The FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) will be held at Fuji Speedway for the first time in three years, and TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s (TGR) hypercar GR010 HYBRID will challenge its first race at its home course, Fuji Speedway.
About two months after the previous round at Monza, the 2022 WEC season has only two out of six rounds left. Round 5 will now be held at Fuji Speedway in Shizuoka Prefecture as a 6-hour race. Fuji Speedway is located at the foot of Mt.Fuji, about 100km west of Tokyo, and the WEC race will be held for the first time since 2019. TGR is aiming for their fifth straight win at their home course, Fuji.
The 2020 WEC season has seen intense close-quarters competition in the four races so far. At the end of July’s dramatic 4th round at Monza, Italy, TGR remained at the top of the manufacturers’ standings, 15 points behind second-placed Alpine. there is
The No. 8 GR010 HYBRID driven by Sebastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley, and Ryo Hirakawa, who won the 24 Hours of Le Mans this season, finished 2nd in the previous round at Monza, and finished 2nd in the driver’s ranking, 10 points behind leader Alpine. chasing in rank. Meanwhile, the #7 car of 2021 WEC champions Kamui Kobayashi, Mike Conway and José María López was aiming for their second win of the season and was leading until the end of the race, but was hit by another car. Finished in 3rd place.
Kobayashi and Hirakawa are already competing in Super Formula races at Fuji Speedway this year. At the season opener in April, Hirakawa won his first win at Fuji since winning at SUPER GT in 2020.
The 2021 GR010 HYBRID, which was the first hypercar to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans, has appeared at events as a display car, but this weekend, it will finally race in front of Japanese fans. The appearance of fighting is shown for the first time.
The WEC race here at Fuji is more than just a home race for the team. The powertrain of the GR010 HYBRID was developed and manufactured at the Higashi-Fuji Research Institute, which is located near the Fuji Speedway. This weekend will be the first opportunity for many of our Higashi-Fuji mates to see the GR010 HYBRID racing in action.
The 4.563km Fuji Speedway is the shortest circuit of the WEC this season, but it has a long main straight of 1.5km. And it is also the most successful circuit. The only time they didn’t win was in 2015, a tough season for TGR.
Historically, Fuji Speedway has played a very important role in the development of Toyota’s endurance racing vehicles. Toyota’s first full-scale sports car, the Toyota 2000GT proved its speed and durability in the 1967 24-hour race and the 1000km race, winning both races. In 1968 and 1969, the legendary Toyota 7, which colored the dawn of Toyota’s motor sports, won the 1000km race.
In the 1980s, the Le Mans-style endurance race series began to be held in Japan, and Toyota, which returned to sports car racing by participating in the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship, became a regular in the center of the podium at Fuji Speedway. rice field. In 1982, the World Sportscar Championship was held for the first time at Fuji Speedway.
Fuji Speedway, located at the foot of Mt. Fuji, underwent a large-scale renovation in 2005, and the course layout was also changed. . And now, Fuji Speedway, the circuit located closest to the Tokyo metropolitan area, is in the process of being built as a museum, driving center, various entertainment facilities, hotels, etc., in order to grow as a new comprehensive motor sports resort facility. .
For the first time, enthusiastic Japanese motorsports fans will be able to watch the hypercars running at Fuji Speedway during two 90-minute official practice sessions on Friday, September 9th. from the session. On the following day, the 10th (Saturday), preparations for qualifying and the final race will be completed in the final practice session in the morning, and qualifying for the hypercar class will be held from 3:00 pm. The 6-hour final race will start at 11:00 am Japan time on the 11th (Sun).
Kamui Kobayashi (Team representative and driver of Car 7)
I am very excited to finally be able to see the GR010 HYBRID actually racing in front of the Japanese fans for the first time. It’s a pity that there hasn’t been a WEC Japan round in the past few years, but that’s what makes this weekend special. Not only the race, but it is also an opportunity to meet Toyota’s colleagues, especially the members of the GR powertrain development department at Higashi-Fuji, and the Japanese partners, who are very important to the team. I would like to express my gratitude to you. Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough speed in the previous race in Monza, and unfortunately we missed the win, so we need to be stronger and challenge Fuji. Of course, our goal as a team is to win both titles, but we also want to win this weekend. The hypercar battle is heating up and the race will be a challenging melee, but it will make the team stronger. I will do my best to return to the center of the podium in front of the Japanese fans.
Mike Conway (Car No. 7 driver)
It feels like it’s been a long time since the race at Monza, but in the meantime, we’ll be refreshed and well-prepared for the remaining two races. It’s hard to say that it’s been our best season so far for us in car No. 7, but we want to keep pushing as hard as we can and have a clean race to fight for the lead at Fuji. Fuji is our home race and we have won many races so far so hopefully we can repeat that this year, but Monza proved that it will not be easy. The level of competition for hypercars is getting tougher, and above all, the No. 8 car will always be the strongest rival. I will do my best so that Japanese fans can see the best race.
Jose Maria Lopez (Car No. 7 driver)
I am happy to be able to go to Japan again. It’s a great place to race and best of all, to spend time with Japan’s passionate motorsport fans. By visiting Japan, the home of TOYOTA GAZOO Racing, as a member of the team, it is also a special event where you can meet many Japanese friends who are difficult to come to European races. Fuji is a great circuit and I have fond memories of racing there. The layout with long straights is a good match for our car, which excels at high speed performance, and I think it will be a weekend where we can have a strong fight.
Sebastien Buemi (Car No. 8 driver)
Fuji is a special race for us, and I’ve been lucky enough to have three wins, so it’s a good match for me personally. Naturally, this is a very important race for the team, and it will be our first WEC race since 2019, so it is important to have a strong race at our home race at Fuji. My friends at Higashifuji are a big part of the team, so I’m looking forward to seeing them again, and I’ll do my best to celebrate with them. Hypercar competition is getting tougher this season, so it won’t be easy, but you have to find the right set-up and have a clean race.
Brendon Hartley (Car No. 8 driver)
It’s been a long time since we won in 2019 and I’m so excited to finally be back at Fuji. The enthusiastic Japanese fans always create a unique atmosphere, and most of all, it’s a home event for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing, so I feel really welcomed. Fuji is a course with a famous long straight, so I think it will be a great feeling to drive the GR010 HYBRID at full throttle on that 1.5km straight in front of your home country fans. There are only two races left in the season, but in the drivers’ championship we are trailing by 10 points, so our goal is to close that gap, and it would be great if we could achieve that with a win.
Ryo Hirakawa (Car No. 8 driver)
The Fuji round is my first WEC race in my home country and I am really looking forward to racing in front of the Japanese fans. I myself have raced at Fuji many times since I was a junior in SUPER GT and Super Formula, and I know Fuji better than any other circuit in the WEC series. And after some good races and a win this season already, I feel well prepared for this weekend. With two races left in the season, we are fighting for both the Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ Championships and will continue to push at Fuji. Our goal is clear and we just want to do our best to win.
Category: F1 / Toyota / WEC (FIA World Endurance Championship)