"One day soon, we're going to coordinate our calendars. My son and I are going to do Le Mans!" It was early 2001 and Dale Earnhardt intended to take advantage of the end of his career to live a unique experience in La Sarthe at the wheel of a Chevy Corvette. Unfortunately for The Intimidator, a tragic accident prevented him from realizing his dream.

Porsche Penske Motorsport trio André Lotterer, Kévin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor took a significant step closer to title glory in the FIA World Endurance Championship today (15 September), by securing an impressive second victory of the season in the 6 Hours of Fuji.

In front of 68,500 fans around the legendary Japanese circuit, the penultimate round of the campaign was as absorbing as it was unpredictable. From fifth on the grid, the race-winning #6 Porsche 963 Hypercar was a contender from the outset, with Vanthoor displacing both Toyotas in the opening laps before piling the pressure on Marco Wittmann in the second-placed BMW M Hybrid V8.

During the first round of pit visits, the Porsche then leapfrogged the BMW and the Cadillac Racing V-Series.R &ndash; which had led the first 42 laps from pole position &ndash; to seize the initiative. Pit-stop cycles and an inspired Nicklas Nielsen in the #50 Ferrari 499P aside, it was an advantage the #6 car would not subsequently relinquish.

Artfully managing several safety car periods and exploiting an alternative strategy to the majority of the 18-strong Hypercar field, the Porsche crew always looked the most likely to win, with Lotterer getting the better of Nielsen&rsquo;s Ferrari mid-race, and Estre surviving both a lunge from a lapped Ryo Hirakawa and a slippery brake pedal that sent him deep into Turn One in the final hour to stay in front.

The trio&rsquo;s fifth podium of 2024 extended their margin at the summit of the standings to 35 points with only 39 remaining in play. That means just an eighth-place finish in Bahrain &ndash; irrespective of any other result &ndash; will be sufficient to seal the deal.

<h4>The top 5 of the FIA ​​World Endurance Championship for Hypercar Manufacturers:</h4>

1. Porsche &ndash; 161 points 
2. Toyota &ndash; 151 points 
3. Ferrari &ndash; 134 points 
4. Alpine &ndash; 52 points 
5. BMW &ndash; 49 points

<h2>Manthey PureRxcing clinches LMGT3 crown</h2>

Manthey PureRxcing celebrated title glory in the LMGT3 category, as Aliaksandr Malykhin, Joel Sturm and Klaus Bachler produced a determined performance in Japan to put the destiny of the coveted crown beyond reach of any of their rivals.

The Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3 crew could manage no better than 14th on the grid in qualifying, but race day would prove to be a different story, as a mixture of strong speed, savvy strategy and fortuitous timing around the safety car interventions carried the title-chasing trio into contention for the race win.

Second place behind the victorious #54 Vista AF Corse Ferrari piloted by Thomas Flohr, Francesco Castellacci and Davide Rigon was ultimately enough to secure the championship.

<h4>The top 5 of the FIA ​​Endurance Trophy for LMGT3 teams:</h4>

1. Manthey PureRxcing &ndash; 136 points 
2. Manthey EMA &ndash; 90 points 
3. Team WRT &ndash; 85 points 
4. Heart Of Racing &ndash; 83 points 
5. Team WRT &ndash; 61 points

Full results can be found <a href="https://www.fiawec.com/en/race/result/4868" target="_blank">HERE</a>. 
 
The 2024 WEC campaign will conclude with the Bapco Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain on 31 October &ndash; 2 November.

Extended Highlights I 2024 6 Hours of Fuji I FIA WEC

FIA WEC : les faits de course majeurs des 6 Heures de Fuji 2024

Big in Japan: Porsche trio put one hand on Drivers’ crown at Fuji

The 7th round of the World Endurance Championship takes place in Fuji, Japan. The 6 Hours of Fuji has a particularity: the safari tour, which offers the opportunity for “classic” vehicles to race with certain racing cars that make up the FIA WEC field at moderate speed. A hydrogen vehicle has evolved on the track.

The GR010 Hybrid Hypercars were not the only Toyotas on track at Fuji this weekend. The Toyota Mirai Sport, a Hydrogen car, also stood out on the Japanese circuit to promote hydrogen in Endurance. At the wheel Pierre Fillon, president of the Automobile Club de l&#39;Ouest, an actor involved in the decarbonization of mobility and the deployment of hydrogen in competition, traveled over the 4.5 km of the route and in particular the straight of more than 1.4 km with a vehicle emitting 0% CO2, in the company of Mr. Shimizu, the engineer responsible for this Mirai Sport, and Fr&eacute;d&eacute;ric Lequien, CEO of the FIA WEC.

Today, the 2024 grid uses a fuel developed by TotalEnergies, Excellium Racing 100, a competition fuel produced from waste and residues notably from wine growing and which meets all the requirements of manufacturers, engine manufacturers and the European directive on renewable energies. It offers at least 65% reduction in CO2 emissions, at a minimum, over its life cycle. This fuel is certified 100% sustainable. Motorsport thus demonstrates its involvement in the energy transition and the search for more virtuous solutions.

