Race Highlights
Somewhat unusually several drivers set their fastest laps pre-qualifying in the Circuit Safari session after the buses carrying the public had left the circuit!
The FIA World Endurance Championship was the first FIA World Championship to return to Japan after the COVID pandemic with the date looking set to be repeated in the 2023 FIA WEC.
There have been significant changes around the Fuji circuit with new roads and more to come, plus an on-site hotel, much of the infrastructure work completed in time for the facility to host the road cycling Olympic and Paralympic events for the delayed 2020 Olympic Games.
Also new since the WEC last visited the circuit is D’Station’s new facility, sited opposite the premises of Car Guy around 1 km from the circuit gates as part of a growing cluster of businesses to operate or support the racing community.
ARC Bratislava have confirmed their return to the WEC for the season finale, the 8 Hours of Bahrain with their Oreca 07 though Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus look set to miss the event. Both teams were absent in Japan.
The regular fan activity zone behind the main grandstand included displays from Alpine, with a new A110 and a splendidly preserved 1960s Renault 8.
Peugeot Sport displayed a new 508 PSE, and Toyota brought their regular impressive display of racers including Le Mans winning TS050 and GR010 and a 1992 TS010.
Fans were also given an opportunity to sample a passenger ride in the latest Hydrogen-fuelled Toyota Mirai.
Toyota also gave WEC CEO Frederic Léquién and ACO President Pierre Fillon a demonstration of the hydrogen-powered Toyota Corolla Cross H2 Concept racer that has competed in the Super Taikyu Series this year. Both had laps of the extensive Fuji Handling Track situated outside T1-T3.
Ex F1 racer and father of Toyota Gazoo Racing’s Kazuki Nakajima, Satoru Nakajima was on hand over the weekend together with two ex WEC racers: Kei Cozzolino working with Takeshi Kimura at team Project 1, Roberto Mehri on driver coaching duties in the WEC-supporting Formula Regional Japan paddock.
The Formula Regional Japan title was secured at Fuji by Miki Koyama, the ex Formula W racer having scored seven wins thus far in the season with a racing weekend to go – She becomes the first female Champion in the Formula Regional world.
As well as multiple teams carrying tributes to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II who passed away during the Fuji meeting, race organisers added a one minute silence to the pre-race ceremony.
The race was green-flagged by double Paralympic hand-cycling gold medallist Keiko Sugiura after the flag was delivered by members of the Japan Self Defence Force who arrived at the circuit by Helicopter and repelled to the ground with the flag. There was though a brief accident as the flag fell from its pole as Sugiura waved the field away, she quickly retrieved the flag to complete the job.
The race was fully green for the first in the FIA WEC since the 2016 6 Hours of Fuji.
