Laurens Vanthoor ended up fastest for the #6 Porsche Penske 963 Hypercar during the opening free practice session at the FIA World Endurance Championship’s 6 Hours of Fuji.
Track action for the seventh and penultimate round on the 2024 schedule begun at the historic Fuji Speedway, where Toyota has commanded the top WEC step with nine victories since the inaugural 2012 WEC season.
Track temperatures began at above 32 degrees Celsius and 26 in the air, but it was the 80% humidity which was a notable challenge.
The 90-minute practice session began at 11am local time in the vicinity of Fuji-san, which is considered Japan’s tallest peak at 3,776 metres.
After 30 minutes, race control noted slight contact at the 300R Turn 7 kink between Frederic Makowiecki’s #5 Porsche Penske and the #92 Manthey PureRxing Porsche 911 LMGT3.R of Joel Sturm.
With minor debris on the left-hand side grass left as a result, no further action was taken.
Sturm was soon warned about track limits, which is a factor in which teams and drivers are exploring to familiarise themselves with the boundaries in which they can work with.
The top-12 Hypercars were covered by just under 1 second with the newest race winner of the season, the #83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P, amongst the upper half of the group.
The #93 Peugeot 9X8 begun went out on track slightly later than all the others due to the team carrying out an engine change, exemplified by their lesser lap count.
A red flag was declared with 21 minutes remaining with a double-yellow at T10, T11 and T12, known as the Dunlop Chicane, after #59 McLaren 720S LMGT3 EVO driver Gregoire Saucy made contact with a Hypercar causing an issue which necessitated the #59 to be recovered.
Contact between the #59 McLaren and Alex Lynn’s #2 Cadillac V-Series.R at T7 prompted a warning for Saucy in this instant.
The session resumed with 14 minutes remaining, as Laurens Vanthoor’s earlier lap time in the session remained fastest at a 1:30.561.
Hirakawa finished second in the #8 Toyota GR010 Hybrid having set a 1:30.571, followed by #50 AF Corse Ferrari 499P driver Antonio Fuoco’s lap of 1:31.104.
Fourth place was claimed by Makowiecki and his lap time of 1:31.128, as Nyck de Vries put the #7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid in fifth with a 1:31.146.
In LMGT3, it was home hero Marino Sato who emerged quickest in the #95 United Autosports McLaren 720S LMGT3 EVO after he put a 1:40.528 lap time on the timesheets.
Both AF Corse Ferrari 296 LMGT3s took second and third, with Alessio Rovera’s #55 (1:40.528) ahead of Davide Rigon’s #54 (1:40.793).
Franck Perera put the #60 Iron Lynx Lamborghini Huracan LMGT3 EVO2 in fourth place when he set a fastest time of 1:40.849, as Dennis Olsen rounded out the top-five for Proton Competition in his #88 Ford Mustang LMGT3 after a 1:40.894.
The second free practice session commences from 7.30am BST or 3.30pm JST.
See here for the full classification of results from the first free practice session for the 6 Hours of Fuji on 15 September.
