Jensen keeps Peugeot on top in second FIA WEC practice at Fuji

After the No. 94 Peugeot 9X8 topped Free Practice 1 earlier in the morning, it was the No. 93's turn to lead the way in FP2 on Friday afternoon at the Fuji Speedway. An early 1m29.495s from Mikkel Jensen, the quickest lap of the WEC 100 meeting so far, was enough to keep the car at the top of the leaderboard until the end of the session.

Porsche Penske Motorsport's No. 5 963 came close to dethroning the No. 93, with a 1m29.512s from Julien Andlauer, as did the No. 009 Aston Martin Thor Team Valkyrie, which ended up third with a 1m29.5s of its own from Marco Sorensen.

Toyota's No. 8 GR010 took fourth, with the No. 35 Alpine completing the top five with a time a fraction under 0.4s off the benchmark.

Looking at it from a wider angle, the top class was tight-knit among the different manufacturers, as seven manufacturers managed to sneak a car into the top eight. The outlier was BMW; its fastest M Hybrid V8 was 13th.

There was one drama in the session in the Hypercar ranks, and it concerned the Bavarian brand. The No. 20 BMW Team WRT M Hybrid V8 took rear-end damage from a hit with a billboard. But the car was able to continue and returned to the pits for repairs.

In LMGT3, it was AKKODIS ASP once again that set the pace in the heat.

Like the Peugeots in Hypercar, it was a role reversal for the two RC F LMGT3s. The No. 87 set the best lap this time, while the FP1-topping No. 78 ended up third, just a couple of tenths off the sister car. Clemens Schmid set the time in the lead Lexus, a 1m41.431s.

Sandwiched in between the two RC F LMGT3s was the No. 59 United Autosports McLaren following a hot lap from Sébastien Baud. The No. 92 championship-leading Manthey Porsche was fourth while the No. 21 Vista AF Corse Ferrari ended up fifth.

It's shaping up nicely ahead of qualifying, as the top 11 cars in the class all set sub-1m42 lap times.

FIA WEC track action at the Fuji Speedway continues with Free Practice 3 tomorrow morning at 09:50.