Toyota Gazoo Racing enters this weekend’s 6 Hours of Fuji looking to build on their 11-point lead in the World Endurance Championship manufacturers’ standings in their home race.
New Zealander Brendon Hartley joins Ryo Hirakawa and Sebastien Buemi for the outing, looking to bounce back from their first non-point-scoring round of 2024 in Lone Star Le Mans, where a puncture and two penalties took them out of contention at Circuit of the Americas.
The reigning drivers’ champions sit 55 points behind Andre Lotterer, Kevin Estre, and Laurens Vanthoor in the 2024 standings, with their title defence hanging in the balance. A maximum of 65 points remain up for grabs over the final two races.
However, history is on Toyota’s side in Japan, with the manufacturer having won nine of the last ten World Endurance Championship races at home, including the previous six.
“I love racing in Japan, particularly at Fuji,” said Hartley. “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.”
Kamui Kobayashi and Mike Conway won the 2023 6 Hours of Fuji in the #8 GR010 Hybrid with Jose Maria Lopez and return this year with former Formula 1 driver Nyck De Vries.
Conway, Kobayashi, and Nyck de Vries are aiming for their second win of 2024 to strengthen their World Championship chances. They finished a close second in Austin following a late penalty. Those points brought Kobayashi and De Vries back into world title contention, just 12 points behind the #6 Porsche crew. Conway is playing a supporting role after missing Le Mans.
“Everyone in the team is looking forward to our home race,” said Kobayashi, who doubles as a driver and Team Principal.
“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 in Fuji 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.”
New Zealander Earl Bamber also features in this weekend’s race, driving for Cadillac Racing with Alex Lynn. The duo finished fourth at Lone Star Le Mans, climbing to 12th in the drivers’ championship standings.
Qualifying for the 6 Hours of Fuji begins at 5.40 pm NZST on Saturday before the race starts at 2.00 pm on Sunday.
Live coverage can be viewed with a paid subscription to the WEC app.
Header Image: Toyota Gazoo Racing
