6 Hours of Fuji
Course: Fuji Speedway
FUJI FRUSTRATION FOR TOYOTA GAZOO Racing
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing frustratingly missed a home pole position during an unfortunate qualifying for the 6 Hours of Fuji, the seventh round of the 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).
The #8 TS050 HYBRID of Sébastien Buemi, Anthony Davidson and Kazuki Nakajima showed the speed to earn pole but were twice delayed by traffic and finished third fastest, 0.195secs away from the leading Porsche #2.
Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and José María López in the #7 TS050 HYBRID suffered a difficult session on the wet track and will start fourth.
All three practice sessions had already been disrupted by wet weather, with Friday's second practice particularly affected. That meant the team began qualifying having completed only around half the expected number of practice laps.
Rain started to fall a few minutes before the start of qualifying so both José and Kazuki used wet Michelin tyres for their flying laps. Kazuki in the #8 was delayed by another car so he narrowly missed the fastest time while the #7 struggled for pace.
With pole position still up for grabs Sébastien lost time when held up by a Porsche, at the beginning of his lap. He stayed out and valiantly tried to improve his position but the tyres were past their best and he ended up third.
Despite the disappointing result, the pace of the #8 car offers encouragement that Toyota can challenge for a fifth victory at Fuji Speedway on Sunday.
QUALIFYING RESULTS - LMP
| Pos | N° | Cat | Team/Car | Driver | Driver 1 | Driver 2 | Average | Gap | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | LMP1-H | Porsche LMP Team Porsche 919 Hybrid | Timo BERNHARD Earl BAMBER Brendon HARTLEY | 1:35.225 | 1:35.096 | 1'35.160 | - | M |
| 2 | 1 | LMP1-H | Porsche LMP Team Porsche 919 Hybrid | Neel JANI André LOTTERER Nicholas TANDY | 1:35.068 | 1:35.394 | 1'35.231 | +0.071 | M |
| 3 | 8 | LMP1-H | TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Toyota TS050 HYBRID | Sébastien BUEMI Anthony DAVIDSON Kazuki NAKAJIMA | 1:35.269 | 1:35.441 | 1'35.355 | +0.195 | M |
| 4 | 7 | LMP1-H | TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Toyota TS050 HYBRID | Mike CONWAY Kamui KOBAYASHI José María LOPEZ | 1:36.793 | 1:36.467 | 1'36.630 | +1.470 | M |
| 5 | 13 | LMP2 | Vaillante Rebellion Oreca 07 - Gibson | Mathias BECHE David HEINEMEIER HANSSON Nelson PIQUET JR | 1:43.330 | 1:45.062 | 1'44.196 | +9.036 | D |
| 6 | 31 | LMP2 | Vaillante Rebellion Oreca 07 - Gibson | Julien CANAL Nicolas PROST Bruno SENNA | 1:43.600 | 1:46.251 | 1'44.925 | +9.765 | D |
| 7 | 38 | LMP2 | Jackie Chan DC Racing Oreca 07 - Gibson | Ho-Pin TUNG Oliver JARVIS Thomas LAURENT | 1:45.712 | 1:44.444 | 1'45.078 | +9.918 | D |
| 8 | 36 | LMP2 | Signatech Alpine Matmut Alpine A470 - Gibson | Nicolas LAPIERRE Gustavo MENEZES André NEGRÃO | 1:45.809 | 1:46.046 | 1'45.927 | +10.767 | D |
| 9 | 37 | LMP2 | Jackie Chan DC Racing Oreca 07 - Gibson | David CHENG Alex BRUNDLE Tristan GOMMENDY | 1:44.606 | 1:47.613 | 1'46.109 | +10.949 | D |
| 10 | 26 | LMP2 | G-Drive Racing Oreca 07 - Gibson | Roman RUSINOV Pierre THIRIET James ROSSITER | 1:46.651 | 1:45.759 | 1'46.205 | +11.045 | D |
| 11 | 25 | LMP2 | CEFC Manor TRS Racing Oreca 07 - Gibson | Ricardo GONZALEZ Simon TRUMMER Vitaly PETROV | 1:48.551 | 1:46.158 | 1'47.354 | +12.194 | D |
| 12 | 24 | LMP2 | CEFC Manor TRS Racing Oreca 07 - Gibson | Matthew RAO Ben HANLEY Jean-Eric VERGNE | 1:47.115 | 1:47.707 | 1'47.411 | +12.251 | D |
| 13 | 28 | LMP2 | TDS Racing Oreca 07 - Gibson | François PERRODO Matthieu VAXIVIERE Emmanuel COLLARD | 1:47.625 | 1:48.353 | 1'47.989 | +12.829 | D |
GET THE COMPLETE RACE RESULTS AND CHRONO
QUALIFYING RESULTS - LMGTE
