Kevin Magnussen scores WEC points in challenging Texas race

A tough Sunday for the Danish BMW factory driver, who was unable to repeat his strong results from earlier in the season at the six-hour race in Austin – but still managed to secure valuable points for the World Championship battle.

It was not the result Kevin Magnussen and the rest of BMW M Team WRT had hoped for in the fifth round of the FIA World Endurance Championship. The Dane crossed the finish line in eighth place at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, where the German manufacturer had already acknowledged during the build-up to the race that it lacked the pace to fight for victory.

Magnussen both started and finished the six-hour race, which took place in gruelling temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius. A sudden rain shower shortly before the start, along with several neutralisations throughout the race, added to an eventful and unpredictable contest.

Although Magnussen and teammates Dries Vanthoor and Raffaele Marciello were unable to challenge for the top positions as they had done with victory in Brazil and second place in Belgium earlier in the season, the trio still managed to make strong progress through the field.

Starting from 11th on the grid, the #15 BMW M Hybrid V8 worked its way into the top five before the final stint. However, following another restart with around 45 minutes remaining, Magnussen struggled to match the pace of his closest rivals and eventually had to settle for eighth place.

– Unfortunately, we weren’t able to build on our strong first half of the World Championship season at this track and in these conditions. Eighth place was obviously not the result we had hoped for, but we already knew before the race that it was going to be difficult here, says Kevin Magnussen.

– At the same time, we didn’t have a perfect race either, so there are a few things we need to go home and analyse to make sure we come back stronger. The positive is that we still managed to score some points and retain our position in the World Championship standings.

Following the fifth round of the FIA World Endurance Championship, Magnussen, Vanthoor and Marciello remain sixth in the provisional Drivers’ Championship standings, while BMW holds second place in the Manufacturers’ Championship. With three rounds remaining, the fight for the World Championship titles remains wide open. The next round of the championship takes place at Fuji Speedway in Japan on 27 September.