LMGT3 Championship, Fuji
Jonny Edgar Secures Top Five at Fuji, Extends LMGT3 Championship Lead
Jonny Edgar leaves the Japanese round of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) with a hard-fought top-five finish – and his LMGT3 title lead firmly intact.
The Cumbrian ace and his TF Sport teammates, Nicky Catsburg and Ben Keating, crossed the line in fifth at the 6 Hours of Fuji, the sixth round of the WEC season. With just two rounds remaining, Jonny continues to lead the LMGT3 standings, while TF Sport strengthens its position at the top of the teams’ championship.
After a solid Friday practice session – logging valuable miles in the #33 Corvette – Saturday brought a dramatic shift in conditions. Torrential rain turned final practice into a wet-weather masterclass, but when the skies refused to clear, qualifying was cancelled altogether. The result? The grid was set by practice times, placing Jonny and his co-drivers tenth on the grid for the six-hour endurance test.
When the lights went out in dry conditions, Keating delivered a clean start, skilfully navigating the opening chaos at Turn 1 to move into the top five. Jonny then took over for the middle stint, inheriting the car just outside the top five. A sharp strategy call and composed driving saw Jonny surge through the LMGT3 field, claiming the class lead just before the halfway mark. He maintained the team’s contention throughout his stint before handing over to Catsburg for the finale.
With less than an hour to go, the team made a high-stakes call during the final safety car period: stay out on old tyres while others pitted for fresh rubber. The gamble paid off in track position – but not in pace. Despite Catsburg’s determied drive, the tyre disadvantage proved too great, and the #33 Corvette slipped from second to fifth by the chequered flag.
The fifth-place finish in Japan not only secures valuable points but also extends Jonny’s advantage at the top of the LMGT3 drivers’ standings. TF Sport likewise widens its lead in the teams’ championship as the season heads towards its climax.
“Overall I think it was a good weekend, nice to come away with a strong points finish after COTA and coming to Japan is always such an amazing experience. The fans are so passionate and they really make this event a special one. The team as always did a fantastic job as did my teammates, Ben really drove well in his first stint and fought well and Nicky did a really good job especially at the end – it was just a shame we couldn’t hang on to the podium places but it was worth a try doing something else.”
Jonny added “I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do at the next round in Barcelona. I’m happy to be going back, I last raced there in the European Le Mans Series a couple of years ago and actually had my first race with TF Sport there as well. So it’s got some good memories for me. I hope we can continue to extend our championship advantage there.”
The penultimate round of the FIA WEC takes place at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona on 16-18 October, broadcast live on TNT Sports in the UK and globally via FIAWEC+. Before that, Jonny jets from one side of the planet to the other for the IMSA season finale: the iconic Petit Le Mans with AO Racing. The final round of IMSA 2026 streams live on the championship’s official YouTube channel this Saturday.
