> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.thehairpin.co/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Hirakawa Secures WEC Hypercar Title as Asian Drivers Close 2026 Season at Monza
- URL: https://www.thehairpin.co/hirakawa-secures-wec-hypercar-title/
- Published: 2026-11-13T07:56:56.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-13T07:56:56.000Z
- Description: The FIA World Endurance Championship ended its 2026 season with the six-hour race at Monza, Italy. Ryo Hirakawa and Toyota's No. 8 crew won the Hypercar Drivers' Championship, while Asian drivers in Hypercar and LMGT3 faced a demanding final race.
- Author: Eshwar Karthik
- Tags: TWIM, WEC

The FIA World Endurance Championship concluded its 2026 season at Monza, Italy, with the six-hour race bringing the Hypercar and LMGT3 campaigns to a close. Toyota Gazoo Racing's #8 crew secured the Hypercar Drivers' Championship, with Ryo Hirakawa among the title-winning line-up, while Asian drivers across both classes faced a demanding final race.

In Hypercar, Kamui Kobayashi qualified the #7 Toyota Gazoo Racing sixteenth on the grid. He made progress across the six hours to finish tenth, closing the season with a top-ten result.

Hirakawa started fifteenth in the sister #8 Toyota. The car spent much of the race running just ahead of its sister entry before finishing eleventh. Despite the position, the points scored at Monza proved decisive. With their championship rivals unable to make up sufficient ground, the #8 crew secured the 2026 FIA World Endurance Drivers' Championship.

Yifei Ye recorded the strongest qualifying result among the three Asian Hypercar drivers, placing the #83 AF Corse third overall. Sharing the car with Robert Kubica and Phil Hanson, Ye and his teammates maintained a strong pace through the race to finish sixth.

Monza brought the 2026 campaign to a close with Hirakawa and the #8 Toyota crew taking the Hypercar title. Kobayashi finished the year with a top-ten result, while Ye demonstrated front-running pace with AF Corse.