TOYOTA RACING celebrated another memorable home victory at the ‘6 Hours
of Fuji’, with Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryō Hirakawa claiming first
place in the No. 8 TR010 HYBRID. The victory, Toyota’s 10th at Fuji, extends
the team’s lead in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) manufacturers’
standings to 23 points. It also moves the No. 8 crew into the lead of the
drivers’ standings, while the No. 7 crew of Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and
Nyck de Vries sits second, 10 points behind, with two rounds remaining.
Hiroki "Giano" Nakajima, Executive Vice President of Toyota
Motor Corporation, commented, “We achieved victory at our home race, the 6
Hours of Fuji. To all the fans who fought alongside us, to everyone who came to
the circuit and continued supporting us until the very end, and to everyone
around the world who cheered for us – thank you very much. Congratulations on this victory. With so many fans
watching, you turned expectations into strength, overcame immense pressure and
delivered this result.”
Nakajima added, “I am truly proud of what you have achieved. But what
makes me even happier, and prouder, is the process that led to this result.
With ‘For the Engineering Race’ in our hearts, every individual continued to
refine their skills, learn from past failures, communicate openly, support one
another and build a stronger team. This was not a victory earned through speed
alone; it was a victory earned through human effort. That is TOYOTA RACING.
Thank you for your continued support of TOYOTA RACING.”
In front of
a 72,326-strong weekend crowd at Fuji Speedway, the race began on a damp track
after poor weather caused qualifying to be canceled, with the No. 8 TR010
HYBRID starting from eighth. Buemi quickly gained two positions as the crew
worked its way through the field, moving into the top six during the opening
half of the race.
The second
half brought a further setback when Hartley was pushed into a spin early in the
fifth hour. Hirakawa subsequently took over the No. 8 in sixth place, with the
crew remaining outside the podium positions as the race
entered its final hour.
A safety car with 55 minutes
remaining opened the door for a decisive strategic call. Anticipating a longer
interruption while barrier repairs were carried out, the No. 8 crew refueled
the TR010 HYBRID without changing tires, a bold strategy that put Hirakawa into
the lead when racing resumed with 20 minutes remaining.
With rain beginning to fall and
pressure building in the closing stages, Hirakawa held his position to cross
the line just 0.591 seconds ahead and secure a home victory for TOYOTA
RACING. اضافة اعلان
Toyota’s history in motorsports dates
back more than 60 years, competing worldwide across various disciplines. Guided
by the concept ‘roads build people and cars’, the knowledge and technologies
gained through motorsports support the development of ‘ever-better’ cars. In
endurance racing, TOYOTA RACING competes in top-level categories such as the
FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), supporting vehicle and technology
development under extreme conditions.
The penultimate round of the 2026 FIA
WEC is the inaugural ‘6 Hours of Barcelona’, to be held on 18 October at the
Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Those interested can follow the official Facebook, Instagram and YouTube pages for the latest updates and results from local, regional and
international races. Motorsport enthusiasts are also invited to discover the
GAZOO Racing lineup at Markazia Toyota’s showroom on Mecca Street.
