The rain that affected the first free practice session intensified ahead of the second 90-minute period for the 6 Hours of Fuji, Round 7 of the 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship.

FP2 was also interrupted by a lengthy red flag after Vitaly Petrov crashed his CEFC Manor TRS Racing LMP2 car 22 minutes into the session.  The Russian drove the damaged car back to the pits but barrier repairs and further heavy rain delayed the restart, with only 25 minutes of running.

At the chequered flag it was the no7 Toyota of Jose-Maria Lopez with a 1m39.202 lap, 1.3 seconds ahead of the no1 Porsche of reigning World Champion Neel Jani 

Olivier Pla was fastest in the no66 Ford GT, the French driver posting a 1m52.658s lap, 0.052 seconds ahead of the two Porsche 911s with the no91 car ahead of the no92 911 by just 0.009s.

The LMP2 championship leading no38 Jackie Chan DC Racing Oreca of Thomas Laurent was fastest with a 1m47.437, ahead of the no31 Vaillante Rebellion Oreca of Bruno Senna by just 0.084s at the chequered flag.

The no61 Clearwater Racing Ferrari of Keita Sawa was the quickest car in LMGTE Am, the Japanese driver claiming the top spot by just 0.026s ahead of the no54 Spirit of Race Ferrari of Francesco Castellacci in the very wet conditions,

The third and final Free Practice session before qualifying is scheduled to begin at 11h20 (local) / 03h20 CET on Saturday 14 October.

The FIA World Motor Sport Council has confirmed the exciting and unique 2018/19 calendar for the World Endurance Championship which will see the WEC switch to a new look championship that will end each season at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. 

The 2018/19 season will be a transition to the new format and last 14 months. The season will start at Spa-Francorchamps in May 2018 and conclude at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June 2019.

The ‘Super Season’ will feature two visits to the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June 2018 and June 2019 as well as two visits to Spa-Francorchamps, which is considered to be the traditional dress rehearsal for the big race the following month. 

The calendar also features a return to Sebring in Florida for a 12 hours race.  Sebring was the venue for the very first race of the then brand new FIA World Endurance Championship in March 2012. 

Unlike 2012, the 2019 race will be a separate race to the IMSA 12 Hours of Sebring, with the WEC 12 hour race running from midnight to midday on Sunday 17 March.

The highly successful six hour events at Silverstone, Fuji and Shanghai will also form part of the transition 2018/19 calendar, with the UK round moving from April to August.

The new look FIA World Endurance Championship will continue to visit some of the best venues around the world and build on the success of the past six years that has attracted new manufacturers, teams and fans to the world of endurance racing.

The 2019/20 season will then revert to a standard length calendar starting in October 2019 and concluding at Le Mans in June 2020.

FIA World Endurance Championship 2018/19 Calendar

5 May 2018                       WEC 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps                      BEL

16/17 June 2018              24 Hours of Le Mans                                                   FRA

19 August 2018                6 Hours of Silverstone                                                GBR

21 October 2018             6 Hours of Fuji                                                              JPN

18 November 2018         6 Hours of Shanghai                                                    CHN

16/17 March 2019          12 Hours of Sebring                                                    USA

4 May 2019                       WEC 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps                      BEL

15/16 June 2019              24 Hours of Le Mans                                                   FRA       

The new look calendar will enable the FIA World Endurance Championship to continue to host exciting and innovative developments.

The changes announced at the FIA World Motor Sport Council aim to create a stronger and more sustainable championship for 2018 onwards.

