LIVE Updates from Vyas Ponnuri and Owen Bradley
The World Endurance Championship (WEC) returns for the penultimate round of the season, Round 7 at the Fuji Speedway in Japan. The No.2 Cadillac is on pole position, with the Championship leading No.6 Porsche starting from fifth, with title rivals No.7 Toyota just in front, and their other rivals, the Le Mans winners, No.50 Ferrari squad in seventh. In this article, you will find LIVE Updates for the WEC 6 Hours of Fuji.
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Key Race Highlights:
Lotterer leads in the No.6 Porsche for Hypercar
Valentino Rossi in Fourth place after overtaking six drivers in two laps in LMGT3
Ferrari's No 51 falls to last place after T1 incident
Multi-car crash involving two Ferrari's at the start of the race
No.2 Cadillac polesitter picked up a puncture after contact with the No.15 BMW
No.7 Toyota and the No.5 Porsche collide - the Toyota likely to retire as they take a huge championship blow
No.51 Ferrari has retired
The No.36 Alpine and the No.2 Cadillac have been involved in an incident, the No.2 Cadillac will likely retire from the race
Times will be in UK BST - Race Starts at 3am
LIVE: WEC 6 Hours of Fuji Updates
WEC Fuji 6 Hours Race Results
Hypercar
1st No.6 Jota Porsche, Kevin Estre
2nd No.15 BMW, Dries Vanthoor
3rd No.36 Alpine, Mick Schumacher
4th No.93 Peugeot, Mikkel Jensen
5th No.12 Jota Porsche, Norman Nato
6th No.38 Jota Porsche, Oliver Rasmussen
7th No.35 Alpine, Charles Milesi
8th No.94 Peugeot , Stoffel Vandoorne
9th No.50 Ferrari, Antonio Fuoco
10th No.8 Toyota, Rio Hirawaka
11th No.99 Proton Porsche, Julien Andlauer
12th No.83 Ferrari AF Corse, Robert Shwartzman
DNF No.7 Toyota, Kamui Kobayashi
DNF No.20 BMW, Sheldon van der Linde
DNF No.2 Cadillac, Earl Bamber
DNF No.51 Ferrari, James Calado
DNF No.5 Porsche, Matt Campbell
DNF No.63 Lamborghini, Daniil Kvyat
LMGT3 - Top 10
1st No.54 Ferrari AF Corse
2nd No.92 Manthey Porsche
3rd No.46 BMW WRT, Valentino Rossi, Maxime Martin, Ahmad Al-Harthy
4th No.81 Corvette
5th No.85 Iron Dames Lamborghini
6th No.55 Ferrari AF Corse
7th No.777 Aston Martin D'Station
8th No.59 United Autosports McLaren
9th No.27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin
10th No.31 BMW WRT
09:01 - The No.6 Porsche has won the WEC 6 Hours of Fuji Hypercar, the No.54 Ferrari AF Corse has Won in the LMGT3 class
08:58 - The No.54 Ferrari AF Corse leads LMGT3 and the No.6 Porsche leads Hypercar as we approach the final couple of laps
08:57 - The No.93 Peugeot overtakes the No.12 Jota Porsche for 4th place, they set their sights on the No.36 Alpine for the podium
08:54 - Mick Schumacher has overtaken the No.12 Jota Porsche, the No.36 Alpine now on the podium
08:52 - Mick Schumacher has been absolutely hounding the No.12 Jota Porsche ahead, Schumacher so close behind the Porsche.
