Mark Webber was looking sharp in the final Free Practice session ahead of qualifying at Fuji, the Aussie banged in an impressive mid-session 1:23.570 to top an eventual Porsche 1,2 in the #17 919 Hybrid, both cars now sporting the higher downforce set-up.
Audi though look closer than the timesheets suggest with the team posting faster sectors than the overall lap times reflected for the #7 car, the #8 though spent much of the session in the garage with a gearbox issue, the team opting to change out the ‘box after gear selection issues.
In the LMP1 Privateer standings it was a Rebellion 1,2 again, Mathias Beche top with a 1:30.077. The #13 Rebellion ground to a halt at the end, out of fuel on a qualifying simulation.
LMP2 was a topsy turvy affair with the #26 and #28 G-Drive and #30 Tequila Patron ESM cars spending time at the top of the timesheet before Danny Watts popped in a 1:32.420 in the #42 Strakka Gibson Nissan in the latter stages of the session, Richard Bradley coming close to the time but the #47 KCMG Oreca settling for second fastest in a final order that saw the top six separated by half a second.
In GTE Pro it was Michael Christensen that topped the times in the #91 Porsche with a 1:39.191, though again it was a very close session, the entire 7 car entry separated by eight tenths of a second, the #99 Aston Martin second fastest in the hands of Alec Macdowall, Marco Sorensen third fastest in the sister #95 Aston.
Patrick Long made it a treble for Porsche in the session, topping GTE Am in the #77 Dempsey Proton Porsche 911 RSR, 1:40.203, four tenths clear of Rui Aguas in the #83 AF Corse Ferrari with the #72 SMP Ferrari and #50 Larbre Corvette completing a top four separated by a second.
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