Toyota and Michelin score Fuji 1-2

The 6 Hours of Fuji – fifth round of the 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship – was dominated by Toyota Gazoo Racing and its tire partner Michelin. The Japanese team finished its home race in first and second places with the N°8 and N°7 GR010 Hybrids of Buemi/Hartley/Hirakawa and Conway/Lopez/Kobayashi. Ferrari/Michelin claimed the same positions in LMGTE Pro.

Toyota delivered on home soil to collect its eighth win from nine FIA WEC races at the Fuji Speedway after its N°8 car pulled clear of its N°7 sister prototype early on. The third Hypercar runner past the flag was the N°36 Alpine/Michelin, while the Peugeot 9X8s continued their development program.

Michelin has been named by the FIA WEC organizers to supply all the Hypercars, and its Pilot Sport tires designed specifically for the class were making their debut at the Japanese venue.

“Our partners were able to count on the grip provided by their Michelin tires through the circuit’s twisty second and third sectors, as well as on their consistency to opt for double-stint strategies,” reported Pierre Alves, manager of Michelin Motorsport’s endurance racing programs. “It was also the first time at Fuji for the Pilot Sport range we have developed for the GTE cars. It performed strongly and enabled our partners to choose different race plans.”

AF Corse took first and second places in LMGTE Pro with the N°51 and N°52 Ferrari 488 GTE Evos of Pier Guidi/Calado and Molina/Fuoco. The N°92 Porsche was third, while Corvette Racing learnt a great deal from its first outing in Japan.

The Am classification was topped by TF Sport’s N°33 Aston Martin (Keating/Chaves/Sorensen), with the N°85 Iron Dames Ferrari finishing on the class’s podium once again.

The manufacturers involved in LMGTE Pro and Am have competed exclusively on the French manufacturer’s products since 2018.

None of the world titles up for grabs this year was settled in Japan, which means there will be everything to fight for at the season’s finale at Bahrain on November 12.

6 Hours of Fuji – Final positions:

1. Buemi/Hartley/Hirakawa (Toyota GR010 Hybrid/Michelin), 232 laps

2. Conway/Lopez/Kobayashi (Toyota GR010 Hybrid/Michelin), +8.382s

3. Vaxivière/Lapierre/Negrao (Alpine A480/Michelin), +2 laps

4. Di Resta/Jensen/Vergne (Peugeot 9X8/Michelin), +7 laps

5. Geleal/Frijns/Vanthoor (Oreca07-Gibson), +7 laps

Etc.