Porsche Penske Motorsport takes stunning victory at 6 Hours of Fuji

The #6 car, shared by Kévin Estre, André Lotterer and Laurens Vanthoor, put on a stunning display to score its second win of the year and extend its championship lead with one round remaining.

Having finished sixth last time out in the Lone Star Le Mans, the #6 crew closed in on championship glory with Sunday’s victory at Fuji Speedway in Japan, after title rivals Toyota floundered.

Starting fifth, strong performances from all three drivers throughout several safety car periods saw them climb the order, taking control early on and putting on a dominant display to win.

The leading Porsche 963 is now 35 points ahead in the standings, with 38 available at the season finale in Bahrain in November. Just one rival remains in contention: the #50 Ferrari.

The #5 car of Matt Campbell, Michael Christensen and Frédéric Makowiecki, which finished seventh last time out in Austin, was forced to retire after it suffered rear suspension damage with just 80 minutes remaining.

It was another strong day for Hertz Team JOTA, with the #12 car of Callum Ilott, Norman Nato and Will Stevens finishing fifth, with the sister #38 car of Jenson Button, Phil Hanson and Oliver Rasmussen in sixth.

The team also secured the FIA World Cup for Hypercar Teams.

The #99 Proton Competition entry of Julien Andlauer and Neel Jani narrowly missed out on scoring, finishing in 12th.

In the LMGT3 class, the #92 Manthey PureRxcing car shared by Klaus Bachler, Alex Malykhin and Joel Sturm secured the title with one round to spare.

A third-place finish was enough for the trio to claim both the FIA Endurance Trophy for LMGT3 Teams and for Drivers.

The sister Manthey EMA car, driven by Richard Lietz, Morris Schuring and Yasser Shahin, finished 14th.

Story of the race

#6 car

Lining up in fifth, Vanthoor kicked off the day’s action at the wheel of the #6 car.

Having gained a position into Turn 1 amid a fierce fight at the front of the field, there was soon a safety car, but once the action resumed, Vanthoor was tussling with the #8 Toyota for third. Having looked at a move at Turn 1, he made the move at the next corner in a crucial move for the title fight.

He held the podium position through the opening stages, inheriting the lead on lap 43 as the #2 Cadillac and #15 BMW ahead stopped for fresh tyres.

Pitting the next time round, Vanthoor came out in second but in the overall lead, having taken two left-side tyres and fuel, while the Cadillac had a driver change which held it in the pits for longer.

The #6 car held the lead into the second safety car, moving clearer of its challengers as they fought behind.

Lotterer took over around the 2h30 mark, and was immediately fighting the #50 Ferrari for the overall lead.

He tried a move at Turn 1 on lap 108, and though he had no luck around the outside on that attempt, Lotterer made it past up the inside the next time round to retake the lead of the race in a brilliant mid-race stint.

He was 20 seconds clear of the second-place runner following the next full course yellow, having gained five seconds under the well-timed caution period.

Stopping again, the #6 car was running second behind the #7 Toyota after a different pit strategy, but was able to retake the position as the leader stopped again.

Despite another safety car with 90 minutes remaining, a great restart from Estre once again put the #6 car clear out in front.

The #8 Toyota came close to contact at Turns 15 and 16 despite being a lap down, for which it received a drive-through penalty for ignoring blue flags.

From there, Estre was able to build a comfortable gap, finishing the race 14 seconds clear of the #15 BMW in second.

It marked the #6 car’s fifth podium in seven races, and its second win of the year after the season opener in Qatar.

#5 car

Makowiecki was first at the wheel of the #5 car, which started Sunday’s race in eighth.

But it was an unlucky start, dropping to 11th off the line before suffering severe contact from the #83 Ferrari, which received a 30-second stop-and-go penalty for the incident at Turn 1.

The #5 car was forced into the pits for a new front hood, engine cover and rear wing, emerging at the back of the Hypercar field. It stopped again soon after for more fuel, before a third stop shortly after the two-hour mark for new tyres to return on track ahead of the LMGT3 pack.

Its out-of-sync strategy meant it bounced up and down the field but made it back inside the top 10 by the halfway mark.

Having made good progress due to the safety cars and several strong stints by the drivers, the #5 car was running in eighth with just under 80 minutes remaining.

But its race was abruptly ended after contact from the #7 Toyota at Turn 3, with the Porsche tagged from behind, forced into a spin and then hit again. The car suffered damaged rear suspension and was forced to retire.

Customer racing

Hertz Team JOTA had another strong outing at the 6 Hours of Fuji, with the #12 car in fifth while the #38 car also finished high in the points.

The #12 lined up 16th after a difficult Qualifying, driven first by Stevens, but quickly made its way into the top 10.

Several brilliant moves saw the team make up more places, with a great move on the #51 Ferrari for seventh at the halfway mark.

Issues for those ahead saw it promoted further, and the #8 Toyota’s late penalty put it into podium contention.

Fighting the #36 Alpine into the final 10 minutes, the #12 tried to cling onto third, but was passed with just six minutes remaining.

From there, it was also passed by the #93 Peugeot, and went on to finish in fifth.

The #38 car started in 17th, and it too made strong progress early on, avoiding incidents to run 12th by lap 40.

Well-timed stops, including under the virtual safety car early on, coupled with good pace saw it up inside the top 10 at the one-third distance mark.

Another clever strategy move saw it running in sixth by the time it stopped for the last time, and the #38 car was as high as fifth heading into the last 10 minutes.

A fierce battle with the #93 Peugeot ensued, with the JOTA car putting in a brilliant effort, but it crossed the line in sixth.

Manthey PureRxcing secures both LMGT3 titles

It was a victorious day for the #92 Manthey PureRxcing team, scoring another podium as they sealed both titles in the LMGT3 class.

Lining up 14th, the team put in a stellar effort to climb through the field, running 10th after the first 90 minutes with Malykhin at the wheel.

Continuing its brilliant effort, the team continued to make up places, running seventh by lap 55 before breaking into the top three 20 laps later after an excellent long stint.

It took the lead with 100 minutes left on the clock, with multiple strong drives, several lucky breaks and the good timing of safety cars all to thank for the brilliant performance.

With the championship at stake, the #92 crew was cautious in the closing stages to avoid any incidents, and came home in third to secure the title.

The #91 car started 15th, with Shahin first to drive. It too made good progress, running close to the top 10 after the first two hours.

It was running in 10th when it spun at the final corner, suffering a puncture and dropping it further back from the points-paying positions.

Failing to score meant the #91 car was out of title contention, and it finished Sunday’s race in 14th.

With five rounds of the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship complete, everything comes down to the final race: The 8 Hours of Bahrain at Bahrain International Circuit from October 31 to November 2.

Titles are at stake, and though Porsche Penske Motorsport leads the way in the standings, there is still one final hurdle to overcome. With determination and grit, the team pushes all the way in a bid for ultimate overall glory.