Fuji Speedway

Fuji Speedway stands at the base of Mount Fuji in Oyama, Sunto District, Shizuoka Prefecture, with the peak of Japan's most famous mountain providing a backdrop on clear days that is unlike anything else in international motorsport. The current circuit measures 4.563 kilometres following a comprehensive redesign completed in 2005 by circuit architect Hermann Tilke, and it is the shortest permanent venue on the WEC calendar. The lap's defining feature is a main straight of 1.475 kilometres, one of the longest in top-level motor racing, which generates high top speeds before the sequence of corners that wind back through a technical infield section. Grandstand capacity sits at approximately 50,000 permanent seats, with broader spectator areas capable of holding more than 100,000 fans during major events.

The original Fuji Speedway concept was conceived as an American-style oval but was completed as a road circuit, opening in January 1966. The track hosted the first-ever Formula One race in Japan in 1976, the dramatic championship-deciding Japanese Grand Prix in which Niki Lauda withdrew after two laps citing dangerously wet conditions, allowing James Hunt to finish third and claim the world championship by a single point. The following year's race was won by Hunt but was marred by a fatal accident involving Gilles Villeneuve's car striking a marshal's vehicle and killing two spectators, after which Fuji did not host Formula One again until 2007. Formula One returned to Fuji in 2007 and 2008 after a gap of nearly three decades, following Toyota's acquisition of the circuit in 2000. Toyota subsequently commissioned the Tilke redesign, modernising the infrastructure while retaining the long straight that had always defined the circuit's identity. The venue has housed a large range of domestic Japanese series alongside its international commitments throughout its history.

Toyota's ownership of Fuji Speedway gives the annual WEC visit a particular resonance given the Japanese manufacturer's central role in the Hypercar class. The 6 Hours of Fuji in 2026 takes place on September 27, drawing some of the largest crowds on the WEC calendar as Japanese motorsport enthusiasts fill the grandstands and infield areas across the race weekend. Autumn conditions at the base of Mount Fuji can include morning mist and afternoon cloud cover, introducing weather uncertainty that has shaped race strategy in previous editions. The long straight places a high premium on straight-line efficiency and drag optimisation, making the Fuji round a meaningful differentiator between Hypercar programmes.