The long-distance season is heading towards its climax with the 24-hour race at Le Mans: when the traffic lights turn green on June 14, fans, drivers and teams can look forward to exciting duels. Despite fierce competition from the French long-distance classic, Toyota Racing is aiming for the next victory.
The Cologne-based motorsport team is the current leader of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) to the traditional Circuit de la Sarthe. After two victories in the six-hour races at Silverstone and Spa-Franchorchamps, Toyota Racing leads the way with 48 points. In France, the provisional coronation is now to follow and, after second place last year, the victory is finally here.
It should straighten the two Toyota TS040 Hybrid. The 1.000 hp racing cars combine a 382 kW / 520 hp 3,7 liter petrol engine and a 353 kW / 480 hp electric drive system that transmit their power to all four wheels. Despite the higher performance compared to the previous year, the cars are satisfied with around 25 percent less fuel.
The driver of vehicle number 7 is Alex Wurz, Stéphane Sarrazin and Kazuki Nakajima, the Toyota number 8 is driven by Anthony Davidson, Nicolas Lapierre and Sébastien Buemi - all experienced pilots who start for Toyota for the third year in a row. They know what they are getting into: Le Mans is as demanding as it is exhausting, with training, qualifying and races it is important to complete more than 35 hours on the 13,6 km long track. “It will be a tough race as always at Le Mans, but my expectations are high. When I get on the podium, of course, I want to be at the top, ”says Alex Wurz, setting the course for himself and his teammates.
Chances are good if Toyota starts at Le Mans for the 16th time, for the third year in a row as the Toyota Racing works team. The free practice starts on Wednesday (June 11th). After qualifying on Thursday, the 15-hour race starts on Saturday at 24 p.m.
