The FIA World Endurance Championship, makes its way to "the land of the Rising Sun"... Japan, for the 6 Hours of Fuji, at Fuji Speedway. The famous, Mount Fuji, provides the backdrop, for this race.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Fuji
The track itself, is set in the foothills and was built in the 1960s.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuji_Speedway
Several sports car racing legends, hold lap records at this track. The late, great Stefan Bellof, set the record in the World Sports Car Championship driving a Porsche 956 on October 1st, 1983. That lap record of 1:10 seconds flat, just reached it's 32 year anniversary a short while ago. Other record setting sports car aces at this track include Kazuyoshi Hoshino, setting the record in the Japanese Sports Prototype Championship for Nissan, with their ultra fast Nissan R92CP at 1:14 flat. Still four seconds slower, than Bellof.
Japan native and former Formula One and sports car driver, Ukyo Katayama, set the Le Mans Prototype lap record in a factory Toyota GT One, at 1:16.349 in November, 1999. Andre Lotterer holds the record here, for current LMP1 machinery, setting the mark in 2013, for the FIA World Endurance Championship at the wheel of his Audi R18 eTron Quattro. That time (1:26.235), is a full ten seconds off of Katayama's mark, (because of the change in technology), and also, a dozen seconds off Hoshino's lap, and a further 12 seconds south of Stefan Bellof's Group C record.
Bertrand Baguette and Darren Turner, are the other two modern sports car drivers, to set lap records at Mount Fuji in LMP2 and LM GTE respectively. Baguette drove a Morgan Nissan in the 2013 edition of this race to a fastest lap of 1:32.350, while Turner, (in that same event), clocked a fastest time through the beacons of 1:38.605. So, for sports cars, we know this track is fast. An additional record, is held in Japanese Le Mans Championship competition, (for LMP1 cars), by Japan's Shinsuke Yamazaki in a Zytek chassis, set in 2007.
Other records can be found for production based Super GT cars and Super Taikyu. These records were set in Japanese GT Championship/GT500, Japanese GT Championship/GT 300, Super GT (GT500), and Super GT (GT300) classes. Two of those records were set this year, and one, has stood, since 2003. Much like the Suzuka circuit, also in Japan, Fuji has corner names, and some are named after sponsors, while others, are designated by the degree of the corner.
Turn 1: First corner, 27R
Turn 2: 75R
Turn 3: Coca Cola corner, 80R
Turn 4: 100R
Turn 5: Hairpin, 30R
Turn 6: 120R
Turn 7: 300R
Turn 8: Dunlop corner, 15R
Turn 9: 30R
Turn 10: 45R
Turn 11: Netz corner, 25R
Turn 12: Panasonic corner, 12R
Audi started off hugely this year. But, Porsche has come back, strong. Toyota are the defending champs of the 6 Hours of Fuji, but, they want to turn their 2015 campaign around, with only three races left, including today. Toyota has won all three races here at their home track. Full focus is on points. Anyone can still win this championship. Audi #7 leads. But the #17 Porsche wants more. Nick Tandy is back at KCMG for this race in LMP2. The two G Drive cars are also close.
In LM GTE Pro, Ferrari leads by two points over Porsche. The Balance of Performance, has been updated. SMP Racing has 35 points in hand for the LM GTE Am championship. In GTE Pro, Porsche will have five kilograms heavier. Aston Martin has a larger air restriector, and the Chevrolet Corvette C-7-R- will be 20 kilograms lighter.
In qualifying, Larbre Competition tried for the pole in GTE Am, but were disqualified. SMP Racing has pole. AF Corse has pole for the LM GTE Pro class. In LMP2, G Drive has pole with the #26 Ligier JS P2 Nissan. Porsche has pole in LMP1. #17 of Mark Webber, Brendon Hartley, and Timo Bernhard, have pole. There's a chance of rain., We are ready, for the 6 Hours of Fuji... next!
The cars wait on the grid. The weather will be a factor. The safety car will lead the field for the start. We will start, slowly. Viktor Shaitar is promoted to pole on the LM GTE Am class. Paolo Ruberti will start the Corvette that was demoted. There is no formation lap according to race director Edoardo Freitas. Stand by for action. Green flag! The race has begun, behind the safety car. The clock has started for the 6 Hours of Fuji as Yojiro Terada waves the green flag.
All 31 cars away from the echelon start. It's a huge motorsport weekend this weekend. People are exploring the circuit, as it's wet, here at Mount Fuji. Kazuki Nakajima starts the #1 Toyota TS040. HHybrid, and a quick spin for the #12 Rebellion of Mathias Beche. Oh dear! Christian Ried spins the #88 Porsche 911 RSR through 100R. James Calado in the #71 Ferrari 458 Italia, is being told to be careful with the gearbox.
Seventeen minutes, have already elapsed, under the safety car. Porsche, Audi, Toyota, the top six, so far. Each team is in order. The field is gauging the grip behind the new Audi R8 safety car. The #28 of Gustavo Yacaman, pits. Lots of drivers are weaving their cars to find wet spots for their intermediate tires. Standing water runs off of the elevation spots. Keeping the tires cool, is a good plan. The mountains are in full sunshine. Hmmm. Could the weather be changing? James Calado in the #71 Ferrari 458 Italia is still having transmission issues.
