Where do you start with this one?
Let’s start with the event as a whole, again an exemplary public event, a pleasure to attend in a very worthy setting. Fuji has truly established itself as a world class endurance racing venue.
Next LMP1.
A great result for Porsche, and particularly for the #17 car, the crew completing a hat trick of wins and taking the World Championship lead as a result. They deserved it too, clearly managing a torque issue well, producing excellent pace and making the most of their advantages where they could.
“Small problem” or not (and it most certainly wasn’t!) for the #18 it was a deserved 1,2
Audi though took a big step forward here, were deservedly in the mix for a long period of the race, fell back only when the conditions improved to favour the power, and traction of the Porsches and then made what looked to be a necessary gamble on slicks that proved to be a mistake as the weather gods hung on to their ‘damp’ setting much longer than we all expected. The result was that the already slightly fading charge of the #7 had way too far to go to get back on terms when the tyre call had to be reversed.
The Audis were fast though, fast enough for both Benoit Treluyer and then Loic Duval to lower the lap record considerably, on a track that remained throughout in less than optimum condition.
Audi too shuffled the pack for maximum Championship advantage but the #7 crew are now trailing in the points standings for the first time this year.
Toyota had a good run too in the wet, the #1 car in particularly so, the #2 less pacey and later delayed after contact from a GTE Porsche broke a radiator.
Again though the really wet conditions didn’t stay long enough, a charge back from the delay though meant that the TS040s made it home in their now traditional 2015 slots 5th and 6th.
Rebellion’s #12 car took the LMP1 Privateer top step after a steady run that was way too good for an again reliable ByKolles CLM. Electronics issues for the #13 Rebellion lost them a chink of time with Daniel Abt doing well to get the car back for attention after the car faltered out on track.
We’ll come to LMP2 later!
GTE Pro did exactly what it says on the tin. Top GT action from top Professional drivers. It was fast, clean and downright exciting. The #51 Ferrari crew finally threw off the disappointments of much of the season so far with a fine win, their first since the opening race of the season!
Behind it was all about the two Porsches and the #71 Ferrari and it looked for a long time as if it would be a Ferrari 1,2. This despite the traditional wet weather superiority of the Porsche package again being on display earlier in the race.
And for a time it was the #71 that looked likely to take either a win, or a fighting second place, Messrs Calado and Rigon doing a great defensive job throughout but Rigon eventually had to give best to a charge from the #92 that was thrilling to watch, entirely fairly executed and important for Porsche’s Championship hopes.
What the Ferrari attack did achieve was to ensure that there was no prospect of Porsche implementing team orders to assist Richard Lietz to fully defend his points lead in the Drivers World Championship, his fourth place finish helped tighten it all up with two races to go.
In GTE Am there was an early tussle between the two Ferraris that looked set to be the race long battle for honours, interrupted by a great opportunistic double pass from Stuart Hall in the #96 Aston Martin for the lead.
The race ultimately though would fall to the #77 Dempsey Proton Porsche, The man with his name above the door starting the race and, despite a quick spin, performing as well as ever we’ve seen him deliver. The star of the show though was Marco Seefried, his mid race double stint was simply sublime, one of the drives of the race. It took the car through the class field and into a commanding lead that Pat Long effortlessly defended, the team putting Patrick Dempsey back into the car to finish his required driving hours for the last 20 minutes. Happy campers all post race and deservedly so.
SMP Racing could, theoretically, have clinched the Championship here but instead they had a very bad day, a puncture one of a number of issues that saw the #72 challenge fade, 6th place means they keep the Championship lead but with a sharply reduced points advantage.
Second came the #98 Aston Martin, the team desperate to get back into the championship hunt and getting 10 points back on the Championship leaders, they could have done with the additional 7 for a win but it’s a start. Realistically they need the SMP boys to have another very bad day to get close.
The #83 Ferrari crew finished third and again made points progress on the Championship leaders, again though, their consistency might not be enough if SMP can keep scoring.
And so to LMP2.
There was improved form from Tequila Patron ESM and Strakka to savour. A fine run from SARD Morand that saw the #43 up in the lead battle in the worst of the weather, Oliver Webb mighty in the wet and hugely unlucky to make a wrong choice in attempting to rejoin after running straight on at T1 (as most of the field did at some point or another!). Rather than reversing back as some attempted he looked for a way around behind the gravel trap but found the Morgan Judd had insufficient lock to make it, that brought out a Full Course Yellow and the car fell too far back to recover.
The lead battle with the #43 had seen close action with the #36 Signatech Alpine and speed and consistency finally came for ‘Les Bleus’. After dropping back a little in the middle part of the race the #36 climbed back up the order to score a deserved second place.
That leaves three and before we get into thee final phase of the race lets celebrate some great racing up to that point from Sam Bird and Julien Canal in the #26 G-Drive Ligier Nissan, Nick Tandy (a 3 hour hero stint) and Matt Howson in the #47 KCMG Oreca and a fantastic comeback drive for Pipo Derani in the #28 G-Drive car.
And then we got to the final half hour!
The action was played out between Richard Bradley in the #47 Oreca, Championship leader, Roman Rusinov in the #26 Ligier, and Gustavo Yacaman in the sister #28 car who was, at the start of what we’ll loosely term ‘the action’ a lap down in fourth position.
On different pit cycles and for a position critical for the Championship standings, there was some (for which read quite a lot!) bumping and boring involved, with a dive up the inside of T1 for the lead by Bradley clearly firing up Rusinov, the two banging wheels before an incident that attracted the attention of the Stewards when the Russian hit the back of the Oreca under braking, no further action was decided upon, but KCMG had already opted to pit for their required splash of fuel to get out of the apparent danger zone.
When the #47 emerged from the pits though it was ahead of the second G-Drive car, Yacaman at the wheel and looking to unlap himself from the now third placed car.
The body language of the Ligier was never less than aggressive, and Bradley was robust in his defence. There was little excuse though for contact to the rear that turned the Oreca around, Bradley recovering to pit again for a check over before rejoining, astonishingly again in front of Yacaman, now looking to get by again, this time for position!
What happened next is now in the hands of the Race Stewards as the Colombian first tipped the rear of the Oreca on the right, unsettling the car before an immediate second, stronger impact on the left rear which pitched the car around and hard into the barrier.
KCMG’s view was that it was clear and deliberate contact, G-Drive believe the KCMG man brake tested the Colombian with Roman Rusinov stating in the post race press conference that Bradley had been employing ‘go kart moves’ in defence of his position.
The Oreca was effectively out on the spot, heavy front end damage meant that Bradley, mercifully suffering only a sore foot, was unable to recover the car to the pits. Yacaman continued and inherited third place, the elimination of the #47 gifting the sister #26 car the Championship lead.
The decision on those is, as I’ve written above, for the race stewards to determine but whatever the decision there needs to be clear action to prevent such a display happening again in this Championship, it marred a good, and at times great race. The endurance racing faithful here deserved a better finale for their continued patronage of one of the WEC’s best events.
GG
