Toyota fights back to podium at Le Mans
Disappointment and elation came in equal measure for Toyota at the punishing 24 Hours of Le Mans.
After leading the race for 13 hours, the team’s leading car went out with a suspected wiring failure, leaving the No.8 car to battle through from an early setback and score a well-deserved third overall behind the two factory Audi race cars.
The podium finish enables Toyota to retain its overall points lead in the FIA World Endurance Championship. Toyota New Zealand assistant general manager of marketing Andrew Davis says the team can be “extremely” proud of its achievement, and can look forward to building on its championship lead.
“Le Mans is the ultimate round of the World Endurance Championship, and is the most extreme test of driver ability and stamina.
“For this year, the series is also the biggest showcase of hybrid technology, and although the Toyota Racing team came into the weekend as favourites, they were under no illusions about the task ahead.
“The team went up against formidable opposition in the LMP1 class racing against Porsche and Audi which has been a tremendous test for the team and we are very proud of their performance.”
All three top teams struck trouble during the race, which began as a sprint among the seven LMP1 cars of Toyota, Audi and Porsche, became a story of attrition, and finally of true endurance and indomitable will.
The No.7 Toyota TS040 hybrid car of pole winner Sarrazin led for all but three laps of the first 12 hours, and seemed set to continue on its winning way, but went out near the end of hour 13 with an electrical loom failure.
Eventual winners Audi had turbocharger issues on Saturday; Nicolas Lapierre crashed the No.8 Toyota in a sudden rain squall that put one of the Audis out of the race; and the two Porsches managed to avoid crashes, but were afflicted with mechanical issues, including a failed transmission in car No. 14, while Porsche’s leading car, with Mark Webber at the wheel, dropped back from second place to 13th in the final hour, and then went out in the closing moments of the race.
For Toyota, the No.8 Toyota driving team of Anthony Davidson, Nicolas Lapierre and Sebastien Buemi embodied the spirit of endurance racing, fighting back from Lapierre’s crash and emerging from 43rd overall to claw their way into the top 10, then the top five, and finally onto the third podium spot.
“The team put a huge effort into this race, and after showing our TS040 hybrid race car’s outright performance by taking pole position, the drivers drove the to the very limits of mechanical and human endurance.
“It is to the team’s credit that they were so competitive in the premier LMP1 category but in the end we were unable to grasp the win. This truly was an ultimate test of hybrid technology and although I am sure the team will have a number of learnings that can be applied to the remainder of the championship and our hybrid road vehicle programme,” said Andrew Davis.
“With such a strong performance at both the previous rounds of the championship, and now Le Mans, I am sure they will be looking forward to the next round, where the on-track battles will continue.”
The FIA World Endurance Championship now takes a northern hemisphere summer break until the next round of the FIA World Endurance Championship at the Circuit of the Americas in Texas on September18-20, the first race of the 2014 season outside of Europe.
A true endurance event, Le Mans is more than the challenge of a 24-hour race. In total, there is almost 35 hours of driving, including practice sessions and qualifying.
Toyota first competed in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) in 1983, marking the start of a long period of participation in endurance racing. Toyota cars have raced in 15 Le Mans 24 Hours races, achieving a best result of second place on four occasions (1992, 1994, 1999 & 2013).
Toyota entered the revived WEC in 2012, as Toyota Racing, with its first hybrid LMP1 car, the TS030 Hybrid.
That car competed for two seasons, winning five races. It was designed and built by Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG), where the race team is based.
TMG is the former home of Toyota’s World Rally and Formula 1 works teams, and was responsible for design and operation of Toyota’s TS020 Le Mans car in 1998-99.
TMG now combines motor sport participation with work as a high-performance engineering services provider to third party companies, as well as the Toyota family.