24h Le Mans
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing just conducted a successful 30-hour endurance test with one of its two TS050 Hybrids at the Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet for the official testing sessions of the World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) known as the Prologue. Things are looking good for the 86th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 16th and 17th!
To be ready to take on the mechanical and competitive challenge imposed by the 24 Hours of Le Mans is no small achievement. That is why contenders for victory typically conduct multiple endurance tests early in the season. The TOYOTA GAZOO Racing team just completed one such test at the Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet. The #7 Toyota TS050 Hybrid ran for 30 hours with the low downforce aerodynamic kit to be used at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Mike Conway, José María López, Sébastien Buemi, Anthony Davidson and Alexander Wurz took turns at the wheel of the Japanese prototype, doing a grand total of 839 laps. That's 4,5858.6 kilometers!
This 30-hour endurance test allowed TOYOTA GAZOO Racing to test the reliability of the TS050 Hybrid, as well as refine best practices in case of unexpected mechanical problems. The team even simulated some complications to give its mechanics and engineers the opportunity to practice changing out parts. As for the time clock, the two TS050 Hybrids managed to clock the fastest times of the Prologue, the #8 ahead of the #7.
Drivers Kamui Kobayashi, Kazuki Nakajima and Fernando Alonso were not present at the Prologue due the Japanese driver's prior commitment in Super GT and the Spaniard's participation in the Bahrain Formula 1 Grand Prix.
Anthony Davidson had this to say about the endurance test: "It’s nice to be back at the Prologue and for the first time we have done an endurance test during this event. Reliability is the key to Le Mans and that’s what we’ve been working on here. It’s nice to be with other cars on the track as this brings a sense of realism to the testing. It’s much more representative."
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing will now focus on the upcoming Total 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps (May 3-5), the opening round of the World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC), for which the TS050 Hybrids will be equipped with the same aerodynamic kits. The race will serve as another opportunity to collect precious data and information ahead of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Information and quotation from team press release.
PHOTO (Copyright - MPS Agency/Pascal Saivet)
