REBELLION BRINGS TOYOTA’S UNBEATEN WEC RUN TO AN END
Manufacturer suffers its first on-the-road defeat for two years as Rebellion triumphs at Shanghai
Toyota was defeated on the road in a World Endurance Championship race for the first time in two years as the series’ handicap rules made their first real difference at Shanghai, but there was controversy over winner Rebellion’s “very dangerous” start.
With Toyota still the only manufacturer in LMP1, the WEC instigated a success handicap system for its 2019-20 season that uses various methods to slow the leading cars in the standings by amounts that alter depending on the points gap from the first to last LMP1 car.
Though that hadn’t stopped Toyota winning the opening two rounds of the season, Rebellion trio Norman
Nato, Gustavo Menezes and Bruno
Senna took a commanding pole at Shanghai and went on to win the race ahead of the two Toyotas.
The only time Toyota had previously lost a race since Porsche’s exit at the end of 2017 was when it was disqualified from the Silverstone event last summer.
But Toyota team boss Pascal Vasselon hit out at Nato for “very dangerous” start tactics after Rebellion’s win.
Under series rules, the polesitter sets the pace at the rolling start and no passing is allowed before the startline regardless of when the lights change.
The usual custom is that the pole car accelerates on the change of lights, but Nato waited until the line and was overtaken by the two Ginettas and one of the Toyotas – all of which received drivethrough penalties.
“If the lead car doesn’t accelerate, you push all the cars into the LMP2 field,” said Vasselon. “If the guy in front did not accelerate on purpose, it’s very serious. Imagine if all the LMP1S braked, and all the others accelerated, it’s very dangerous.”
Nato retorted that he had followed the rules correctly. “There is a rule, and they just didn’t respect the rule,” he said. “Just because there is a green light, you don’t have to go flat out.
The leader sets the pace and there is a white line, and until then you can’t overtake the leader. So I’m choosing what I want to do.”
The two Ginettas ultimately finished fourth and fifth behind the Toyotas.