Many cars do not like upshifting or downshifting if you are on full throttle. The #28 car of Yacaman was reported to the stewards for speeding in pit lane as #72 spins, and Stuart Hall spins the #96 Aston Martin V8 Vantage at 100R. Stefan Mucke is driving one of the Aston Martin's. The clouds are clearing up. It's not cold at all, and it's going to get steamy and humid, soon. Mark Webber continues to lead. This is a safety car, not a full course yellow. Clear the standing water. One of the rivers is gone between turns six and seven. That's between 120R and 300R.
Visibility is a problem. Wait for the start of the race, and just keep running laps. Audi can change their four wheel drive settings, based on the weather. We watch ESM and Ryan Dalziel replaces Scott Sharp in the #30 machine. Johannes van Overbeek is in the sister car (#31). Larbre Competition is catching up under the safety car. They are 23rd in the overall. The Porsche's still lead the Audi's and the Toyota's. The track is not quite safe enough yet to race at full speed.
It's a good opportunity to get every driver into the car, and cycle through minimum drive times. Conditions are improving. Scott Sharp finds the edge of adhesion on the inside of the corner. No change in track conditions. Oliver Jarvis has no visibility right now. Visibility is at a premium. There is no question. It's still raining in the foothills of Mount Fuji. The safety car has been told to pick up speed. The #13 Rebellion quickly went off and damaged the bodywork.
The minimum drive time in LMP2 is an hour and 15 minutes for the amateur drivers, and an hour and 45 minutes in LM GTE Am. There's blue sky there, somewhere. The clouds are breaking up. The safety car is instructed to go at full speeed. Let's book it, boys. Patrick Pilet in the #92 Porsche is going for it, and the safety car will enter pit lane. Here we go! It's time to race! The race is on! 1,000 horsepower in the wet!
One Audi tries to outbrake into turn one. Mark Webber is trying to open a gap, but he runs wide, and grazes the outside! Audi leads! Marcel Fassler has the lead. Toyota is pushing, too. Oliver Jarvis comes to second. Toyota's are up to third and fourth! Porsche has fallen down the order. Fassler will lead through Panasonic. Three wide into turn one. Mark Webber goes through on his team mate, Romain Dumas, in car #18. Oliver Webb leads LMP2 over Paul Lpup Chatin. Stuart Hall gets passed by Johnny Adam in the LM GTE Am class, in a battle of Aston Martin's.
Porsche is battling with their two cars in LM GTE Pro, and in LMP1. Webber tries Kazuki Nakajima, and Alex Wuez tries to pass, too. No dice. The conditions are a nightmare! Romain Dumas spins after contact with Alex Wurz! Has Wurz got a dive plane missing? Has he got a cut tire? Marcel Fassler is going well. Could this be Audi's race to lead and win? We'll find out. Kazuki Nakajima explores the outer limits of turn one. Mark Webber wants to pass him. Mark Webber has fans, too, here, from his Formula One days.
Emmanuelle Collard and Viktor Shaitar are playing dodge 'em cars with their Ferrari's, as the #28 car gets a penalty for speeding in the pit lane. Stuart Hall uses two Ferrari's as a pick, and slams the Aston Martin V8 Vantage into the LM GTE Am lead! Nakajima and Webber still battle. Webber is trying to rely on mechanical grip, and there's not much of it. The Toyota has an advantage. Webber is gaining, and alongside Nakajima. Who gets the spot? Webber goes through on Kazuki Nakajima! Nakajima forces the issue, and makes the pass!
This is wild. Racing in the rain, with Prototypes. This is what sprots car racing is all about! Webber slides off the track slightly, and Romain Dumas is chomping at the bit to get by his team mate. This is amazing stuff! The LMP1 battle is incredible. The two Porsche's are trying to make inroads on the leading Audi. Toni Vilander is trying to defend from the Porsche 911 RSR's. Patrick Pilet has gone to second in class. James Calado leads in the sister AF Corse Ferrari. This is wild racing, and it has indeed begun, after running 17 solid laps under safety car conditions, to begin this event.
Audi has great handling in the wet with high downforce. Porsche is getting into a better rhythm towards the end of the first hour. 1,000 horsepower for these LMP1 hybrids. Amazing! The 1,000 horsepower limit imposed on LMP1 is on class two circuits, (Le Mans). Every other track in the FIA WEC is class one. The pace of development of the hybrid systems will carry on, on other circuits. Battery powered hybrid systems will come online. New cars from Toyota and Audi, and, a revised Porsche for 2016.
Nick Tandy passes Sam Bird in LMP2. The sun is peaking out near the Coca Cola curve. It's still damp in Oliver Jarvis' Audi R18 eTron Quattro. It is hard to see through the windshields of these cars. So, use the side windows to get the braking points. 1,000 horsepower does not always mean more boost and better lap times. Increase tire and aerodynamic development. Stuart Hall leads LM GTE Am. No umbrellas for now. Sunshine on the circuit. James Calado leads. But Michael Christensen and Patrick Pilet are hot on his heels.
We've run eleven laps so far. Johannes van Overbeek flashes the lights on the #31 Ligier JS P2 Honda.
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