Suzuka. BMW Motorrad Motorsport and the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team celebrated a historic achievement as the team secured the first-ever podium finish for a European manufacturer at the Suzuka 8 Hours with the #37 BMW M 1000 RR. In extremely challenging conditions, Michael van der Mark, Markus Reiterberger and Steven Odendaal rode to third place. The Japanese endurance classic has been held since 1978, and until the 2026 edition no European brand had ever reached the podium. Among the first to congratulate the team was Markus Flasch, Head of BMW Motorrad, who was on site at Suzuka. The Suzuka 8 Hours marked the third round of the 2026 FIM Endurance World Championship (FIM EWC).
The BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team was also the highest-placed permanent FIM EWC entry. Victory and second place went to all-star line-ups fielded by Honda and Yamaha specifically for this race. In the world championship standings, the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team has therefore continued to close the gap.
The #37 BMW M 1000 RR had already demonstrated its pace in the opening sessions of race week. After the first two qualifying sessions, the trio of van der Mark, Reiterberger and Odendaal held second place. As the traditional Top 10 Trial was cancelled due to adverse weather conditions, they retained second place on the starting grid. From there, the BMW factory trio delivered a composed and consistent race in conditions that alternated between heavy rain and a drying track, while the pit crew once again performed flawlessly. The final half hour was run behind the safety car due to excessive standing water on the circuit. After eight hours of racing, the historic result was secured: a podium finish for the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team.
BMW Motorrad Motorsport Official Team Japan, AutoRace Ube Racing Team, also impressed on home soil. Riding the #76 BMW M 1000 RR, Naomichi Uramoto and Sylvain Guintoli spent much of the race as the leading BMW crew and were on course for a podium finish. However, a penalty dropped them down the order, and they eventually finished fifth. The team’s regular third rider, Hannes Soomer, had suffered a shoulder injury during the private test ahead of the event and was forced to return home early. Christophe Ponsson stepped in for him during qualifying.
BMW also celebrated a podium finish in the Superstock class, where Team Étoile claimed second place with the #25 BMW M 1000 RR. Champion-HERT Powered by MRP finished fourth in class with the #38 BMW M 1000 RR.
The 2026 FIM EWC season finale, the 24-hour Bol d’Or, will take place on 19/20th September at Le Castellet.
Markus Flasch, Head of BMW Motorrad: “What an absolutely incredible race! I couldn’t be prouder of what the entire team has achieved here at Suzuka. This is the most important event of the year for the Japanese manufacturers, and they line up with stars from MotoGP and WorldSBK. Yet BMW Motorrad, with our full-season FIM EWC team, has managed to stand on the podium here. In incredibly difficult conditions, Mickey, Markus, Steven and the entire team led by Werner Daemen have made history. BMW is the first European manufacturer ever to finish on the Suzuka podium – thank you to everyone for your total commitment and determination!”
Sven Blusch, Head of BMW Motorrad Motorsport: “Today is a historic day for BMW Motorrad. After 47 years, we have become the first non-Japanese manufacturer to reach the podium at Suzuka. That makes us incredibly proud. The team at the circuit did a fantastic job, and our riders kept their composure even in the most challenging conditions. I would also like to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone back home who was supporting us. This result is hugely important for us. We were determined to finish on the podium here, we are back in the fight for the championship, and we have proved that the BMW M 1000 RR is competitive even in Honda’s home territory. Congratulations to Honda on a well-deserved victory. From tomorrow onwards, our full focus will be on the season finale, the Bol d’Or. A special thank you goes to our three riders, who kept cool heads throughout the race – and especially to Mickey, who brought it home in commanding fashion at the end. We are simply incredibly proud!”
Christian Gonschor, Technical Director BMW Motorrad Motorsport: “It fills me with pride that we are the first European manufacturer ever to put a motorcycle on the podium at Suzuka. The fact that both the #37 and the #76 BMW M 1000 RRs finished in the top five further highlights the tremendous potential of our bike. It was fantastic to see throughout the entire practice week that the BMW M 1000 RR had the pace to fight for victory in dry conditions. The persistent rain during the race changed the picture somewhat. On wet tyres, we were not quite able to maximise our potential in the same way as we could have on slicks. Even so, Steven, Markus and Mickey did an outstanding job in these extremely difficult conditions and thoroughly deserved to finish on the podium as the highest-placed permanent FIM EWC team. They perfectly represent our team spirit: never give up and always stand together as one team. That is what defines us, and I would like to thank the riders, Werner Daemen, our crew chief Romain LaMonica, the team leaders in Munich, and the entire team. We now have one shared goal: we head into the Bol d’Or 19 points behind in the championship. It is a difficult challenge, but one we believe is achievable. We believe we can win the world title!”
Werner Daemen, Team Manager BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team: “It’s a milestone for us and for all the European brands, especially for BMW. We’ve been working since 2020 to achieve this. Last year we were very close; this year we made the podium, and I’m 100 percent sure that if it stays like this, next year we can go for the victory as well. I’m very, very happy.”
Michael van der Mark, BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team: “I think we can be really proud of third place. All week we’ve been so strong and to be on the podium here at Suzuka is amazing. I enjoyed it so much, even if my last stint was a bit boring because we stayed a long time behind the safety car. I was having fun with the bike; the track conditions weren’t changing much, and even when they did, we were really fast. It was nice to be quick and fight for the podium. At the end, the race direction made the right call to bring out the safety car as it had already been quite tricky for a few laps with too much rain. It’s just nice to finish on the podium with my team and with BMW. We’ve been working really hard all winter, and since the day we arrived here all three of us have been very fast. It’s a nice present for the whole team and for BMW to be on the podium at Suzuka.”
Markus Reiterberger, BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team: “Finally we reached the podium in Suzuka. I’ve been here for many years on this bike with this team – finally we did it. Congratulations to the whole team; they deserve it. It’s been a really long and hard road. We hoped for dry conditions because I think we could have done even more, but in the wet it was not so easy for us. The team did an outstanding job, and we’re back in the game for the world championship which is the most important thing.”
Steven Odendaal, BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team: “I just want to say a massive thanks to the team. Everyone worked as hard as they could. We’re here to fight for the victory, and third place is a great job. Credit to my teammates – they did an outstanding job. We’re looking forward to coming back next year.”