he delivered a brilliant finish with a series of spectacular overtakes to lead Team WRT to its second LMGT3 victory of the season; the sister car had triumphed at Imola. The #69 BMW M4 GT3 EVO of Dan Harper, Parker Thompson and Anthony McIntosh led the category at one point but had to settle for sixth after the final safety car period and an unfortunate pit stop.
“The #15 BMW M Hybrid V8 drove a very strong race. To make it onto the podium from such an unfavourable starting position is an impressive achievement, and I am very pleased with it. We have now lost some ground in the championship, but we will keep fighting.”
“But then we had a flying stint from Augusto, who drove from P6 to the lead. That was an incredible drive.”
Why this matters
The result keeps BMW M Team WRT in the hunt at the sixth round of the FIA WEC, but the #20 crew's difficult race cost Rast and Frijns the drivers' championship lead. BMW M Motorsport stays second in the manufacturers' standings with the season still open.
Terms in This Story
- LMGT3
- A GT3-spec car category raced within the FIA World Endurance Championship.
- Hypercar
- The top class of the FIA World Endurance Championship, for the fastest prototype cars.
- safety car period
- A race neutralisation in which the safety car leads the field at reduced speed, often closing up the gaps.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.