The final entry list of the 6 Hours of Fuji confirms the participation of 36 vehicles in the penultimate round of the 2022 WEC season. With an equal distribution, the Japanese round will have 18 prototypes divided between five hypercar and thirteen LMP2. For its part, the 18 GTE vehicles are also distributed in the same way, with five GTE in the Pro class and thirteen in the Amateur category. The changes of drivers derived from the clash of dates between the WEC and the DTM are confirmed.
In the queen category there is no change with respect to the initial entry list and the presence of the two Toyota GR010 Hybrid, the two Peugeot 9X8 and the Alpine A480. Perhaps the most outstanding, although it was already known, is that James Rossiter continues as third driver of the #94 Peugeotsince the lion’s signature continues betting on the British after the departure of Kevin Magnussen, without having yet designated a direct replacement for the Dane.
In LMP2 there are a total of thirteen prototypes, with the same line-ups that were seen in the 6 Hours of Monza, except for two exceptions. As a result of the clash of dates between the DTM round in Spa-Francorchamps and the 6 Hours of Fuji, neither René Rast nor Nico Müller will compete in the Japanese event. As has been announced in recent days, Rast will be replaced by Dries Vanthoor in the Oreca #31 of Team WRT, while Renger Van der Zande will take the place of Müller in the Oreca #10 of Vector Sport.
As far as the LMGTE-Pro class is concerned, zero surprises. The five GTE that compete regularly in the Professional category repeat in Fuji, with the same drivers once it has been confirmed that Richard Lietz will be in the game after missing the 6 Hours of Monza due to COVID. This means, among other things, that Michael Molina He will be the only Spanish driver present in this LMGTE-Pro class, although his objective will be to achieve victory at the controls of Ferrari #52 that he shares with Antonio Fuoco.
Finally, the LMGTE-Am class has thirteen GTE vehicles, also without news regarding the lineup of drivers for each car. Yes, it is true that In the Ferrari #54 will be Davide Rigon, official Ferrari driver, as a substitute for Nick Cassidy. Although the British driver normally competes in the Pro class, this time he replaces Cassidy in LMGTE-Am, as the New Zealander will also be at the DTM event in Spa.
Photos: Toyota Gazoo Racing / Corvette Racing