• 2018/19 season to start in April 2018 and feature two 24 Hours of Le Mans, concluding at La Sarthe in June 2019.
• Return to Sebring in March 2019 for a joint event with IMSA.
• From 2019 the new unique format which will see the season take place from the autumn and finish at the 24 Hours of Le Mans each year.
• The new for 2017 GT FIA World Endurance Championship will see BMW join Aston Martin, Ferrari, Ford and Porsche in 2018, making five manufacturers competing for next year’s FIA world title.
• Calendar and regulations designed to keep costs under control and offer competitors a viable and sustainable business model for the future.
• From 2018, incorporation of the LMP1 Non-Hybrid cars into a single classification with the LMP1 Hybrid cars (while maintaining the current specific technical regulations).
• It is proposed to equalise the lap performances of the best LMP1 Non-Hybrid and Hybrid cars by adjusting the instantaneous fuel flow and fuel consumption per lap for the Non-Hybrid cars. A fuel range advantage for Hybrid cars (one extra lap at Le Mans) will be enforced.
• A technological coefficient between naturally aspirated engines and turbo engines will be implemented in order to open up the field of possible engines for LMP1 Non-Hybrid cars.
• From 2019, a ban on fluidic switches and energy brought to the general aerodynamics of the car – this is in anticipation of potential complex and expensive developments in this area.

The 6 Hours of Fuji got off to a very wet start with heavy rain prior to Free Practice 1, making the conditions extremely tricky for the entire field.  The rain continued to fall during the 90-minute session that saw Porsche take control with a 1-2 in both the LMP1 and LMGTE Pro classes.

The wet conditions saw plenty of spinning cars as drivers tested the limits of the grip levels around the track.  A clash between the no2 Porsche of Brendon Hartley and the no61 Ferrari of Weng Sun Mok saw a  Full Course Yellow declared to collect debris left on the circuit.  Both cars were able to continue the session and take the chequered flag.

The no1 Porsche 919 hybrid was the fastest car on track with Andre Lotterer setting a 1m35.527, 0.133s ahead of the no2 Porsche of Earl Bamber.  In the wet conditions the two Toyota TS050 hybrids were in close contact with the no7 Toyota of Jose Maria Lopez finishing the session with a 1m36.010, 0.4s behind the lead Porsche and just 0.095s ahead of the no8 TS050.

In the LMGTE class the Porsche 911 RSR clearly revelled in the wet conditions with the no92 Porsche of Michael Christensen setting a 1m47.365, 0.2s ahead of the no91 911 of Richard Lietz.  The two AF Corse run Ferraris were 3^rd and 4^th fastest with the no71 F488 of Davide Rigon posting a 1m47.627,  just 0.01s behind the second placed Porsche and 0.054s ahead of the sister car.

The LMP2 class was headed by the no37 Jackie Chan DC Racing Oreca with Alex Brundle posting a 1m42.735, 0.490 ahead of the no28 TDS Racing Oreca, with the championship leading no38 Jackie Chan DC Racing Oreca third quickest with a 1m43.327 lap.

Miguel Molina was the fastest of the LMGTE Am category runners, posting the fourth fastest time in the GTE category in the no54 Spirit of Race Ferrari F488, the Spaniard’s 1m47.655 lap just 0.320s behind the fastest time in LMGTE Pro.

The second fastest LMGTE Am car was the no61 Clearwater Racing Ferrari of Matt Griffin with a 1m48.246, with the no77 Dempsey-Proton Racing Porsche third quickest with a 1m49.042.

Free Practice 2 for the 6 Hours of Fuji will begin at 15h30 (local) / 08h30 CET.

Porsche took another 1-2 finish at the end of the 6 Hours of Circuit of the Americas to extend their lead in the FIA World Endurance Manufacturers championship, with Brendon Hartley, Earl Bamber and Timo Bernhard securing their fourth straight win in the 2017 season ahead of their teammates Neel Jani, Andre Lotterer and Nick Tandy. 

In the hot and humid conditions Porsche didn’t have it all their own way as a more competitive Toyota made the German manufacturer work hard for their win, with all four LMP1s finishing on the same lap. The no8 TS050 of Sebastien Buemi, Stephane Sarrazin and Kazuki Nakajima securing another podium finish 21 seconds behind the lead Porsche. 

