There could hardly be a more dramatic or perfect setting for the next round of the 2016 FIA World Endurance Championship as the season enters its crucial final three events.
Fuji Speedway typically delivers sensational racing and acts as a spectacular stage for the diverse WEC performers to create another memorable endurance drama.
All eyes will be on the title battle which could see drivers from any of the three LMP1 manufacturers lift the winner’s trophies. However, the favourites have to be the No.2 Porsche Team crew of Neel Jani, Romain Dumas and Marc Lieb who have gathered points consistently this season to enjoy a 37.5-point advantage with a maximum of 78 to play for. In all reality, their rivals for the 2016 silverware look likely to need one non-finish from this trio to get a chance of overtaking them before the end of the season in Bahrain.
The reigning champions – Mark Webber, Brendon Hartley and Timo Bernhard in the No.1 Porsche 919 Hybrid – will be going for a fourth consecutive victory. If they do so it would mirror last season’s achievement when they embarked on a run of four wins to solidify their title quest.
If the title battle will be in sharp focus at Fuji, the fortunes of the Toyota Gazoo Racing squad will be keenly followed as they race on home soil and in front of their adoring fans.
The two new Toyota TS 050 HYBRID contenders have had varying luck in the previous six rounds so far this year, with the No.5 car in particular suffering the most misfortune, principally at Le Mans, Mexico City and last time out in Texas.
With two home-grown heroes in the shape of Kamui Kobayashi and Kazuki Nakajima the committed and passionate Japanese fans will have plenty to cheer for at their home event.
Audi will be striving to be in a position to take a second win of the 2016 season with its pair of Audi R18 LMP1 cars. The No.8 crew of Lucas Di Grassi, Loïc Duval and Oliver Jarvis were left bitterly disappointed after looking on course to win at COTA earlier this month. At Fuji they will be more determined than ever.
The No.7 crew of André Lotterer, Marcel Fässler and Benoît Tréluyer will be contenders as always with Lotterer and Tréluyer in particular calling upon their forensic knowledge of Fuji after competing there so many times in Formula Nippon and Super Formula.
LMP1 Privateer and LMP2 battles to rage on
Rebellion Racing and the ByKolles squad will again contest the LMP1 Privateer class in Japan. The Austro/Swiss alliance of Dominik Kraihamer, Mathéo Tuscher and Alexandre Imperatori took the lead in the standings after a clear win in Austin. If the trio win again and ByKolles fail to finish then the silverware will be theirs.
In LMP2 the Signatech Alpine squad will be looking to put the Drivers and Teams titles all but mathematically out of reach in Japan. With a 41-point advantage in the table Les Bleues will show no mercy after a crushing defeat by Nicolas Lapierre, Stéphane Richelmi and Gustavo Menezes at COTA.
The French team will not have it all their own way though as the RGR Sport Ligier-Nissan of Bruno Senna, Ricardo Gonzalez and Filipe Albuquerque will be targeting a fourth consecutive podium placing as they continue to impress in their first season in the WEC.
A big talking point will be the G-Drive Racing team as they attempt to score a first win of the season. They will have to do it without their star 2016 signing René Rast, who has been replaced for this race only by Will Stevens, the Briton having raced for the team at the Le Mans 24 Hours.
New faces in the Fuji WEC paddock will be found at the Extreme Speed Motorsports team as Giedo van der Garde, Antonio Giovinazzi and Sean Gelael take over the cockpit in the newly liveried No.30 Ligier-Nissan. All three had strong pedigrees in GP2 before moving in to endurance racing. Van der Garde has shown exceptional speed in the ELMS with G-Drive Racing, while Giovinazzi and Geleal have won in the Asian Le Mans Series and also competed in one event in the ELMS with SMP Racing.
While there is new young blood in LMP2, there is also returning talent as Mikhail Aleshin comes back to SMP Racing after completing his Indycar commitments in the US. He will join Nicolas Minassian and Maurizio Mediani in the No.27 BR-01 Nissan.
The second Manor ORECA 05-Nissan is back for Japan after a two race hiatus. Tor Graves will be partnered by rising young British talent Alex Lynn and former Ligier and Minardi F1 driver Shinji Nakano in the No.45 car. Lynn, who is a test and development driver for the Williams F1 team, will make his WEC debut for Manor almost a year after he sampled the Toyota LMP1 car at the WEC rookie test in Bahrain.
LMGTE class set to wow fans once more
After five different winners from the six rounds, the LMGTE Pro category is without doubt the most open in the WEC this season.
Last time out at COTA, the Aston Martin duo of Marco Sørensen and Nicki Thiim took their first victory of the season to complete a North American double for the British constructor, following Darren Turner’s win in Mexico at the beginning of September. Turner will be re-joined by Richie Stanaway who missed the last race in Austin.
The win for Sørensen and Thiim elevated them to the head of the points table where they enjoy a 12-point lead over AF Corse pairing Davide Rigon and Sam Bird. With the Aston Martin’s potent straight-line speed sure to be a valuable asset at Fuji, it will be up to Ford, Ferrari and Porsche to try and chase down the Vantage V8s in Japan.
In the Ford camp there is a change as the No.67 Ford GT now has just a two-driver line up in the shape of Andy Priaulx and Harry Tincknell as Marino Franchitti has completed his time at the wheel for 2016.
In the LMGTE Am class the fight for the title has closed up slightly after long-time leaders François Perrodo, Emmanuel Collard and Rui Aguas suffered a difficult race in Texas in the No.83 AF Corse Ferrari 458.
The Aston Martin trio of Paul Dalla Lana, Mathias Lauda and Pedro Lamy will be keen to take a fourth LMGTE Am win of the season at Fuji. The trio took pole, fastest class lap and the win after a superb display at COTA and will be looking to carry that momentum in to the final races and hunt down the points leaders.
Patrick Long returns to the No.88 Abu-Dhabi-Proton Racing Porsche 911RSR after missing the COTA round. The American will strive to ensure the gap to the No.83 AF Corse trio is closed further.
Returning to the grid at his home circuit will be Larbre Competition driver Yutaka Yamagishi. The Japanese driver will re-join teammates Pierre Ragues and Ricky Taylor in the Chevrolet Corvette CR7 to make it three drivers in the field for the local fans to fervently follow.
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