The experience of the Toyota Mirai Sport illustrates the work carried out by the ACO with the FIA ​​and the manufacturers for the creation of a category dedicated to hydrogen by 2028.

Hydrogen on track at Fuji

On the occasion of the 7th round of the FIA World Endurance Championship, which takes place in Fuji, the stakes for the various 2024 titles obviously concentrate the sporting interests of the entire paddock, the competitors, the fans... In Japan , the future of the discipline is also presented, even told in history, already!

Hydrogen, the ACO&#39;s strategy to decarbonize racing, the commitment of the Japanese manufacturer Toyota to zero-emission mobility are presented in the form of a frieze, summarizing the main dates of this pioneering program: creating a category of Hydrogen prototypes at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and in the FIA ​​World Endurance Championship.

In 2023, the 6 Hours of Fuji had already been an opportunity to present to spectators the potential of hydrogen, with educational activities and the exhibition of H2 prototypes, notably the LMPH2G from MissionH24, a collaborative program between the ACO and H24Project, or the Toyota GR H2 Racing Concept.

This year, the emphasis is placed on the various key dates of this pioneering program, very young in terms of the history of motorsport.

It was in 2018 that the Automobile Club de l&rsquo;Ouest officially presented the LMPH2G with H24Project. This laboratory car represented this ambitious and responsible objective: to decarbonize racing by creating a category dedicated to hydrogen prototypes, capable of competing for victory. Since 2018, many steps have been taken. Toyota, a manufacturer involved in the deployment of hydrogen, also has a history rich in lessons with this new technology.&nbsp;

A timeline, a backdrop, presents important moments in the very recent history of hydrogen in Endurance in the Fuji Fan Zone, under the Toyota area.

Masaya Kaji (general commercial director of Toyota Gazoo Racing), Matthieu Bonardel (director of Michelin Motorsport), Pierre Fillon (President of the Automobile Club de l&#39;Ouest) Bernard Niclot (innovation manager for the ACO), Tomoya Takahashi (president of Toyota Gazoo Racing Compagny) and Fr&eacute;d&eacute;ric Lequien (CEO of the FIA WEC) visited this space, witnessing the collaboration necessary between the different actors to accelerate research and fight against carbon emissions.

As a reminder, the start of the 6 Hours of Fuji will be given on Sunday September 15 at 11 a.m. in Japan, 4 a.m. in France.

The ACO and hydrogen are told in a timeline in Fuji with Toyota

Alex Lynn delivered Cadillac Racing its first-ever pole position in the FIA World Endurance Championship at Fuji today (14 September), denying Toyota a home soil celebration by the margin of just 0.041s.

Alex Lynn delivered Cadillac Racing its first-ever pole position in the FIA World Endurance Championship at Fuji today (14 September), denying Toyota a home soil celebration by the margin of just 0.041s.

Having set the pace in the first part of the Hypercar qualifying session, Lynn maintained that stellar form in Hyperpole behind the wheel of the #2 prototype he shares with Earl Bamber, as the Briton vaulted to the top of the timesheets with just one minute remaining in an ultra-close and competitive contest that featured no fewer than seven of the series&rsquo; eight manufacturers. Having narrowly missed out on pole at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, for the American squad, the result marked redemption &ndash; and a welcome boost ahead of Sunday&rsquo;s six-hour race.

For much of the ten-minute shootout, the battle for the prime starting position looked set to play out between home heroes Kamui Kobayashi and Ryo Hirakawa in Toyota Gazoo Racing&rsquo;s pair of Toyota GR010 - Hybrid entries. The duo were evenly-matched throughout but ultimately had no answer to Lynn, and will duly begin from second and fourth on the grid tomorrow.

<h2>Ferrari to the fore in LMGT3</h2>

Fran&ccedil;ois Heriau secured his and Ferrari&rsquo;s first pole position in the LMGT3 category at Fuji in the #55 Vista AF Corse car, posting two laps quick enough for the top spot on the grid as the Frenchman outpaced Belgium&rsquo;s Tom Van Rompuy by 0.178s.

Sarah Bovy placed third in Iron Dames&rsquo; Lamborghini Huracan, just ahead of the TF Sport Corvette of local star Hiroshi Koizumi, as both of the American machines made it through to Hyperpole for the first time.

Arguably the biggest story of LMGT3 qualifying, however, was the failure of either Manthey Porsche to reach the top ten...

The 6 Hours of Fuji is scheduled to get underway at 11:00 local time (04:00 CEST) on Sunday morning.

Watch all the action LIVE via the official <a href="https://discover.fiawec.tv/" target="_blank">FIA WEC app</a>.

For a full breakdown of the broadcast coverage for the 6 Hours of Fuji, click <a href="https://www.fiawec.com/en/news/how-to-watch-the-fia-wec-action-from-fuji/8074" target="_blank">HERE</a>

Cr&eacute;dit&nbsp;: FIAWEC/DPPI

Qualifying And Hyperpole Highlights I 2024 6 Hours of Fuji I FIA WEC

FIA WEC : le résumé des qualifications et de l'Hyperpole des 6 Heures de Fuji 2024

FIA WEC - Cadillac’s Lynn leaves it late to deny Toyota home pole

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