Nurburgring
Well-Known Member
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For any Toyota fans following endurance racing, it has been tough. A short recap:
The gorgeous GT-One (TS010) raced in ´98 and ´99. In ´99 it was the fastest car on the field, but suffered a tire failure while chasing for the lead in the final hours, ending 2nd. Toyota then decided to abandon LeMans to pursue F1 (and we all know how that went...). The GT-One kept the LeMans lap record for 7 years.
Then they returned in 2012 with the first petrol-electric car, the TS030. It was a half-hearted attempt at the beginning, running only 2 cars. They managed a second place in the 2013 24h. They were 3rd in 2014, and also won the WEC drivers championship that year.
In 2016, they were posed to win. The new TS050 held 1st position for 23:55 out of 24h, but an electrical failure on the last 5 minutes killed their chances. It was insane. In 2017 a Toyota was leading again, but suffered a clutch failure and was forced to retire.
For 2018, both Porsche and Audi decided to retire blaming the impact of the diesel scandal. So the top category (LMP1) was modified to include both Hybrid and Non-hybrid cars. Toyota is left as the only factory effort. They´re targeting both the lap record and race distance record. But can the cars survive the 24h? We will know in less than a month: race starts June 16.
A cool note: Fernando Alonso will be driving one of the Toyotas.
The powertrain is a 2.4-liter turbocharged V-6 paired with an 8 megajoule hybrid system. The combined output is 986 horsepower.
The gorgeous GT-One (TS010) raced in ´98 and ´99. In ´99 it was the fastest car on the field, but suffered a tire failure while chasing for the lead in the final hours, ending 2nd. Toyota then decided to abandon LeMans to pursue F1 (and we all know how that went...). The GT-One kept the LeMans lap record for 7 years.
Then they returned in 2012 with the first petrol-electric car, the TS030. It was a half-hearted attempt at the beginning, running only 2 cars. They managed a second place in the 2013 24h. They were 3rd in 2014, and also won the WEC drivers championship that year.
In 2016, they were posed to win. The new TS050 held 1st position for 23:55 out of 24h, but an electrical failure on the last 5 minutes killed their chances. It was insane. In 2017 a Toyota was leading again, but suffered a clutch failure and was forced to retire.
For 2018, both Porsche and Audi decided to retire blaming the impact of the diesel scandal. So the top category (LMP1) was modified to include both Hybrid and Non-hybrid cars. Toyota is left as the only factory effort. They´re targeting both the lap record and race distance record. But can the cars survive the 24h? We will know in less than a month: race starts June 16.
A cool note: Fernando Alonso will be driving one of the Toyotas.
The powertrain is a 2.4-liter turbocharged V-6 paired with an 8 megajoule hybrid system. The combined output is 986 horsepower.
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