Akkodis ASP Team left Fuji with two finishes that did not reflect the positions its Lexus RC F LMGT3s occupied during much of the race.
The #78 of Tom Van Rompuy, Hadrien David and Esteban Masson started third in LMGT3 after Saturday qualifying was cancelled and the grid was set from combined practice times. Van Rompuy kept the car in the front group during the opening phase and the crew remained in podium contention as the race moved through repeated Safety Car periods.
Masson took over for the final run after rain intensified late in the race. The #78 restarted ninth with around 20 minutes remaining and moved forward again, but a drive-through penalty with two laps to go ended the podium challenge. In the compressed field, the penalty cost seven positions and the Lexus finished 10th.
The sister #87 of Petru Umbrarescu, Clemens Schmid and José María López had a more difficult race from the start. Contact on the opening lap sent the car into a spin, and a later sensor issue reduced engine power. The team repaired the problem during a pit stop, but the lost lap could not be recovered.
Schmid nevertheless moved the #87 back through the LMGT3 field before a 10-second contact penalty added another setback. López eventually brought the car home 11th.
The result leaves Akkodis ASP with a clear split between pace and outcome. The #78 spent much of the race close enough to the leaders to fight for a podium, while the #87 showed recovery speed after early damage and a technical issue, but neither car converted that pace into a top result.
The FIA WEC season now returns to Europe for Barcelona and Monza.
