Fuji Speedway – Japan – October 11th and 12th 2014

The 5th round of the FIA World Endurance Championship, the 6 Hours of Fuji, took place at Fuji International Speedway on October 11th and 12th, 2014. Proudly supporting Porsche Motorsport as Official Timing Partner since the beginning of this season, Chopard has been following the teams with great expectations of victory. At the 6 Hours of Fuji, two Porsche 919 Hybrid cars entered the LMP1 class race and two Porsche 911 RSR cars took part in the LMGTE Pro class race. They finished third and fourth, and fourth and sixth positions respectively.

The Porsche Team celebrated its second podium finish of the season with the Porsche 919 Hybrid, while the second car finished fourth in the six-hour race at Fuji, Japan. The two Porsche 919 Hybrid cars proved again their uncontested supremacy over the race. The fifth out of the eight rounds of the FIA Endurance World Championship was a very intense race. Drivers Timo Bernhard, Brendon Hartley and Mark Webber finished third with their car number 20. They were followed by their team mates Romain Dumas, Neel Jani and Marc Lieb in car number 14. Mark Webber was fighting for the lead when he had to come in for an early pit stop after ten laps because of a puncture. Nevertheless, he managed to set the fastest overall race lap on the 4.563 km long Fuji Speedway (1:27.759 minutes on lap 12).

In the LMGTE PRO class category, the No. 92 Porsche 911 RSR lost all its chances of clinching a top spot after the start on the challenging Grand Prix circuit. Heading into the race from a promising second grid row position, Patrick Pilet (France) was tangled in a collision caused by another competitor, which resulted in major damages to his 911 RSR. Re-entering the race having undergone repair, Patrick Pilet took up the chase, and in front of over 40,000 fans, he and his compatriot Frédéric Makowiecki saw the flag in sixth place. Jörg Bergmeister (Germany) and Richard Lietz (Austria), competing together for the first time for Porsche Team in Fuji, arrived two positions in front in fourth position.

If there is one track that really qualifies as a Temple of Speed, it has to be Fuji Speedway. It might not have the longstanding history of some of the legendary race circuits but since its opening in December 1965 it has held an impressive variety of racing.

Located in Oyama – at the feet of Mount Fuji in Shizuoka-ken prefecture, Fuji Speedway was initially intended to be a Nascar-type banked oval. It then became one of the most respected racing tracks in Asia and all over the world.
This year, the 6 Hours of Fuji race was a great mix of adrenaline, passion and speed.

Chopard is proud to be the Official Timing Partner of Porsche Motorsport. Perfectly in line with the spirit of the Superfast watch collection, this prestigious partnership is an extension of Chopard’s longstanding commitment to automotive sports. Chopard is proud to have released the new “Superfast Chrono Porsche 919 edition” watch from the Superfast collection. This very special model, limited to 919 pieces, is inspired by the Porsche 919 Hybrid car reflecting the innovative spirit and common values that thrive in both companies.

Chopard and Porsche: shared values
United by shared values such as the constant quest for performance and excellence, Porsche Motorsport and Chopard naturally gravitated towards each other around their passion for racing. Born of a joint desire to pursue reliability and innovation, the exceptional mechanics emerging from the Porsche Motorsport and Chopard workshops have significantly influenced their respective fields and remain benchmarks for aficionados of motorsports and watchmaking.

Chopard takes a great pride in such a partnership with Porsche Motorsport for their return to the FIA World Endurance series this season. Karl-Friedrich Scheufele states: “Porsche stands for passion and performance – values we can fully identify with. We are proud to be part of their return to the FIA World Endurance series this season.”

The paths of Porsche and Chopard also meet in the story of another legend: Jacky Ickx. An exceptional driver who has put his name in the history books by feats achieved in several motorsport disciplines, and a longstanding Chopard ambassador, Jacky Ickx – nicknamed “Mr Le Mans” – can lay claim to six victories in this legendary case, four of which were at the wheel of Porsche!

He has also taken part in the famous Mille Miglia race at the wheel of a Porsche 550 Spyder alongside Chopard’s Co-President, Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, an avid motorsport enthusiast and vintage racing car collector.

The FIA World Endurance Championship will continue through October and November with races in Shanghai (China), Sakhir (Bahrain) and Sao Paulo (Brazil).