| Pos | N° | Cat | Team/Car | Driver | Driver 1 | Driver 2 | Average | Gap | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 91 | LMGTE Pro | Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR | Richard LIETZ Frédéric MAKOWIECKI | 1:47.573 | 1:47.581 | 1'47.577 | - | M |
| 2 | 67 | LMGTE Pro | Ford Chip Ganassi Team UK Ford GT | Andy PRIAULX Harry TINCKNELL | 1:48.192 | 1:47.845 | 1'48.018 | +0.441 | M |
| 3 | 66 | LMGTE Pro | Ford Chip Ganassi Team UK Ford GT | Stefan MÜCKE Olivier PLA | 1:48.067 | 1:48.212 | 1'48.139 | +0.562 | M |
| 4 | 71 | LMGTE Pro | AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE | Davide RIGON Sam BIRD | 1:48.719 | 1:47.671 | 1'48.195 | +0.618 | M |
| 5 | 92 | LMGTE Pro | Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR | Michael CHRISTENSEN Kevin ESTRE | 1:48.467 | 1:48.063 | 1'48.265 | +0.688 | M |
| 6 | 95 | LMGTE Pro | Aston Martin Racing Aston Martin VANTAGE | Nicki THIIM Marco SØRENSEN | 1:48.371 | 1:48.786 | 1'48.578 | +1.001 | D |
| 7 | 51 | LMGTE Pro | AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE | James CALADO Alessandro PIER GUIDI | 1:48.861 | 1:48.544 | 1'48.702 | +1.125 | M |
| 8 | 97 | LMGTE Pro | Aston Martin Racing Aston Martin VANTAGE | Darren TURNER Jonathan ADAM | 1:48.703 | 1:49.548 | 1'49.125 | +1.548 | D |
| 9 | 61 | LMGTE Am | Clearwater Racing Ferrari 488 GTE | Weng Sun MOK Keita SAWA Matthew GRIFFIN | 1:49.121 | 1:49.695 | 1'49.408 | +1.831 | M |
| 10 | 77 | LMGTE Am | Dempsey - Proton Racing Porsche 911 RSR (991) | Christian RIED Matteo CAIROLI Marvin DIENST | 1:50.912 | 1:48.557 | 1'49.734 | +2.157 | D |
| 11 | 98 | LMGTE Am | Aston Martin Racing Aston Martin V8 Vantage | Paul DALLA LANA Pedro LAMY Mathias LAUDA | 1:49.127 | 1:50.441 | 1'49.784 | +2.207 | D |
| 12 | 86 | LMGTE Am | Gulf Racing UK Porsche 911 RSR (991) | Michael HEDLUND Benjamin BARKER Nick FOSTER | 1:49.229 | 1:50.503 | 1'49.866 | +2.289 | D |
| 13 | 54 | LMGTE Am | Spirit of Race Ferrari 488 GTE | Thomas FLOHR Francesco CASTELLACCI Miguel MOLINA | 1:50.682 | 1:50.912 | 1'50.797 | +3.220 | M |
GET THE COMPLETE RACE RESULTS AND CHRONO
Free practice 3 results
| Pos | N° | Cat | Team/Car | Driver | Best time | Gap | Laps | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | LMP1-H | TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Toyota TS050 HYBRID | Sébastien BUEMI Anthony DAVIDSON Kazuki NAKAJIMA | 1:35.414 | - | 4/28 | M |
| 2 | 2 | LMP1-H | Porsche LMP Team Porsche 919 Hybrid | Timo BERNHARD Earl BAMBER Brendon HARTLEY | 1:36.264 | +0.850 | 10/26 | M |
| 3 | 1 | LMP1-H | Porsche LMP Team Porsche 919 Hybrid | Neel JANI André LOTTERER Nick TANDY | 1:36.387 | +0.973 | 9/31 | M |
| 4 | 7 | LMP1-H | TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Toyota TS050 HYBRID | Mike CONWAY Kamui KOBAYASHI Jose Maria LOPEZ | 1:36.881 | +1.467 | 21/28 | M |
| 5 | 37 | LMP2 | Jackie Chan DC Racing Oreca 07 - Gibson | David CHENG Alex BRUNDLE Tristan GOMMENDY | 1:43.745 | +8.331 | 28/28 | D |
| 6 | 13 | LMP2 | Vaillante Rebellion Oreca 07 - Gibson | Mathias BECHE David HEINEMEIER HANSSON Nelson PIQUET JR | 1:43.747 | +8.333 | 28/28 | D |
| 7 | 31 | LMP2 | Vaillante Rebellion Oreca 07 - Gibson | Julien CANAL Nicolas PROST Bruno SENNA | 1:44.065 | +8.651 | 25/27 | D |
| 8 | 38 | LMP2 | Jackie Chan DC Racing Oreca 07 - Gibson | Ho-Pin TUNG Oliver JARVIS Thomas LAURENT | 1:44.659 | +9.245 | 15/26 | D |
| 9 | 36 | LMP2 | Signatech Alpine Matmut Alpine A470 - Gibson | Nicolas LAPIERRE Gustavo MENEZES André NEGRÃO | 1:44.840 | +9.426 | 9/28 | D |
| 10 | 25 | LMP2 | CEFC Manor TRS Racing Oreca 07 - Gibson | Roberto GONZALEZ Simon TRUMMER Vitaly PETROV | 1:44.962 | +9.548 | 28/29 | D |
| 11 | 26 | LMP2 | G-Drive Racing Oreca 07 - Gibson | Roman RUSINOV Pierre THIRIET James ROSSITER | 1:45.073 | +9.659 | 19/29 | D |