08:47 - The No.36 Alpine of Schumacher will run in a net 4th place, Schumacher is duelling the No.12 Jota Porsche now for third place
08:45 - No.8 Toyota has been given a DRIVE-THROUGH PENALTY
08:43 - The No.46 BMW of Maxime Martin, Valentino Rossi and Ahmad Al-Harthy has overtaken the No.59 McLaren for third place
08:42 - Mick Schumacher now overtakes the No.38 Jota Porsche for fifth place
08:41 - Mick Schumacher in the No.36 Alpine has overtaken the No.50 Ferrari for sixth place as he charges after fifth place occupied by the No.38 Jota Porsche
08:39 - The No.46 BMW has closed to within 1.5 seconds of the car in front, as Mick Schumacher also closes in on the No.50 Ferrari to within a second
08:36 - The No.46 BMW of Rossi has closed down a 15 second gap to just 3 seconds to the podiumsitters in front, the No.59 McLaren and No.92 Manthey Porsche
08:34 - The No.35 Alpine that was on course for a first podium in WEC, has been given a DRIVE THROUGH PENALTY for contact
08:32 - The No.36 Alpine and the No.2 Cadillac have been involved in an incident, the Cadillac being put into the barrier and spraying debris as the car comes into the pits
08:29 - The No.54 Ferrari AF Corse now loses the lead to the No.59 United Autosports McLaren, the pair battling hard as the No.92 Manthey Porsche is also duelling, allowing the No.46 BMW closes back up
08:26 - The No.8 Toyota and No.38 Jota Porsche are duelling for 6th place, the No.38 coming out on top
08:24 - The leading No.6 Porsche runs incredibly deep at Turn 1, problems with the brake pedal as liquid is on the brake pedal
08:23 - Mick Schumacher is driving the No.36 Alpine in third place, they have actually done the right amount of pit stops, but may need to do one more, but for now they are running in potentially a genuine third place with just half an hour remaining
08:19 - The No.36 Alpine is running in third place, needing to do one last pit stop, with the sister No.35 Alpine running in a net third place.
08:19 - No.50 Ferrari and the No.8 Toyota are duelling, the Ferrari has been overtaken.
08:15 - No.92 Manthey Porsche has been overtaken by the No.54 Ferrari AF Corse at the penultimate corner, diving to the inside as they chase after the leading No.59 McLaren just 0.500s in front.
08:12 - No.46 BMW has come in for their final stop, Maxime Martin now takes over from Valentino Rossi, they are running 4th place in LMGT3 as they hope to close for a podium, the Top 3 in LMGT3 are all battling each other
08:10 - The No.85 Iron Dames comes in for their final stop, the rest of the LMGT3 field will follow suite over the next few laps
08:05 - No.85 Iron Dames Lamborghini has overtaken the No.31 BMW WRT for 5th place at Turn 1, the pair duelling for multiple laps.
08:04 - No.8 Toyota and the No.6 Porsche make contact as the Toyota goes a lap down
08:02 - Hypercar and LMGT3 Top 5
Hypercar
1st No.6 Porsche
2nd No.15 BMW
3rd No.35 Alpine
4th No.50 Ferrari
5th No.12 Jota Porsche
LMGT3
1st No.59 United Autosports McLaren
2nd No.92 Manthey Porsche
3rd No.54 Ferrari AF Corse
4th No.46 BMW WRT, Rossi 5th No.31 BMW WRT
08:00 - FINAL HOUR
08:00 - The No.7 Toyota will retire from the race, Kobayashi gets out of the car
07:59 - No.82 Corvette DRIVE-THROUGH PENALTY
07:59 - No.59 United Autosports McLaren overtakes the No.92 Manthey Porsche for the lead of LMGT3
07:58 - No.85 Iron Dames Lamborghini and the No.31 BMW WRT collide at Turn 1, both running deep and off the circuit.
