WEC: stage set at Fuji for penultimate round

The FIA World Endurance Championship is heading to Japan for the seventh and penultimate round of an exciting 2024 season, the 6 Hours of Fuji

The spectacular setting of the Fuji Speedway, nestled at the foot of Japan’s highest peak, serves as the stage for the 6 Hours of Fuji, the seventh and penultimate round of an unforgettable 2024 season of the FIA WEC. A key event in the championship, the Fuji Speedway hosts the Japanese round of the FIA WEC for the 11th time this year.

With a length of 4.563 km, Fuji is the second-shortest circuit of the season, after Interlagos. However, the Fuji Speedway is renowned for its endless straight, which stretches for 1.475 km. This is where drivers fully exploit the potential of their cars. Last year, Antonio Fuoco reached a top speed of 333.3 km/h in the Ferrari AF Corse 499P #50. The Fuji Speedway features 16 turns (10 right, 6 left).

The circuit is owned by the Toyota Group in more ways than one. The Japanese company has won nine of the last ten editions of the 6 Hours of Fuji. Only the 2015 edition, won by Porsche, escaped Toyota’s grasp. Last year, the reigning world champion manufacturer achieved a one-two finish, with the #7 Toyota, driven by Kamui Kobayashi, Mike Conway, and José Maria Lopez, winning ahead of the sister car, #8. “We will have many of our Toyota colleagues at the circuit to support us, along with our fans,” says Nyck de Vries, who has replaced the Argentine in the #7 seat. “This will give us extra motivation to make them proud.”

A home victory on its turf—where the GR010 HYBRID power unit is developed at the nearby Higashi-Fuji technical center—would be a first for Toyota this season. The extreme competitiveness of the Hypercar field is evident as the first six rounds of the season have each crowned a different winner, including Toyota’s #7 and #8, winners of the 6 Hours of Imola and the Rolex 6 Hours of São Paulo, respectively.

The entry list for the 6 Hours of Fuji includes 36 cars, 18 Hypercars, and 18 LMGT3s, representing 13 different manufacturers. In the Hypercar category, Alpine has exceptionally decided to field its reserve driver, Jules Gounon, in place of Paul-Loup Chatin in the #35 car to perfect his learning of the A424.

TOTAL SUSPENSE FOR CONSTRUCTORS’ AND DRIVERS’ TITLES
AF Corse’s success at Lone Star Le Mans, ahead of Toyota #7 and Ferrari #50, has shaken up the Hypercar standings. In the Constructors’ Championship, the Japanese brand now leads with 147 points, but by a narrow margin. Toyota is only 11 points ahead of Porsche, which has dropped to second for the first time this season. Third with 128 points, Ferrari is far from giving up in this thrilling title race!

The gaps are even narrower in the Drivers’ Championship. Winners of the inaugural Qatar Airways 1812 km of Qatar with the Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 #6, André Lotterer, Kévin Estre, and Laurens Vanthoor still lead the championship. However, the trio has only a 12-point lead over the drivers of the Toyota #7, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries (Mike Conway is fourth due to his absence from the 24 Hours of Le Mans), and the same lead over Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina, and Nicklas Nielsen, winners of the Le Mans classic with the Ferrari #50.

Following its triumph in Texas at the Circuit of the Americas, the Ferrari #83 of AF Corse has reignited the race for the Hypercar Teams’ World Cup. With two rounds remaining, the yellow-liveried 499P is only 30 points behind the Porsche Hertz Team JOTA #12, winner of the TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. The Porsche Proton Competition #99 and the Porsche Hertz Team JOTA #38 are third and fourth in the standings, respectively.

Thanks to its unmatched consistency with five podiums in six FIA WEC rounds, the Porsche 911 #92 of Manthey PureRxcing sits atop the LMGT3 standings with 118 points. Following its second-place finish in Austin, the Lithuanian team has extended its lead over its sister car, the #91 Manthey EMA, to 28 points. Third with 84 points, the BMW M4 #31 of Team WRT is only three points ahead of the Aston Martin Vantage #27 of Heart of Racing, which earned its first win at Lone Star Le Mans.

The weekend kicks off on Friday, September 13, with qualifying scheduled for Saturday from 7:20 am. The start of the 6 Hours of Fuji will be at 4:00 am on Sunday, September 15.