Cadillac did not get caught. Starting from pole position for the first time, the American car perfectly negotiated the first corner and resisted the biggest threat, the Toyota #8. The latter was attacked by the BMW #15, which took second place right after the first corner.<\/p>\n
Behind, there was a battle on all fronts. The Alpine #35 was attacked from all sides. Even though Ferdinand Habsburg was able to respond to his opponents, the French car lost several positions.<\/p>\n
At the very beginning of the second round, Ferrari #83 completely missed its braking point and hit Porsche #5. This created a chain reaction as many cars were involved in the incident. The German car, as well as Alpine #35, were the main victims of the incident. The first safety car was deployed. Ferrari from team AF Corse was given a 30-second penalty.<\/p>\n
In LMGT3, the Vista AF Corse team lost all the benefit of its good qualifications. The car that achieved pole position quickly found itself at the back of the pack.<\/p>\n
The drivers were visibly excited at the start of the race. At the restart, Porsche #6 overtook Toyota #8, relegating its two main title rivals behind. The two German cars from the Jota team were fighting. #12 was sent off track. In the other category, the two McLarens from United Autosport suffered heavy losses at the first corner. #95, then on the provisional podium, was spun out.<\/p>\n
As the battle raged throughout the pack, including a comeback by the Alpine #36 with Mick Schumacher at the wheel, the Cadillac #2 managed to break away. It had a six-second lead after 50 minutes of racing.<\/p>\n
With a very daring attack, Sarah Bovy, in the Lamborghini #85, managed to take second place, thanks to an overtaking at the first corner on the McLaren #59. The other car from United Autosport suffered a technical problem and limped back to the pits.<\/p>\n
\nDrama at the start as #35 gets caught in a collision, dropping 8 positions, while #36 climbs 5 spots. The fight’s far from over \u2013 we’re pushing hard for a comeback to the top! \ud83d\udcc8#AlpineEnduranceTeam<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/H4Y00dNJ9K<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 Alpine Endurance Team (@SignatechAlpine) September 15, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The first pit stop wave slightly changed the hierarchy. Cadillac lost its first position. But the American car quickly caught up with the leading Porsche #6. The Iron Dames briefly took the lead of the GT3 group, before returning to their second position. The Corvette #81 was leading with a five-second advantage.<\/p>\n
After a safety car intervention to remove numerous debris on the track, the Porsche #6 found its cruising pace. This allowed it to gain a small lead over the Cadillac #2. The latter was under threat from the BMW #15 and the Ferrari #50. In the background, the Iron Ladies lost their grip a bit, dropping from second to fourth place. Sarah Bovy handed over the wheel to Rahel Frey.<\/p>\n
A high pace for Alpine.<\/h2>\n
Alpine continued its climb. After a difficult start to the race for #35, it returned to the points zone after 2 hours and 20 minutes. Jules Gounon overtook Peugeot #94 shortly after the other Alpine. The two blue cars rejoined the Top 10 shortly after the first third of the race.<\/p>\n
The new pit stops benefited Ferrari #50. The red car took the lead of the race, just ahead of Porsche #6. Andr\u00e9 Lotterer was glued to the gearbox of the Italian car. Behind, BMW #15, despite a long stop due to a problem with the tire-changing gun, overtook Cadillac #2.<\/p>\n
The start of Valentino Rossi’s relay, on the BMW #46 GT3, was extraordinary. The former Moto GP rider, who was discovering the track, was very aggressive, gaining several positions in just three laps.<\/p>\n
Hard blow for Cadillac<\/h2>\n
The Alpine #36, penalized with a drive-through for not slowing down during a yellow flag, has fallen back in the hierarchy. After threatening the leading Ferrari for a long time, Andr\u00e9 Lotterer has taken back the lead of the 6 Hours of Fuji. However, the Italian car immediately regained the advantage.<\/p>\n
In the fight to regain third place, Cadillac #2 was hit by a puncture. This would have occurred following contact with Raffaele Marciello’s BMW.<\/p>\n
After a long battle between the two leading hypercars, Porsche #6, who leads the drivers’ championship, took the lead and quickly created a gap of about ten seconds on Ferrari #50.<\/p>\n
On the French side, while Alpine’s work is to be highlighted, Peugeot also made an excellent start to the race. The #94 car spent a long time in the top half of the field and was a serious contender for the Top 8.<\/p>\n
Lamborghini abandons<\/h2>\n
The #35 was simply fantastic during this Japanese classic. Toyota, Porsche, or Ferrari. No matter the opponent, the Habsburg\/Gounon\/Milesi trio was perfect. Without the incident on the second lap, the provisional podium was more than conceivable. Especially since the native of Haute-Marne achieved the best lap of the race.<\/p>\n
The first retirement to note came from the Lamborghini #63, after 4 hours and 15 minutes of the race. While changing gears on a rumble strip, Daniil Kvyat experienced a gearbox issue and had to immobilize his Hypercar at the edge of the track.<\/p>\n
At 1:15 from the end, the race suddenly ignited. Charles Milesi, in a league of his own, claimed the third position. At the same time, the Porsche #5 and the Toyota #7 collided. The Japanese car suffered a suspension breakage and returned to the pits with a huge cloud of smoke.<\/p>\n
The final hour of the race was breathless. Alpine #35 was setting a crazy pace, and continued to increase the gap. But Charles Milesi, too optimistic, sent a Corvette spinning. Penalized with a drive through, he lost a lot in the process. Toyota #8, which had taken over the provisional podium, received the same penalty for obstructing Porsche #6, which was one lap ahead.<\/p>\n
Podium for Alpine<\/h2>\n
Behind, Mick Schumacher’s other Alpine was a second faster per lap and managed to climb back to third position, thereby securing his first podium. The Peugeot #94 was in similar conditions and finished fourth. All French cars finished in the points.<\/p>\n
The Cadillac was unlucky at Fuji. Hit by a puncture around the halfway point, it dropped down the order. In the last half hour, while battling with Alpine #36, the driver lost control and ended the race in the wall.<\/p>\n
\nCADILLAC IN THE WALL \ud83d\udc94<\/p>\n
Huge impact sustained. The race is over for the pole-sitting #2 Cadillac Racing.<\/p>\n
Watch LIVE on https:\/\/t.co\/IPZa0nvsLu<\/a>.#WEC<\/a> #6HFuji<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/IQS18yMDlQ<\/a><\/p>\n