| 12 | 24 | LMP2 | CEFC Manor TRS Racing Oreca 07 - Gibson | Matthew RAO Ben HANLEY Jean-Eric VERGNE | 1:45.664 | +10.250 | 26/28 | D |
| 13 | 28 | LMP2 | TDS Racing Oreca 07 - Gibson | François PERRODO Matthieu VAXIVIERE Emmanuel COLLARD | 1:46.075 | +10.661 | 25/27 | D |
| 14 | 91 | LMGTE Pro | Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR | Richard LIETZ Frédéric MAKOWIECKI | 1:47.724 | +12.310 | 17/25 | M |
| 15 | 92 | LMGTE Pro | Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR | Michael CHRISTENSEN Kevin ESTRE | 1:48.358 | +12.944 | 17/26 | M |
| 16 | 67 | LMGTE Pro | Ford Chip Ganassi Team UK Ford GT | Andy PRIAULX Harry TINCKNELL | 1:48.770 | +13.356 | 5/27 | M |
| 17 | 51 | LMGTE Pro | AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE | James CALADO Alessandro PIER GUIDI | 1:48.904 | +13.490 | 11/26 | M |
| 18 | 95 | LMGTE Pro | Aston Martin Racing Aston Martin VANTAGE | Nicki THIIM Marco SØRENSEN | 1:49.176 | +13.762 | 21/26 | D |
| 19 | 66 | LMGTE Pro | Ford Chip Ganassi Team UK Ford GT | Stefan MÜCKE Olivier PLA | 1:49.285 | +13.871 | 8/24 | M |
| 20 | 77 | LMGTE Am | Dempsey - Proton Racing Porsche 911 RSR (991) | Christian RIED Matteo CAIROLI Marvin DIENST | 1:49.387 | +13.973 | 9/26 | D |
| 21 | 71 | LMGTE Pro | AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE | Davide RIGON Sam BIRD | 1:49.452 | +14.038 | 7/22 | M |
| 22 | 97 | LMGTE Pro | Aston Martin Racing Aston Martin VANTAGE | Darren TURNER Jonathan ADAM | 1:50.022 | +14.608 | 27/27 | D |
| 23 | 61 | LMGTE Am | Clearwater Racing Ferrari 488 GTE | Weng Sun MOK Keita SAWA Matt GRIFFIN | 1:50.078 | +14.664 | 21/27 | M |
| 24 | 54 | LMGTE Am | Spirit of Race Ferrari 488 GTE | Thomas FLOHR Francesco CASTELLACCI Miguel MOLINA | 1:50.995 | +15.581 | 5/26 | M |
| 25 | 86 | LMGTE Am | Gulf Racing UK Porsche 911 RSR (991) | Michael HEDLUND Benjamin BARKER Nicholas FOSTER | 1:51.388 | +15.974 | 24/25 | D |
| 26 | 98 | LMGTE Am | Aston Martin Racing Aston Martin V8 Vantage | Paul DALLA LANA Pedro LAMY Mathias LAUDA | 1:51.849 | +16.435 | 21/28 | D |
GET THE COMPLETE RACE RESULTS AND CHRONO
TS050 HYBRID #7 (Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi, José María López)
Free practice 3: 4th (1min 36.881secs), 28 laps
Qualifying: 4th (1min 36.630secs average)
Kamui Kobayashi (TS050 HYBRID #7):
“It wasn't a great qualifying for us; we expected a lot better. Since the morning we have been struggling with the car so we need to find the issue and improve it for the race. It's a bit strange; we need to work out what happened.”
José María López (TS050 HYBRID #7):
“I thought I did a good lap but we were off the pace. We changed the tyre spec for Kamui but he only improved a bit so we need to find the problem and solve it for tomorrow. I'm not worried about starting fourth as long as the car is strong for the race but it's disappointing to see the gap to the sister car.”
TS050 HYBRID #8 (Sébastien Buemi, Anthony Davidson, Kazuki Nakajima)
Free practice 3: 1st (1min 35.414secs), 28 laps
Qualifying: 3rd (1min 35.355secs average)
Sébastien Buemi (TS050 HYBRID #8):
“It's really a pity because we had the pace to go for pole. Unfortunately I had traffic with the Porsche on the first lap when the tyres were at their best and because of that we couldn't challenge for pole. I think we had the fastest car today but couldn't show it, so I'm disappointed. But I'm looking forward to tomorrow because I'm sure we'll be in the fight.”
Kazuki Nakajima (TS050 HYBRID #8):
“It was a close session. Like Sébastien, I had traffic on my lap which cost me time and at the end of the day it kept us off the front row. It's a pity because I think we could have got pole position but that's life. We will try our best tomorrow to give our home fans the win we are all fighting for.”