Ferrari’s endurance history at Fuji

Mount Fuji holds a special place in the collective imagination, immortalised in countless works of art over the centuries. Similarly, Fuji International Speedway is among the world’s most renowned circuits, particularly in endurance racing. Inaugurated in 1965, the 4.563-kilometre track with 16 corners has hosted a world championship race since the FIA WEC’s inception in 2012, except for 2021. Ferrari has secured six class victories in this time, the most recent in 2023, with the 488 GTE number 54. In the decades before that, the circuit near Gotemba was also the site of the Prancing Horse’s first-ever win in Japan: the 512 S at the 1970 200 Miles.

Originally designed in the early 1960s as an American-style oval “superspeedway” with two straights connected by banked curves, the plans for the circuit were later revised, leading to the opening of Fuji International Speedway in 1965. Since then, the track has hosted many significant races, many featuring Sport and Prototype cars.

One of the most prestigious events was the 1000 Miles of Fuji, held from 1967 until the early 1990s. The 200 Miles of Fuji, an invitation-only race held at the end of the season, was equally famous and important. In this race, Ferrari earned its first-ever Japanese win. Scuderia Picchio Rosso’s 512 S, driven by Gianpiero Moretti and Corrado Manfredini, claimed this historic win in 1970.

The Group 5 prototype, designed in the second half of 1969 and limited to 25 units in total, was powered by a 4,993.53 cc, 550 hp V12 engine. In the 1970 season, the Ferrari 512 S achieved several notable results, including a victory at the 12 Hours of Sebring with Ignazio Giunti, Nino Vaccarella, and Mario Andretti. The car also earned podium finishes, such as in the 24 Hours at Daytona on its debut, driven by Mario Andretti, Arturo Merzario, and Jacky Ickx, who finished third, and in the 1000 Kilometres of Monza with Giunti, Vaccarella, and Chris Amon.

More recently, between 2012 and 2023, Ferrari secured six class victories at Fuji. Toni Vilander and Gianmaria Bruni earned the first two in the 458 Italia GTE, winning the LMGTE Pro category in 2014 and 2015. In the FIA WEC, the 488 GTE added to the list of triumphs in 2017, with Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado in the LMGTE Pro and Thomas Flohr, Francesco Castellacci, and Miguel Molina in the LMGTE Am. Pier Guidi and Calado won again in the LMGTE Pro in 2022. In 2023, the trio of Flohr, Castellacci, and Davide Rigon triumphed in the 6 Hours of Fuji in the LMGTE Am class, driving the Ferrari of AF Corse.