6 Hours of Fuji: Preview

Toyota Gazoo Racing take their battle for the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) titles to Japan this week when the season moves on to its finishing stretch with the 6 Hours of Fuji.

An epic contest for honours between Ferrari, Porsche and Toyota Gazoo Racing arrives in Japan for the penultimate race of 2024 on Sunday (15 September), when a competitive field of 18 Hypercars will compete at Fuji Speedway. 

Second place in the Lone Star Le Mans in Austin earlier this month moved the team to the top of the manufacturers’ standings as they target their sixth consecutive crown. Porsche are 11 points behind and Ferrari eight further back, with only the Fuji race and a season finale in Bahrain on 2 November remaining. 

Last year’s Fuji winners Mike Conway and Kamui Kobayashi, alongside Nyck de Vries, aim for a second win of 2024 to strengthen their World Championship chances. The No7 GR010 Hybrid finished a close second in Austin following a late penalty and those points brought Kobayashi and de Vries back into world title contention, just 12 points behind the No6 Porsche crew. Conway is playing a supporting role after having had to miss Le Mans earlier in the season. 

World Champions Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa won at Fuji in 2022 in their No8 GR010 Hybrid. This week they are hoping to recover from their first non-scoring race of the year in Austin, after an accident and subsequent penalties ruined their chances. 

As reigning World Champions, Toyota Gazoo Racing have won nine of the ten WEC races in Japan since returning to top-level endurance racing in 2012, including a run of six consecutive victories since 2016, making Fuji Speedway the team’s most successful circuit. 

The historic circuit, located around 60 miles west of Tokyo, hosts Toyota Gazoo Racing’s home race, and the hybrid powertrain used in the GR010 Hybrid is designed, developed and built at the nearby Higashi-Fuji Technical Center, 

The 2024-specification GR010 Hybrids will have their first taste of Fuji Speedway on Friday when free practice begins with two 90-minute sessions, prior to a one-hour third practice on Saturday morning. The starting grid will be decided in qualifying and Hyperpole, which starts at 3pm local time (7am BST) on Saturday. The Six Hours of Fuji starts at 11am (3am BST) on Sunday.

Kamui Kobayashi (Team Principal and driver, car No7): “Everyone in the team is looking forward to our home race. It is very important; after Le Mans, Fuji is the second most significant race of the season for us. As a Japanese driver and as a Japanese manufacturer, competing here is very important, plus it’s great to meet our Japanese fans. We have always been strong there and we have a fantastic record, with nine wins. Of course, we want to keep that successful run going in front of our fans, partners and colleagues.”

Mike Conway (driver, car no7): “I really look forward to our home event, not just the race at Fuji, but to be there representing Toyota, which is special. Japan is one of my favourite countries and Tokyo is one of my favourite cities, so it is great being there with our Japanese colleagues. We always have a good time there and I can’t wait for that. Fuji is also one of my favourite circuits; it’s tricky, especially the last sector. We are aiming to maintain our momentum and keep our winning streak going.”

Nyck de Vries (driver, car No7): “We are obviously excited to be heading to our home race in Fuji. It is a very significant weekend for us in front of our home crowd as well as all our colleagues and partners in Japan. We will give them a warm welcome at the track and hopefully a performance to cheer. I have been to Fuji before and had some success in LMP2, but this is my first race there as a Toyota Gazoo Racing driver so I’m looking forward to the experience. We are approaching the end of the season, and the championship is getting tighter, so it will be another important race.”

Sébastien Buemi (driver, car No8): “We always enjoy going to Japan and we have been successful at Fuji in the past, so I can’t wait to be back. The track is quite challenging. There is a long straight with the possibility for overtaking, then the first sector is really high speed. The last sector is very tricky and difficult on the rear tyres, with slow speed corners where you need good traction. We will work hard to make sure we get the most out of the car because it is going to be a very important race for the championship.”

Brendon Hartley (driver, car No8): “I love racing in Japan, particularly at Fuji. I enjoy everything around the event and before the race we have the chance to meet our partners and visit the Toyota factories which is cool. It’s always special putting on a Toyota race suit in front of our home fans, whose support has helped us have huge success at Fuji. It is an interesting track which is tough to master. There are fast corners, but the last section is tricky because it is off-camber and you need to look after the rear tyres. We are lucky to have Kamui and Ryo because they know it very well and they teach us all the secrets.”

Ryo Hirakawa (driver, car #8): “Fuji is our second priority race of the year after Le Mans, so it is always a big one for the team. As a Japanese driver it is always special to race at home, especially after I spent so many years racing in Super Formula and Super GT. Fuji really is a home track for me and it’s always a fun experience. Hopefully we can achieve another one-two, like we did in the last two years. It will be challenging as always but we are all really motivated to get a strong result in front of our partners and fans, as well as some of my friends and family.”

ENDS