Mike Conway was once again back on the top step of the podium with the first victory of the season for his Toyota team in the 2016 FIA World Endurance Championship.

In front of an enthusiastic Japanese crowd, all three LMP1 manufacturers showed near identical pace, but Mike and his teammates Stéphane Sarrazin and Kamui Kobayashi came out on top after an enthralling battle.

The #6 crossed the line just 1.439secs ahead of the #8 Audi, bringing TOYOTA’s 11th WEC win, its fourth in five years at Fuji and its first since Bahrain in November 2014. That result also lifts the #6 crew to second in the drivers’ World Championship, 23 points off the lead.

The tone for a tense and closely-fought race was set at the start. Kamui slipped to fourth at turn one, but fought back and at the first pit stops the #6 was running second.

Fast work from the pit crew established the pattern for the race, with Mike now at the wheel, in a very close fight for the lead with the #8 Audi.

As the race passed the half-distance point, there was no let up as all three LMP1 manufacturers ran flat-out for victory in a tense contest, which got even closer when the Porsche #1 joined the battle. As the four-hour mark approached, less than two seconds covered the top three positions.

Stéphane enjoyed an exciting stint with wheel-to-wheel battles against the #8 Audi and #1 Porsche, all whilst coping with heavy traffic. When Kamui took over the #6 with just over 90 minutes remaining, he kept up the challenge, valiantly defending second place before targeting the leader.

The final stop for the #6 saw Kamui take only fuel, saving vital time and earning track position but requiring him to maintain the pace on older tyres. Kamui rose to the challenge during the tense final laps, with fine driving through the traffic. He crossed the line to claim the team’s first victory of the season.

Conway was understandably delighted with the race victory, especially because of the closeness of the eventual win, he said: “This feels really good. We came into the weekend feeling optimistic and thought we had a chance. In the race it was so close all the way through with barely a 10th of a second between the cars each lap.

“It was so tense and the last hour felt like six! Kamui was a star with the double stint at the end. We were not sure how it would go but he did really well. The team also did a brilliant job and made up time in the pits and with our strategy; that was a big part of this win today.”

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