Toyota explains how a photographer helped secure dramatic Fuji WEC win

Toyota scored an unexpected victory at its home WEC race at Fuji thanks to a combination of a dramatic late finish and a tactical masterclass.

While the TR010 Hybrid was far from the fastest car on pure race pace, the #8 Toyota driven by Sebastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley, and Ryo Hirakawa managed to take the win, aided by an unusual contribution from a team photographer.

A heavy crash late in the race required extensive repairs to the guardrail. While rivals were still speculating on the duration of the disruption, Toyota was already analysing the scene of the accident.

Toyota team advisor Alexander Wurz explained that the entire team worked together to estimate how long the neutralisation would last.

“The whole team worked together, including the photographer, the team management, and myself as an advisor,” Wurz told Motorsport.com Germany.

The photographer immediately transmitted high-resolution images of the damaged guardrail to the pit wall. Wurz, who also has experience in track design, ran down to the accident site himself with a radio.

“I ran over there, had a look at everything, and said that it would take at least 25 minutes before the race could get going again,” the Austrian recalled.

That assessment allowed the strategy department to make a key decision during the final pit stop under the safety car, opting for a short fill.

“The crucial thing was that we were the ones who put the least amount of fuel in the car during the safety car pit stop, because we speculated that we would not have a full stint left,” Wurz said.

“We put the least fuel in and we were right. Everyone else fueled too much, which is why we zipped out first with the #8 car.”

Additionally, the team decided against changing tyres on the #8 to save precious pit time. That choice led to a tense final stint when light rain began to fall on the track.

“Drizzle on old slicks against Alpine coming from behind on newer tyres, that was the real nail-biter. But Ryo brought it home sensationally,” the former F1 driver said.

The local hero defended the lead on his used tyres all the way to the chequered flag, securing the closest finish in WEC history and putting Toyota at the top of the championship standings heading into the final stages of the season.

“We did not achieve this because we were the fastest in Fuji, but because when push came to shove at the end, we pulled off a better trick than all the other teams,” Wurz said.

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– The Motorsport.com Team

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