Toyota Bookends FP2 Order with Nakajima Quickest

Toyota bookended the LMP1 order as Rebellion Racing and Team LNT both went quicker than the Japanese manufacturer’s No. 7 car in Free Practice 2 at Fuji Speedway.

Out front, Kazuki Nakajima set the fastest lap of the 90-minute afternoon session with a time of 1:25.623 behind the wheel of the No. 8 Toyota TS050 Hybrid.

This was 1.4 seconds quicker than the next-best time, posted by Rebellion Racing driver Norman Nato in the No. 1 Rebellion R13 Gibson.

Team LNT filled out the next two places, with Egor Orudzhev ensuring the No. 5 Ginetta G60-LT-P1 AER beat its sister No. 6 car – driven by Charlie Robertson – by around half a second.

The No. 5 Ginetta is running a theoretical 0.66 seconds slower per lap than the No. 6, according to the LMP1 success handicap system that is being introduced this weekend.

Completing the order in the top prototype class was Mike Conway who ended the session on a time of 1:28.171 in the No. 7 Toyota, which was the only car not to improve on its FP1 marker.

In LMP2,  Jota driver Anthony Davidson led the way on a 1:29.663 for the British team, in the No. 38 Oreca 07 Gibson.

This gave the British driver a half-second advantage over Kenta Yamashita, who went second in the category for High Class Racing.

GTE-Pro was led by the defending world champion No. 92 Porsche 911 RSR of Kevin Estre and Michael Christensen, which reached the top of the charts courtesy of the 1:38.214 time posted by Christensen.

Second-quickest was James Calado in the No. 51 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE Evo, ahead of Richard Lietz in the second of the two Porsches.

TF Sport’s Aston Martin Vantage GTE completed a sweep of the day’s sessions in GTE-Am, with Charlie Eastwood again going quickest in the No. 90 car.

While the Northern Irishman’s time of 1:38.718 put him ahead of two GTE-Pro entries, the gap to the second-placed No. 56 Team Project 1 Porsche was just 0.197 seconds.

RESULTS: Free Practice 2