Sun Sep 15 11:21:58 UTC 2024: ## BMW M Motorsport Achieves Historic Podium at Fuji
**Fuji, Japan** – BMW M Motorsport made history at the 6 Hours of Fuji, securing their first ever overall podium in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). The #15 BMW M Hybrid V8, driven by Raffaele Marciello, Dries Vanthoor, and Marco Wittmann, finished second, marking a major milestone for the team in their debut season.
The victory was not without its challenges. The sister car, #20 BMW M Hybrid V8, driven by Robin Frijns, René Rast, and Sheldon van der Linde, was forced to retire early after a collision on the second lap. Despite the setback, the team celebrated the impressive performance of the #15 car.
Adding to the weekend’s success, the #46 BMW M4 GT3, driven by Ahmad Al Harthy, Maxime Martin, and Valentino Rossi, achieved a podium finish in the LMGT3 class after a remarkable comeback from twelfth on the grid. The #31 BMW M4 GT3, driven by Augusto Farfus, Sean Gelael, and Darren Leung, finished tenth after a collision and a drop in pace towards the end of the race.
“A mega weekend for us at Fuji!” said Andreas Roos, Head of BMW M Motorsport. “First podium for BMW M Team WRT and the BMW M Hybrid V8 in our debut season in FIA WEC – simply fantastic.”
The team’s impressive performance at Fuji highlights the progress made by the BMW M Hybrid V8 since its debut earlier this year. The team now looks forward to the final race of the season in Bahrain with confidence.
“It’s great for the project and everyone at BMW M Motorsport to have secured the first Hypercar podium in WEC,” said Raffaele Marciello. “We’ve seen progress throughout the season. After Austin, we thought this track might not be the best for us, but the improvements we made paid off. It’s a big boost for us drivers and the team.”
The historic podium finish at Fuji marks a significant achievement for BMW M Motorsport and sets the stage for an exciting final race of the season in Bahrain.
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