The FIA World Endurance Championship is heading to Japan for the seventh and penultimate spherical of an thrilling 2024 season, the 6 Hours of Fuji
The spectacular setting of the Fuji Speedway, nestled on the foot of Japan’s highest peak, serves because the stage for the 6 Hours of Fuji, the seventh and penultimate spherical of an unforgettable 2024 season of the FIA WEC. A key occasion within the championship, the Fuji Speedway hosts the Japanese spherical of the FIA WEC for the eleventh time this 12 months.
With a size of 4.563 km, Fuji is the second-shortest circuit of the season, after Interlagos. Nevertheless, the Fuji Speedway is famend for its infinite straight, which stretches for 1.475 km. That is the place drivers absolutely exploit the potential of their vehicles. Final 12 months, Antonio Fuoco reached a prime pace of 333.3 km/h within the Ferrari AF Corse 499P #50. The Fuji Speedway options 16 turns (10 proper, 6 left).
The circuit is owned by the Toyota Group in additional methods than one. The Japanese firm has received 9 of the final ten editions of the 6 Hours of Fuji. Solely the 2015 version, received by Porsche, escaped Toyota’s grasp. Final 12 months, the reigning world champion producer achieved a one-two end, with the #7 Toyota, pushed by Kamui Kobayashi, Mike Conway, and José Maria Lopez, successful forward of the sister automotive, #8. “We can have lots of our Toyota colleagues on the circuit to assist us, together with our followers,” says Nyck de Vries, who has changed the Argentine within the #7 seat. “This may give us additional motivation to make them proud.”
A house victory on its turf—the place the GR010 HYBRID energy unit is developed on the close by Higashi-Fuji technical heart—could be a primary for Toyota this season. The acute competitiveness of the Hypercar discipline is clear as the primary six rounds of the season have every topped a special winner, together with Toyota’s #7 and #8, winners of the 6 Hours of Imola and the Rolex 6 Hours of São Paulo, respectively.
The entry listing for the 6 Hours of Fuji contains 36 vehicles, 18 Hypercars, and 18 LMGT3s, representing 13 completely different producers. Within the Hypercar class, Alpine has exceptionally determined to discipline its reserve driver, Jules Gounon, rather than Paul-Loup Chatin within the #35 automotive to excellent his studying of the A424.
TOTAL SUSPENSE FOR CONSTRUCTORS’ AND DRIVERS’ TITLES
AF Corse’s success at Lone Star Le Mans, forward of Toyota #7 and Ferrari #50, has shaken up the Hypercar standings. Within the Constructors’ Championship, the Japanese model now leads with 147 factors, however by a slender margin. Toyota is just 11 factors forward of Porsche, which has dropped to second for the primary time this season. Third with 128 factors, Ferrari is much from giving up on this thrilling title race!
The gaps are even narrower within 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 nonetheless lead the championship. Nevertheless, the trio has solely a 12-point lead over the drivers of the Toyota #7, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries (Mike Conway is fourth as a result of his absence from the 24 Hours of Le Mans), and the identical lead over Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina, and Nicklas Nielsen, winners of the Le Mans basic with the Ferrari #50.
Following its triumph in Texas on the Circuit of the Americas, the Ferrari #83 of AF Corse has reignited the race for the Hypercar Groups’ World Cup. With two rounds remaining, the yellow-liveried 499P is just 30 factors behind the Porsche Hertz Crew JOTA #12, winner of the TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. The Porsche Proton Competitors #99 and the Porsche Hertz Crew JOTA #38 are third and fourth within the standings, respectively.
Because of its unmatched consistency with 5 podiums in six FIA WEC rounds, the Porsche 911 #92 of Manthey PureRxcing sits atop the LMGT3 standings with 118 factors. Following its second-place end in Austin, the Lithuanian staff has prolonged its lead over its sister automotive, the #91 Manthey EMA, to twenty-eight factors. Third with 84 factors, the BMW M4 #31 of Crew WRT is just three factors forward of the Aston Martin Vantage #27 of Coronary 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 beginning of the 6 Hours of Fuji will likely be at 4:00 am on Sunday, September 15.