07:57 - No.83 Ferrari has been given a DRIVE-THROUGH PENALTY
07:55 - No.6 Porsche Leads Hypercar, No.92 Manthey Porsche leads LMGT3 and has the No.59 McLaren behind on their tail
07:54 - No.54 Ferrari LMGT3 has overtaken Valentino Rossi's No.46 BMW for third place
07:51 - No.51 Ferrari is slowing greatly, making it back to the pit lane to retire
07:49 - No.46 BMW has closed to the two leaders, Rossi is now within four seconds as we approach the final hour
07:47 - No.35 Alpine has inherited a legitimate 3rd place, with the No.8 Toyota and No.50 Ferrari duelling behind for 4th place
07:46 - No.7 Toyota has been wheeled back into the pit lane
07:45 - No.91 Manthey Porsche have also picked up a puncture, nursing their way back into the pits
07:42 - The No.7 Toyota has made huge contact with the No.5 Porsche - the championship might now be over for the No.7 Toyota, they have a puncture and are crawling back to the pits
07:39 - The No.5 Porsche duels with the No.7 Toyota, costing the championship challenging Toyota time and tyre wear, as the sister No.6 Porsche leads the race by a comfortable margin over their title rivals
07:34 - The No.2 Cadillac almost overtakes the No.38 Jota Porsche at Turn 1 for 9th place, both Hypercar and LMGT3 fields are running close
07:33 - The No.6 Porsche leads from the No.15 BMW and No.8 Toyota in Hypercar, as Valentino Rossi in the No.46 in LMGT3 runs third, behind the No.59 United Autosports McLaren
07:31 - GREEN FLAG
07:27 - Still under the Safety Car, the No.6 Porsche is followed by the No.15 BMW and No.8 Toyota - the No.7 Toyota and No.50 Ferrari are further down the order after losing out in the Safety Car pit stop window
07:21 - SAFETY CAR
07:17 - Valentino Rossi has got back into the No.46 BMW under the VSC, they will bunch up to the rest of the LMGT3 field and they have a pit stop in hand with fresh tyres
07:15 - The No.6 Porsche now loses the lead as they come into the pits with the No.8 Toyota, No.35 Alpine, No.50 Ferrari, No.12 Jota Porsche under the VSC
07:13 - VIRTUAL SAFETY CAR
07:11 - No.63 Lamborghini driven by Daniil Kvyat is coming to a stop at the final corner, bringing out the Yellow Flags
07:07 - The No.35 Alpine has managed to get past the No.50 Ferrari, the Ferrari is being cost valuable points, the No.6 Porsche leads
07:05 - No.777 Aston Martin LMGT3 DRIVE-THROUGH PENALTY
07:01 - Your hourly race update
Hypercar Top 5
1st No.6 Porsche, Andre Lotterer
2nd No.15 BMW, Dries Vanthoor
3rd No.8 Toyota, Rio Hirawaka
4th No.50 Ferrari, Antonio Fuoco
5th No.12 Jota Porsche, Callum Ilott
LMGT3 Top 5
1st No.92 Manthey Porsche
2nd No.46 BMW, Valentino Rossi, Ahmad Al-Harthy, Maxime Martin
3rd No.59 United Autosports McLaren
4th No.78 Lexus
5th No.60 Iron Lynx Lamborghini
07:00 - No.7 Toyota has come into the pits, Kamui Kobayashi takes over from Nyck De Vries
07:00 - No.31 BMW LMGT3 has been spun around at Turn 1
06:59 - No.2 Cadillac polesitter comes into the pits after a disastrous stint that has seen them go from 1st to outside the Top 10
06:57 - Ferrari No.51 has been given a warning for track limits with Alessandro Pier Guidi in the car currently
06:56 - No.87 Lexus LMGT3 DRIVE-THROUGH PENALTY for not respecting FCY Procedures
06:54 - The No.50 Ferrari has been caught by Callum Ilott in the No.12 Jota Porsche, the Ferrari may lose another crucial place and lose more valuable points in the championship here at the penultimate race
06:50 - No.59 United Autosports McLaren has been given a DRIVE-THROUGH Penalty, they currently lead LMGT3 and will lose the lead of the race
06:47 - Antonio Fuoco has got into the No.50 Ferrari, taking over from Nicklas Nielsen, they come out in 12th place after the pit stops
06:45 - No.50 Ferrari has been overtaken by the No.8 Toyota on the track, the Ferrari losing a place as they will now make their way into net 3rd place, on the road though they are running in the lead
06:41 - GREEN FLAG
06:41 - Jenson Button's No.38 Porsche is up to 5th place in Hypercar
06:40 - No.51 Ferrari locks up at Turn 1, running wide.
