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The #8 TS030 Hybrid took its third podium of the season after a close, entertaining contest at the front for Anthony Davidson, Sébastien Buemi and Stéphane Sarrazin. After six hours of intense racing in hot temperatures, the #8 crossed the finishing line just 23.617 seconds behind the race winner. Sébastien started the race from third and, after an immediate 15-minute safety car period, took second on the restart. That started a close battle with the #1 Audi as the pair fought wheel to wheel prior to the first pit stops. Damage to the #1 left Sébastien free to focus on the lead and he began a lengthy scrap with the #2 Audi as the contenders chose different strategies.

Yoshiaki Kinoshita (Team President): “That was a really exciting race; nobody knew which car would win until the last pit stop. Our car performed well, especially during the first three hours when the balance was perfect. Today was the first time we could really see the performance of our high-downforce specification in a race and I’m happy to have closed the gap. Particularly today I want to thank our drivers because the double stints were tough for them, especially Sébastien who did two of them.”

Sébastien Buemi: “We fought as hard as possible right to the end; it was a really tough fight. We lacked a bit of pace over one lap but our strategy was good and this gave us a chance to fight for the win. I enjoyed the battle with Audi and we had some quite exciting moments. I’m a bit disappointed to miss out on victory as we were close. Now we will try to get more performance for the next race.”

Anthony Davidson: “We didn’t expect to be as close to the Audis as we were so we can be proud of how we performed. We were quite brave with our strategy by double-stinting the tyres from the beginning and this paid off. I just did one stint as I have not had a lot of track time this weekend on a new track for me. It was nice to be in a fight for victory, even if we didn’t quite get the result we ultimately wanted.”

Stéphane Sarrazin: “I’m really pleased to return to the podium. After the first stint, when we didn’t need to change tyres but Audi did, we knew there was a chance to win the race. Our car was really good on the tyres and we could push until the last lap of the second stint, which was great. We didn’t quite have the pace but our strategy was the right one. Everyone did a good job, particularly Sébastien who had a long time in the car in very hot conditions. I’m looking forward to Fuji where we want to finish one place higher.”

Please visit Toyota Racing's official website for further information.

(Based upon Toyota Racing press information)

Photo : AUSTIN (TEXAS, ETATS-UNIS), CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS, SIX HEURES DU CIRCUIT DES AMERIQUES, ESSAIS LIBRES, 20 SEPTEMBRE 2013. Après des essais perturbés par la pluie, la Toyota TS030 Hybrid de Buemi-Davidson-Sarrazin a conquis en course la deuxième place sous une météo ensoleillée et très chaude.