Kubica, Andrade and Deletraz extend LMP2 points lead with Fuji win
The No.41 Team WRT squad took their second win of the 2023 FIA WEC season and extended their championship points lead at the 6 Hours of Fuji this afternoon.
Robert Kubica, Louis Deletraz and Rui Andrade overhauled pole sitters and early leaders Filipe Albuquerque, Phil Hanson and Frederick Lubin in the No.22 United Autosports car to win comfortably.
In doing so WRT scored a second consecutive Fuji win and sealed its eighth WEC success to become the second most successful LMP2 team in WEC history.
It was Filipe Albuquerque who controlled the early running but when Kubica took over the No.41 WRT Oreca-Gibson after Rui Andrade's first stint, the Belgian team started to take control of the race.
Behind Kubica, there was high drama as the sister WRT car driven by Robin Frijns attacked and overtook Albuquerque in the final ten minutes in what appeared to give WRT what would have been a famous 1-2.
Close racing in LMP2 for the final podium spot between the #31 Team WRT and the #23 United Autosports #WEC #6HFuji pic.twitter.com/P23sc0XNXg
— FIA World Endurance Championship (@FIAWEC) September 10, 2023
However, Albuquerque fought back and put an audacious move on the Dutch ace to steal the runners-up position back. Albuquerque also scooped the Goodyear Wingfoot Award for the driver setting the best average double-stint in LMP2. The Portuguese ace averaged 1m35.524.
Ben Hanley, Oliver Jarvis and Joshua Pierson in the No.23 United Autosports entry finished fourth ahead of the No.36 Alpine ELF Team trio of Charles Milesi, Matthieu Vaxiviere and Julien Canal.
Completing the top six was the Jota Oreca-Gibson of Pietro Fittipaldi, Oliver Rasmussen and David Heinemeier Hansson. They were delayed in the early running when they got spun around by stablemate Antonio Felix da Costa in the No.38 JOTA Porsche 963 Hypercar.