06:40 - FULL COURSE YELLOW
06:39 - No.99 Porsche DRIVE-THROUGH PENALTY for FCY Procedures
06:37 - Pit stops for the No.6 Porsche in Hypercar and the No.7 Toyota, with the No.50 Ferrari now reclaiming the lead, as we enter the final couple of pit stops
06:33 - No.7 Toyota has overtaken the No.50 Ferrari at the final corner, the pair making light contact as the Ferrari loses a crucial place.
06:31 - GREEN FLAG
06:30 - No.50 Ferrari has lost its' drink tube for Nicklas Nielsen, the Ferrari will come into the pits after the FCY
06:27 - FULL COURSE YELLOW - Debris on Circuit
06:26 - No.6 Porsche currently leads the Hypercar class and the Championship, with the No.50 Ferrari in second and No.7 Toyota in third - the championship currently looks like it does in this race order as we go into the final race in November.
06:24 - A phenomenal stint has seen the No.46 BMW of Valentino Rossi come into the pits, Maxime Martin takes over from the Italian, Rossi will get back into the car later in the race to finish.
06:23 - The No.15 BMW Hypercar is duelling with the No.7 Toyota for third, the Toyota taking the place for now as the BMW hounds the Japanese Manufacturer for the podium in the first few corners.
06:15 - Valentino Rossi is up to 2nd place in LMGT3, the No.46 BMW team had initially started from 12th place
Updates: Here is the order after Hour 3
Hypercars:
No 50 Ferrari (Nicklas Nielsen)
No 6 Porsche Penske (Andre Lotterer)
No 15 BMW M Team WRT (Raffaele Marciello)
No 5 Porsche Penske (Michael Christensen)
No 7 Toyota Gazoo Racing (Nyck de Vries)
LMGT3s
No 59 United Autosports (Gregoire Saucy)
No 81 TF Sport (Rui Andrade)
No 46 BMW M Team WRT (Valentino Rossi)
No 92 Manthey Pure RXcing (Joel Sturm)
No 31 BMW M Team WRT (Augusto Farfus)
05:45 - It's been another steady hour of racing at Fuji, but the lead has changed hands once again as the race speeds towards half time. The Le Mans winning No 50 Ferrari now leads, with Nicklas Nielsen holding firm. The No 6 Porsche is second, with Andre Lotterer having taken over at the wheel, while Raffaele Marciello holds third for BMW M Team WRT.
Elsewhere, Valentino Rossi has taken over at the wheel of the No 46 BMW in the LMGT3 class. The team now sit fifth, with the class led by Rahel Frey in the No 85 Iron Dames.
It's been a steady climb up the order for Alpine. After Mick Schumacher's overtaking early on, Mattheu Vaxiviere has taken over at the wheel of the No 36 and stabilised ninth, just ahead of Jules Gounon in the No 35 for the French outfit. Good signs for the French team as they near the halfway mark of the race!
The lead changed hands in hour two, as Laurens Vanthoor took over from Cadillac's No 2, while Ahmad Al-Harthy moved up to third in the LMGT3 class. With a third of the race done, it will be interesting to see the next direction this race takes.
Updates: Here is the order after Hour 2
Hypercars:
No 6 Porsche Penske Motorsport (Laurens Vanthoor)
No 2 Cadillac (Alex Lynn)
No 15 BMW M Team WRT (Raffaele Marciello)
No 50 Ferrari (Nicklas Nielsen)
No 7 Toyota GR (Mike Conway)
LMGT3s
No 59 United Autosports (Nicolas Costa)
No 81 Corvette (Tom Van Rompuy)
No 46 BMW M Team WRT (Ahmad Al-Harthy)
No 78 Akkodis ASP Team (Arnold Robin)
No 92 Manthey Pure RXcing (Allaksandr Malykhin)
04:57 - Vanthoor has opened up a 3.9 second gap at the front, leaving Lynn in defence of second from the chasing BMW of Marciello in third. A stern defence sees him just hold on to P2 for the time being.
