Porsche triumphed at the 6 Hours of Fuji, the penultimate round of the FIA WEC season, defeating Toyota on their home circuit. The trio of Laurens Vanthoor, André Lotterer, and Kevin Estre claimed their second victory of the season, moving even closer to the drivers' title with only one race left, the 8 Hours of Bahrain. For the first time since the introduction of the Hypercar class, the podium in the World Endurance Championship was entirely occupied by LMDh cars. The BMW driven by Raffaele Marciello, Marco Wittmann, and Dries Vanthoor secured second place, while the Alpine of Mick Schumacher, Nicolas Lapierre, and Matthieu Vaxiviere completed the podium.

Starting from pole position, Earl Bamber maintained the lead, closely followed by Wittmann in the BMW, who quickly overtook Sebastien Buemi's Toyota. The first major incident occurred as early as the second lap when Robert Kubica misjudged his braking, causing a collision that involved several cars and brought out the safety car. After the restart, Vanthoor swiftly climbed up the leaderboard, putting the Porsche in third place.

Throughout the race, Porsche maintained control despite several interruptions to clear debris and multiple safety car deployments, which opened strategic opportunities for the teams. Vanthoor and Lotterer handled the situation calmly, while Ferrari's Nicklas Nielsen made an impressive comeback, though tire wear eventually forced him to relinquish the lead.

As the race progressed, Toyota showed greater aggression, but a collision between Kobayashi and Campbell dashed the Japanese team's championship hopes. Estre took the lead in the final stages, securing the victory and putting Porsche in a strong position for the world title. With a 35-point lead over their rivals, the Porsche trio is now the favorite to win the championship.

BMW's M Hybrid V8 podium finish, with Marciello, Wittmann, and Vanthoor, showcased the potential of the Bavarian car, while Schumacher impressed with his performance, taking Alpine to third place. Peugeot, led by Mikkel Jensen, finished fourth, the highest among the LMH cars.

The Jota team celebrated clinching the privateers' title with one race to go, while Ferrari's disappointment was tempered by Fuoco, Molina, and Nielsen's ninth-place finish, ahead of Buemi's Toyota. Unfortunately, Giovinazzi and Pier Guidi's Ferrari suffered technical issues, leading to their retirement.

In the LMGT3 class, AF Corse, with Rigon, Castellacci, and Flohr, claimed the first victory for the Ferrari 296 GT3 in the WEC, while Porsche secured the drivers' title thanks to Manthey PureRxcing's performance. Valentino Rossi finished third in the same class, once again proving his talent in the world of motorsports.

© Cavalieri Garage & Co.