For the fifth time since 2012 the teams and drivers head to the Land of The Rising Sun to compete in the first of three 6-hour races in Asia and the Middle East in the shadow of Mount Fuji. There could hardly be a more dramatic or perfect setting as Fuji Speedway, with the longest straight on the 2016 calendar and technical corners, typically delivers sensational racing.  Add in the unpredictable autumnal weather in this part of the world and you have a recipe for an exciting and unpredictable seventh race of the 2016 FIA World Endurance Championship.

On Sunday 16 October the 32 strong grid will feature 89 drivers, including four Japanese, across the four classes for the fifth edition of the 6 Hours of Fuji.

The battle for the world title is hotting up with the no1 Porsche 919 driven by reigning world champions Mark Webber, Brendon Hartley and Timo Bernhard currently on a roll after securing victory in the last three races.  They are currently trailing the championship leaders in the no2 Porsche by 51.5 points, with Romain Dumas, Neel Jani and Marc Lieb currently on 130 points thanks to wins at Silverstone and at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.  However the trio have not been on the podium in the last three races and they will be hoping for a return in Japan.

This year has seen the revival of Toyota Gazoo Racing with the Japanese manufacturer returning to the podium and challenging for the top step.  Everyone will remember the heartbreak for Kazuki Nakajima when the TS050 broke down one lap from the chequered flag at Le Mans.  The speed is there and the Japanese fans will be hoping for a return to the top step of the podium on home soil.

The Japanese team has two home-grown heroes in the shape of Kamui Kobayashi and Kazuki Nakajima, which is another two reasons the grandstands will be full on Sunday afternoon at Fuji Speedway.

Audi will be striving to be in a position to take a second win of the 2016 season with its pair of Audi R18 LMP1 cars. The No.8 crew of Lucas Di Grassi, Loïc Duval and Oliver Jarvis were left bitterly disappointed after looking on course to win at COTA earlier this month.  The No.7 crew of André Lotterer, Marcel Fässler and Benoît Tréluyer will be contenders as always with Lotterer and Tréluyer in particular calling upon their forensic knowledge of Fuji after competing there so many times in Formula Nippon and Super Formula.

Rebellion Racing and the ByKolles squad will again contest the LMP1 Privateer class in Japan. The Austro/Swiss alliance of Dominik Kraihamer, Mathéo Tuscher and Alexandre Imperatori took the lead in the standings after a clear win in Austin. If the trio win again and ByKolles fail to finish then the silverware will be theirs.

In LMP2 the Signatech Alpine squad will be looking to put the Drivers and Teams titles all but mathematically out of reach in Japan. With a 41-point advantage in the table the French squad will show no mercy after a crushing defeat by Nicolas Lapierre, Stéphane Richelmi and Gustavo Menezes in Texas last time out.

The French team will not have it all their own way though as the RGR Sport Ligier-Nissan of Bruno Senna, Ricardo Gonzalez and Filipe Albuquerque will be targeting a fourth consecutive podium placing, including a home win for the Mexican team, as they continue to impress in their first season in the WEC.

A big talking point will be the G-Drive Racing team as they attempt to score a first win of the season. They will have to do it without their star 2016 signing René Rast, who has been replaced for this race only by Will Stevens, the Briton having raced for the team at the Le Mans 24 Hours.

New faces in the Fuji WEC paddock will be found at the Extreme Speed Motorsports team as Giedo van der Garde, Antonio Giovinazzi and Sean Gelael take over the cockpit in the newly liveried No.30 Ligier-Nissan. All three had strong pedigrees in GP2 before moving in to endurance racing. Van der Garde has shown exceptional speed in the ELMS with G-Drive Racing, where he is a title contender in his debut season of endurance racing, while Giovinazzi and Geleal have won in the Asian Le Mans Series.

The second Manor ORECA 05-Nissan is back for Japan after a two race hiatus. Tor Graves will be partnered by rising young British talent Alex Lynn and former Ligier and Minardi F1 driver Shinji Nakano in the no45 car. Lynn, who is a test and development driver for the Williams F1 team, will make his WEC debut for Manor almost a year after he sampled the Toyota LMP1 car at the WEC rookie test in Bahrain.

After five different winners from the six rounds, the LMGTE Pro category is without doubt the most open in the FIA World Endurance Championship this season with a head to head fight between Aston Martin and Ferrari, with Ford also in the mix.

In Texas the Aston Martin duo of Marco Sørensen and Nicki Thiim took their first victory of the season to complete a North American double for the British constructor, following Darren Turner’s win in Mexico at the beginning of September. Turner will be re-joined by Richie Stanaway who missed the last race in Austin.

The win for Sørensen and Thiim elevated them to the head of the points table where they enjoy a 12-point lead over AF Corse pairing Davide Rigon and Sam Bird. With the Aston Martin’s potent straight-line speed sure to be a valuable asset at Fuji, it will be up to Ford, Ferrari and Porsche to try and chase down the Vantage V8s in Japan.

In the Ford camp there is a change as the no67 Ford GT now has just a two-driver line up in the shape of Andy Priaulx and Harry Tincknell as Marino Franchitti has completed his time at the wheel for 2016.

In the LMGTE Am class the fight for the title has closed up slightly after long-time leaders François Perrodo, Emmanuel Collard and Rui Aguas suffered a difficult race in Texas in the no83 AF Corse Ferrari 458.

The Aston Martin trio of Paul Dalla Lana, Mathias Lauda and Pedro Lamy will be keen to take a fourth LMGTE Am win of the season at Fuji. The trio took pole, fastest class lap and the win after a superb display at COTA and will be looking to carry that momentum in to the final races and hunt down the points leaders.

Patrick Long returns to the no88 Abu-Dhabi-Proton Racing Porsche 911RSR after missing the COTA round. The American will strive to ensure the gap to the no83 AF Corse trio is closed further.

Returning to the grid at his home circuit will be Larbre Competition driver Yutaka Yamagishi. The Japanese driver will re-join teammates Pierre Ragues and Ricky Taylor in the Chevrolet Corvette CR7 to make it four drivers in the field for the local fans to fervently follow.