And it's back to green flag running at Fuji! Laurens Vanthoor leads in the No 6 Porsche ahead of the No 2 Cadillac of Alex Lynn, with Raffaele Marciello bringing up the top three for BMW in the No 15 hypercar.
04:45 - Back in the LMGT3 class, Al-Harthy has moved the No 46 BMW up into fifth, as he continues to scrap away with the No 77 Proton Competition Mustang, driven by Ryan Hardwick.
04:42 - Safety Car IN THIS LAP! Prepare for Green flag running!
04:28 - SAFETY CAR!
04:17 - Up ahead, though, the No 6 Porsche of Laurens Vanthoor has taken the lead of the race, from the chasing Cadillac, while Wittmann pilots the BMW in third.
04:12 - The No 20 BMW of Robin Frijns pulls into the pits, the team wheeling in the hypercar to fix damages. Thankfully, the No 15 continues on, flying the flag for the German team.
04:10 - The first set of pit stops have gotten underway, with most of the leading hypercar runners in for their stops. Alex Lynn takes over from Bamber in the leading No 2 Cadillac, while Wittmann continues at the wheel for BMW.
Elsewhere, a heartbreak for home hero Hiroshi Koizumi, as the No 82 TF Sport was wheeled into the garage with the Japanese driver at the wheel.
Updates: Here is the order after Hour 1
Hypercars:
No 2 Cadillac (Earl Bamber)
No 15 BMW M Team WRT (Marco Wittmann) -
No 6 Porsche Penske Motorsport (Laurens Vanthoor)
No 8 Toyota GR (Sebastian Buemi)
No 7 Toyota GR (Mike Conway)
LMGT3s
No 55 Vista AF Corse (Heriau Francois)
No 81 Corvette (Tom Van Rompuy)
No 85 Iron Dames (Sarah Bovy)
No 27 Proton Competition (Ryan Hardwick)
No 27 Heart of Racing (Ian James)
03:50 - The No 12 Hertz Team JOTA piloted by Will Stevens had fallen to 14th after the battle with Mick Schumacher, but Stevens has made his way back up into 12th, moving past Ferdinand Habsburg in the No 35 Alpine, and the No 63 Lamborghini to move into 12th.
03:53 - DOUBLE YELLOW FLAG AT TURN 13, as the No 95 United Autosports McLaren limps back into the pits.
03:54 - The Schumacher charge continues! Mick Schumacher wins out in an all-French battle between the Alpine and Peugeot hypercars. He moves past Jean-Eric Vergne in the No 93 Peugeot to move up to ninth on the road!
03:56 - Meanwhile in the LMGT3 class, Sarah Bovy has taken the No 85 Iron Dames Lamborghini to second, passing the No 59 United Autosports McLaren to move up to second! Can she reel in the leading Corvette ahead, who has opened up the gap to 3.7 seconds.
03:59 - Bovy doesn't have to wait long to take the lead, as van Rompuy in the No 81 Corvette comes into the pits. He rejoins in tenth.
03:47 - The No 36 Alpine piloted by Mick Schumacher has moved up into tenth, getting past the No 63 Lamborghini of Edoardo Mortara up into 10th! A stellar period of time for the German, who recently spoke in an interview with DIVEBOMB about his WEC journey, and the dream of returning to F1!
03:24 - It's a 30-second stop-and-go penalty for the No 83 AF Corse Ferrari, for the incident at turn one in the start. Kubica's lock-up into turn one saw him run into the back of the No 5 Porsche ahead, who then went into the No 51 and No 35 cars respectively.
Meanwhile, in the LMGT3 class, it's a close battle for fifth, with the No 46 BMW leading the No 82 TF Sport and the No 54 AF Corse Ferrari. Ahmad Al-Harthy heads up this three-car train, with legend Valentino Rossi also set to take over soon.
03:15 - Laurens Vanthoor moved the No 6 Porsche Penske up into third.
03:00 - IT'S GO TIME! Earl Bamber leads away in the No. 2 Cadillac, with BMW's No 15 of Marco Wittmann up into second!
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