Andre Lotterer, in the no1 Porsche, and Kamui Kobayashi, in the no7 Toyota, were having a great battle in the penultimate hour but a clash between the pair at Turn 15 saw Lotterer use his rallying skills to catch what looked to be a sideways spin towards the wall.

Porsche now hold an almost unassailable 73.5 point lead in the manufacturer’s championship and Brendon Hartley, Earl Bamber and Timo Bernhard are 51 points ahead of Kazuki Nakajima and Sebastien Buemi in the driver’s title.

Ferrari Storm Ahead in GT World Title Race

In the LMGTE Pro class Ferrari dominated for most of the race, with both F488s leading the way from the other three manufacturers. 

The no51 Ferrari of James Calado and Alessandro Pier Guidi looked on course for an easy win when a puncture forced Pier Guidi to make an unscheduled stop near the end of the race. 

This allowed Michael Christensen in the no92 Porsche 911 RSR to close the gap as the Italian emerged from the pits.  Pier Guidi kept the Dane at bay through the sequence of fast corners while he got back up to speed and then he pulled out a five second gap to regain control of the race to the chequered flag.

The no71 AF Corse Ferrari of Davide Rigon and Sam Bird, which had led for a good portion of the race came home in third place after tyre strategy played out in the hot condition. 

The no71 Ferrari finished 3 seconds ahead of the no95 Aston Martin Racing Vantage of Marco Sorenen to claim the final podium position and help extend the lead for Ferrari in the GT FIA World Endurance Manufacturers Championship.

Andy Priaulx and Harry Tincknell are still in the lead of the GT FIA World Endurance Drivers Championship despite finishing 7^th in the no67 Ford GT in Texas but the top 8 drivers are covered by just 7 points. 

The British duo are on 102 points, just 6 ahead of Porsche’s Fred Makowiecki and Richard Lietz, with Davide Rigon on 95.5 in third and Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado and Sam Bird all on 95 points with three races remaining.

Signatech Alpine Claim Second LMP2 Win in the United States

Drama in the final ten minutes looked like it might upset and easy win as US driver Gustavo Menezes had to stop in the no36 Signatech Alpine Matmut Alpine A470 for the team to replace damaged bodywork. 

However there was no issues and the rear end of the car was replaced quickly and efficiently by the mechanics and Menezes was soon on his way to secure victory in his home race and stand on the top step of the podium for the second time in a row alongside Andre Negrao and Nico Lapierre.

The French team held off a determined challenge from the Vaillante Rebellion Orecas with the no13 car of Matthias Beche, David Heinemeier-Hansson and Nelson Piquet Jr finishing ahead of the sister car of Bruno Senna, Nico Prost and Julien Canal by just 3.7 seconds at the end of the 6 hour race.

The championship leading no38 Jackie Chan DC Racing Oreca of Thomas Laurent, Oliver Jarvis and Ho Pin Tung finished 4^th, just 2 seconds behind the no31 Rebellion to maintain their points lead, which stands at 20 ahead of the race in Japan in four weeks.

Aston Martin win GTE Am Encounter

The no98 Aston Martin Racing Vantage of Pedro Lamy,  Mathias Lauda and Paul Dalla Lana took their second win of 2017 from pole position to move ahead of the no77 Dempsey-Proton Racing Porsche of Christian Ried, Marvin Dienst and Matteo Cairoli which suffered technical issues and had to settle for 4^th place as Cairoli crawled across the line at the end of the race.

The no86 Gulf Racing Porsche of Mike Wainwright went off into the Techpro barriers at Turn 11 to bring out the only safety car period of the race.  The car returned to the pits but was retired from the race.

Second place went to the no61 Clearwater Racing Ferrari of Matt Griffin, Weng Sun Mok and Keita Sawa, with the no54 Spirit of Race Ferrari a distant third.

Round 7 of the FIA World Endurance Championship will be the 6 Hours of Fuji in Japan on Sunday 15 October.