Fuji 4 Hour Report: Toyota leads close Hypercar battle; TF Sport and Iron Dames fight for LMGT3 top spot
The penultimate round of the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship remains too close to call with two hours left to run in Japan...
15/09/2024
HYPERCAR
Fascinating battles amid mix of strategies continues in mid-phase of absorbing 6 Hours of Fuji which sees two full course yellow periods to remove debris on track
The No.6 Porsche Penske relinquishes lead in its extended strategy after the earlier safety car, which means the No.50 Ferrari AF Corse driven by Nicklas Nielsen grabs the lead at third scheduled stop
But Andre Lotterer in the Porsche 963 catches the Le Mans winning Dane and is able to execute a slick overtake in to T1 and then pull an immediate gap with fresher rubber
Running third is the No.15 BMW M Team WRT Hypercar as first Raffaele Marciello and then Dries Vanthoor push hard to gain the Bavarian marques first ever WEC podium
Cadillac Racing V-Series.R Hypercar that led for early stages has race compromised after suffering puncture while battling with No.15 BMW at halfway mark of race
Earl Bamber and Marciello contact each other on exit of first corner and Cadillac is forced to tour around slowly to pit for new front right Michelin and drops to the periphery of the top 10
Toyota Gazoo Racing placed fourth and fifth with Nyck de Vries in no.7 GR010 Hypercar heading the No.8 with Brendon Hartley aboard
The Kiwi was able to hunt down and complete thrilling overtake at T4 on the Alessandro Pier Guidi driven No.51 Ferrari AF Corse which is off sequence after earlier being innocently involved in No.83 AF Corse triggered multi-car incident
Nyck de Vries also started to close on Nielsen in his first stint and was able to put a decisive move on the Ferrari at Turn 1 just after the second full course yellow of the race
Hartley has brief time in lead before pitting as fifth hour approaches but falls back in to a net fourth behind sister Toyota of de Vries which short fuels on its fourth stint of the race
After 4hrs the order reads: 1. No.7 Toyota; 2.No.6 Porsche; 3. No.15 BMW; 4. No.8 Toyota; 5. No.50 Ferrari; 6. No.12 Hertz Team Jota Porsche
Outside the top six the No.35 Alpine driven by Charles Milesi heads the chasing pack that includes the recovering No.51 Ferrari and the No.38 Jota Porsche
LM GT3
LMGT3 battle for victory hots up in the mid-phase of race as United Autosports, TF Sport and Iron Dames all enjoy periods of the race in the lead as different tyre strategies play out
Rahel Frey leads the way for Iron Dames over the TF Sport Corvette driven by Rui Andrade. But the pair are caught by a flying Daniel Mancinelli during the fourth hour in the Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage LMGT3
But as the next stops arrive as the fifth hour comes it is Rui Andrade in the lead in the No.82 Corvette ahead of the Team WRT BMW of Maxime Martin, although Iron Dames effectively have a net lead after pitting
Third is the Manthey PureRxcing Porsche with Joel Sturm completing a double stint at the wheel
No.59 United Autosports McLaren falls out of contention for the win after James Cottingham is forced to complete a drive-through penalty after being found guilty of a full course yellow infringement
