Fuji Thursday Notebook

***The 36-car entry list for this weekend’s penultimate round of the FIA World Endurance Championship at Fuji Speedway sees few changes compared to the previous round at the Circuit of The Americas earlier in the month.

***Notable driver changes include the return of Mike Conway in the No. 7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid after injury ruled him out at COTA, with Jose Maria Lopez returning to his regular seat aboard the No. 78 Akkodis ASP Lexus RC F GT3; Mathieu Jaminet replacing Michael Christensen in a last-minute change for the No. 5 Porsche 963; and Anthony McIntosh returning to the Racing Spirit of Leman Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo.

***The WEC celebrates its 100-race anniversary this weekend at Fuji. Four drivers on the grid this weekend were also competitors in the very first race for the championship at Sebring in 2012: Neel Jani, Frederic Makowiecki, Richard Lietz and Loic Duval. However, it’s Sebastien Buemi who has started the most races of any driver in the series, with 91 starts coming into the weekend, one more than Lietz.

***A total of 832 different drivers have contested at least one WEC race, representing 61 different countries. A total of 40 different brands have been represented on the grid since the inaugural race in 2012. Porsche holds the record for most entries with 633, as well as the most wins with 71 across all classes, of which 21 have been overall victories.

***Special ‘WEC100’ branding can be seen at various points around the Fuji circuit (pictured top), while each car’s race number sticker this weekend has the ‘WEC100’ logo. Additionally, the safety car has been given a special ‘WEC100′ livery.

***As well as the logo, a series of special trophies have also been produced for the weekend, designed to bear a similarity to the WEC series logo. The pole-sitters in each class will also be awarded with special helmets, with the Hypercar helmet bearing the names of the pole-sitters of the 99 WEC races that have taken place up to now.

***With a 15-point advantage ahead of this weekend’s race, Ferrari drivers Antonio Giovinazzi, James Calado and Alessandro Pier Guidi have an outside chance to wrap up the drivers’ championship at Fuji with a race to spare.

***The drivers of the No. 51 Ferrari 499P would need to win the race and hope their main rivals, the No. 83 AF Corse trio of Robert Kubica, Phil Hanson and Yifei Ye score no more than one point, or, if the No. 51 car is on pole, no more than two points.

***In the manufacturers’ battle, Ferrari has a 65-point lead over nearest rival Porsche, meaning the Prancing Horse would clinch the crown if it extends its lead to 67 points.

***Meanwhile, in LMGT3, Manthey Porsche drivers Richard Lietz, Ryan Hardwick and Riccardo Pera are 19 points clear of their closest opponents. In case the No. 92 Porsche crew wins, the No. 21 AF Corse Ferrari crew of Francois Heriau, Simon Mann and Alessio Rovera would need to finish at least seventh, or eighth from pole, to remain in the title hunt. The No. 33 TF Sport Corvette would also need a strong result — third, or second if the Manthey car is on pole — to keep their hopes alive.

***Toyota driver Conway revealed that the collarbone he broke in the run-up to this month’s COTA race is not the same one that he broke in the run-up to last year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. “I’m kind of annoyed that I missed Austin, but I’m looking forward to being back in the car now,” he told Sportscar365. “I was in the simulator and it felt ok, and in pit stop practice today it felt pretty good. That was the main concern today, with the load getting in and out, but I think it’s ok.”

***Conway underwent surgery on Sept. 1, but said the recovery process this time was simpler than last year, when he also suffered broken ribs. “The first five days always feels horrible, and then from there you see how it progresses,” he said. “After about ten days I was feeling quite confident. I learned from last year, and just tried to manage it.”

***Michelin has brought its Soft and Medium compound tires to Japan, marking the Soft’s first appearance since the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It marks a change from last year, when the Medium and Hard were nominated.

***Michelin Endurance program manager Pierre Alves said: “We know that at Fuji, the weather is often unstable: the transition between wet and drying track conditions is a real challenge. The Soft compound gives our partners an additional strategic tool, thanks to its quicker warm-up and instant grip. At the same time, the Medium compound retains its central role thanks to its versatility and consistency, as shown in 2024 when it was used from the first to the last lap.”

***Peugeot Sport technical director Olivier Janssonie expressed skepticism that the Soft will see much usage this weekend unless it rains. “We don’t think the Soft will be useful unless we use them as a transition from wets,” he said. “If there is no rain, and the track temperature is what we expect, we will not use the Soft.”

***Porsche LMDh factory director Urs Kuratle expressed a similar expectation, saying: “It’s early to say, but I guess the whole field concentrates on Mediums somehow. It’s very well possible that Sunday after the race we stand here and we say we always have been on mediums all weekend long, but we’ll see. I think the car can handle the tires quite good. It’s not too much of a concern if it comes to tires from us.”

***A press conference is set to be held at Fuji on Saturday detailing the progress of the collaboration between the ACO’s MissionH24 project and Toyota Gazoo Racing to advance hydrogen technology, which was unveiled earlier at Le Mans earlier this year. The collaboration will also have a presence in the Fan Zone.

***The ever-popular ‘Circuit Safari’ returns on Saturday morning, offering fans the chance to experience the thrill of seeing cars on track up-close while riding buses. The 12-minute session, in which each team must field at least one car, begins at 9:30 a.m. local time on Saturday, just prior to Free Practice 3.

***New Zealand rugby star Aaron Smith will wave the Japanese ‘Hinomaru’ flag to signify the start of the formation lap on Sunday. Smith, who has 124 caps for the national team, currently plays for Japanese side Toyota Verblitz.

***Support action at Fuji this weekend is provided by the Formula Regional Japanese Championship as well as Porsche Carrera Cup Japan. Current Team Mach SUPER GT racer Iori Kimura leads the points standings in the latter category.

***WEC track action commences on Friday with Free Practice 1 at 10:15 a.m. local time (Thursday 9:15 p.m. EST), with Free Practice 2 following at 2:30 p.m. (1:30 a.m. EST).

Davey Euwema contributed to this report