- Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryō Hirakawa claim victory in No. 8 TR010 HYBRID
- Toyota secures 10th victory at Fuji and extends manufacturers’ championship lead to 23 points
- No. 8 crew moves to top of drivers’ championship with two rounds remaining
Dubai, UAE – 1 October 2026: TOYOTA RACING celebrated another memorable home victory at the 6 Hours of Fuji, with Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryō Hirakawa claiming first place in the No. 8 TR010 HYBRID. The victory, Toyota’s 10th at Fuji, extends the team’s lead in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) manufacturers’ standings to 23 points, while the No. 8 crew moves to the top of the drivers’ championship with two rounds remaining.
Hiroki “Giano” Nakajima, Executive Vice President, commented: We achieved victory at our home race, the 6 Hours of Fuji. To all the fans who fought alongside us. To everyone who came to the circuit and continued supporting us until the very end. And to everyone around the world who cheered for us. Thank you very much. Congratulations on this victory. And thank you, truly. With so many fans watching, you turned expectations into strength, overcame immense pressure, and delivered the result.
Nakajima added: I am truly proud of what you achieved. But what makes me even happier, and prouder, is the process that led to this result. With “For the Engineering Race” in our hearts, every individual continued to refine their skills, learn from past failures, communicate openly, support one another, and build a stronger team. This was not a victory earned through speed alone. It was a victory earned through human effort. That is TOYOTA RACING. Thank you for your continued support of TOYOTA RACING.”
In front of a 72,326-strong weekend crowd at Fuji Speedway, the race began on a damp track after poor weather caused qualifying to be cancelled, with the No. 8 TR010 HYBRID starting from eighth. Buemi quickly gained two positions as the crew began working its way through the field, with the vehicle moving into the top six during the opening half of the race.
The second half brought a further setback when Hartley was pushed into a spin early in the fifth hour. Hirakawa subsequently took over the No. 8 in sixth place, with the crew remaining outside the podium positions as the race entered its final hour.
A safety car with 55 minutes remaining opened the door for a decisive strategic call. Anticipating a longer interruption while barrier repairs were carried out, the No. 8 crew refuelled the TR010 HYBRID without changing tyres, a bold strategy that put Hirakawa into the lead when racing resumed with 20 minutes remaining.
With rain beginning to fall and pressure building in the closing stages, Hirakawa held his position to cross the line just 0.591 seconds ahead and secure a home victory for TOYOTA RACING. The result extends Toyota’s lead in the manufacturers’ championship to 23 points and moves the No. 8 crew of Buemi, Hartley and Hirakawa into the lead of the drivers’ standings. The No. 7 crew of Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries sits second, 10 points behind, with two rounds remaining.
Toyota’s history in motorsports dates back more than 60 years, competing worldwide across various disciplines. Guided by the concept “roads build people and cars,” the knowledge and technologies gained through motorsports support the development of “ever-better” cars. In endurance racing, TOYOTA RACING competes in top-level categories such as the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), supporting vehicle and technology development under extreme conditions.
The penultimate round of the 2026 FIA WEC is the inaugural 6 Hours of Barcelona (18 October) at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Race Notes:
- No. 8 Toyota TR010 Hybrid Electric Hypercar (Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa)
- Position: 1st
- No. of Laps: 203
- Best lap: 1:31.159
- Elapsed time: 6:01:01.299