News
Preview
At the foot of Mount Fuji the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) enters its critical phase on October 11: The six-hour race on the famous high-speed circuit in the Japanese Alps is the sixth of eight championship rounds.
Featuring the longest straight on the calendar – 1,500 metres – but also 16 corners that are relatively tight on a lap of only 4.549 kilometers, the Fuji Speedway is extremely demanding when it comes to set-up work. Thirty one racing cars with 86 drivers from 19 different nations are divided into four classes in the WEC. The
Since the 919’s debut back in 2014, it has won four races: Interlagos 2014, Le Mans, the Nürburgring and Austin in 2015. The car has entered 13 races in total and started from pole position nine times. To date, in 2015 no car other than a 919 has made it onto pole position, or for that matter the front row of the grid.
Last year in Fuji, the two
Quotes before the race:
Fritz Enzinger, Vice President LMP1: “Our string of three victories in a row is impressive, as is the fact the
Andreas Seidl, Team Principal: “It is difficult to tell in advance how competitive we may be in Fuji. Its long straight and the many corners on each lap place contradicting challenges on the car. Last week we have been testing in Monza, but there the focus was mainly on the 2016 car.”
Alexander Hitzinger, Technical Director LMP1: “We can expect tighter racing than recently at the Nürburgring and in Austin, where we clearly had the fastest cars. In Fuji less downforce is required, and this should play into the hands of our competitors where the aerodynamic set-up is concerned. We will also adapt our aero to the lower downforce level.”
Drivers
Timo Bernhard (34, Germany): “The 2014 race was my first one in Japan and I have very fond memories to it, especially because of our podium finish which was great. I instantly really liked the country. The track’s tarmac is rather slippery, and offers a huge variety of different characteristics with a long straight and tight corners. In the World Championship we now face the final stages, and we also want to catch Audi in the drivers’ standings.”
Brendon Hartley (25, New Zealand): “I had a fantastic first experience in Japan last year. I really enjoyed the circuit, there were many enthusiastic fans, and I had a very enjoyable few days in Tokyo after the race. Again we have high expectations for the race after our car has won the last two rounds, so we travel to Fuji quietly confident.”
Mark Webber (39, Australia): “I always enjoyed driving at Fuji and love the setting with Mount Fuji in the background. Fuji is an iconic venue for sports car racing in Japan, and we had a great welcome last year with many
Drivers
Romain Dumas (37, France): “We have had bad luck for three races in a row now, because there were problems with our car in Le Mans, at the Nürburgring and in Austin. I just wish this string of bad luck ends and we can have a clean race in Fuji.”
Neel Jani (31, Switzerland): “It is going to be my third race in Fuji. The long straight is a landmark of the ciruit and it will be interesting to see if the Audis – like in Austin – are faster there than we are. At this time of the year the weather can play an interesting role too in Fuji. When we manage to finally have a straight-forward race, the results will automatically be good. Like in qualifying, where we had three consecutive poles.”
Marc Lieb (35, Germany): “The atmosphere in Fuji is amazing. The fans are passionate, but at the same time patient, friendly and polite. I have met really cool people there and I also like Tokyo a lot. I’m very much looking forward to travelling to Japan and racing on that very diverse circuit.”
Fact and figures:
• A lap of the Fuji International Speedway is 4.549 km long and has 16 corners, ten righthanders and six lefthanders.
• According to the rules, the
• Refuelling and changing tyres may only be made sequentially, not at the same time. Only two mechanics may work simultaneously when changing tyres. That takes a lot longer than in Formula One, for example.
• Drivers are normally only changed when new tyres are needed.
• WEC rules call for averaging the fastest laps of two drivers in qualifying for the grid positions.
• The
• The
• Four types of tyres can be used: slick tyres for dry conditions, a hybrid tyre (no profile either but softer cover) for mixed conditions, wets and full wets for heavy or extreme rain. The full wet tyre manages to push up to 120 litres of water per second out of the way.
• The
• Mount Fuji is an active stratovolcano that last erupted in 1707. It is the highest mountain in Japan at 3,776 metres and is regarded as a holy mountain.
• The circuit is located about 100 kilometres southwest of the capital of Tokyo on the Japanese main island of Honshu.
• In 2005 the circuit was rebuilt for safety reasons and became, once again, the venue for the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix in 2007 and 2008.
• From 1982 to 1988 the Sports Car World Championship had a round in Fuji. In 1983 Stefan Bellof set the fastest ever recorded lap at the wheel of a
• In 2014 the track was dry on race day. But the weather in the Japanese Alps can be very changeable at this time of the year. In 2013 heavy rain made it impossible to run the WEC race. Not forgotten is the downpour back in 1976 which caused Niki Lauda to pull out of the race and gave the Formula One World Championship title to James Hunt.
TV:
Race start is on Sunday, October 11, at 11:00 hrs local time (04:00 hrs CEST). Television channel Eurosport is covering the entire race action and the podium ceremony live. A live feed over the entire six hours, including timing and further information, can also be received (for a fee) on the FIA WEC App.
LMP1 Schedule:
Friday, October 9
11:15 – 12:45 free practice
14:00 – 14:30 FIA WEC press conference
15:30 – 17:00 free practice
Saturday, October 10
09:50 – 10:50 free practice
14:10 – 14:30 qualifying LMP1, LMP2
14:40 – 15:10 FIA WEC press conference
15:10 – 15:25 FIA WEC drivers’ “mixed zone” in the foyer of the media centre
15:30 – 16:00
Sunday, October 11
09:00 – 09:30 autograph session
11:00 – 17:00 race
17:15 – 17:45 FIA WEC press conference
All reports on the previous season can be found in our archive.