24h Le Mans
Irrespective of whether Toyota or an LMP1 privateer wins the 86th 24 Hours of Le Mans, it will be a landmark result. The Japanese manufacturer has been pursuing victory since 1987 and a non-hybrid prototype has not won the race since energy recovery systems were introduced in 2012.
Nothing less than victory will do for Toyota, now the only manufacturer in the LMP1 field. On paper, the Japanese constructor has everything it takes. It has made only minor changes to its two TS050 Hybrids this year. The cars showed what they were capable of towards the end of last season, and in the opening round of the 2018-19 World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) Super Season in Spa where they took the top two spots.
Toyota can also rely on talented and experienced drivers. Mike Conway and Kamui Kobayashi, who set the average lap speed record at Le Mans last year, combine peak speed and reliability, while their co-driver in the #7 TS050 Hybrid – José María López, three-time World Touring Car (WTCC) champion – no longer has the rookie label hanging around his neck. In the #8 sister car, Sébastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima can rack up fast laps, manage long stints without errors creeping in, and enhance their car’s reliability. Add Fernando Alonso to the mix and the solid duo becomes a formidable trio! The two-time Formula One world champion may be an endurance novice, having made his discipline début in Daytona earlier this year, but the McLaren man is an extremely talented driver whose recruitment is a source of motivation for the entire team.
It will be no walk in the park for Toyota, however, despite their many strong points. Le Mans is still Le Mans – a long, demanding race where the outcome can change at any time, even in the last lap, as the Japanese marque found out to its cost in 2016. All the pressure will be on them too. As the only manufacturer in the running, with cars at the cutting edge of technology, and having never won the race in its twenty campaigns, Toyota simply has to win. It’s a matter of honour. And, finally, because the new regulations have been devised to close the gap between the TS050 Hybrids and the eight-strong LMP1 privateer challenge.
Nonetheless, Toyota remains strong favourite to break its duck this year although wearing that mantle is not necessarily a good thing for the 24 Hours of Le Mans! It is also worth pointing out that, since FIA WEC came into being in 2012, the car that won the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps – generally considered a rehearsal for Le Mans – has never gone on to win the precious trophy.
The rule changes introduced by the ACO and FIA have had the hoped-for effect. Equivalence of Technology (EoT) has brought the Toyota hybrids’ performance levels within range of the private LMP1 entries. Five private outfits – Rebellion Racing, ByKolles Racing Team, CEFC TRSM Racing (Manor), DragonSpeed and SMP Racing – on the LMP1 grid is a sure sign of the strategy’s success. And even if they all finish behind the two Toyotas, the first one of them to cross the line will, at best, take third place on the overall podium or, if beaten to that spot by an LMP2, third place in class. A tremendous accolade for a privateer. Should one of the eight cars finish ahead of one or both Toyotas, it would be quite simply historic!
Among the private armada, the ones particularly worth keeping an eye on are the Rebellion R13s that are equipped to take on Toyota. Any lingering doubts concerning the power of their naturally aspirated V8 compared with Toyota’s hybrid engine and their privateer rivals’ turbos were dispelled by the #3’s third place in Spa. The team has an impressive driver line-up too, with the #1 being shared by none other than Neel Jani, who triumphed at Le Mans in 2016, three-time winner André Lotterer, and Bruno Senna! Another podium challenger will be SMP Racing. Their BR1s designed by BR Engineering from a Dallara chassis are expected to be particularly quick. Question marks remain, however, over the reliability of their AER twin-turbo V6 engine. SMP Racing has also attracted quality drivers in the shape of 2009 F1 world champion Jenson Button, partnering Vitaly Petrov in #11, and former Peugeot and Toyota works driver Stéphane Sarrazin in #17.
Which of Rebellion Racing, ByKolles Racing Team, CEFC TRSM Racing, DragonSpeed and SMP Racing will come out on top? We’ll know the answer at 15:00 on 17 June.
