24h Le Mans
The Toyota TS050 Hybrid has just clinched its third straight win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, concluding an era that has seen its crews experience the full gamut of emotions at the iconic race, from victories and records to bitter disappointment. We look back at the thrills and spills enjoyed and endured by the most successful Japanese prototype in the history of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Alfa Romeo 8C, Jaguar D-Type, Ford GT40, Matra MS670, Porsche 936, 956 and 919 Hybrid, Audi R8, R10 TDI and R18 e-tron quattro… the Toyota TS050 Hybrid has just joined this select group of cars that have won the 24 Hours of Le Mans three times in a row. Along with the Audi R18 e-tron quattro and the Porsche 919 Hybrid, the Toyota TS050 Hybrid has been a vital component of the hybrid era, with the most sophisticated prototypes ever seen at Le Mans. It has set two major records at the Circuit de la Sarthe: the fastest-ever lap (Kamui Kobayashi in 2017: 3:14.791 at an average of 251.8 kph) and the fastest in-race lap (Mike Conway in 2019: 3:17.297 at an average of 248.6 kph).
It hasn’t always been a smooth ride at the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the TS050 Hybrid. It has been a rollercoaster ride of twists and turns, with exhilarating highs of victory and despairing lows of cruel defeat. A figure-8 rollercoaster – like the figure “8” that has adorned the car that clinched the three wins!
2016: frustr-eight-ed! The TS050 Hybrid was well on its way to crowning its maiden 24 Hours of Le Mans with a stunning victory – until five minutes before the chequered flag. The images are unforgettable. The #8 of Sébastien Buemi/Anthony Davidson/Kazuki Nakajima stranded in the Pit Straight, and a distraught Nakajima helped out of the car by Rob Leupen, Vice President of Toyota Motorsport. Runners-up Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Stéphane Sarrazin (#7) were lost for words during the post-race interviews.
2017: P8 for #8! The two line-ups from 2016 were joined by a third car shared by Nicolas Lapierre, José María López and Yuji Kunimoto (#9). In qualifying, Kamui Kobayashi (#7) pulled off an outstanding lap to clinch pole position and set a new circuit record for Toyota with a time of 3:14.791 (an average of 251.8 kph). The race, however, ended in disappointment once again. The Japanese manufacturer lost two of its entries in the space of fifteen minutes in the middle of the night. The #8 spent two hours in the garage due to an issue on the hybrid system but Buemi, Davidson and Nakajima managed to reach the finish line in eighth place.
2018: a gr-eight victory! Toyota returned to a two-pronged attack for the 86th 24 Hours of Le Mans and shuffled its line-ups. Conway and Kobayashi were joined by José María López, while Buemi and Nakajima welcomed Fernando Alonso, who dreamt of winning the Triple Crown (Formula One World Championship, 24 Hours of Le Mans and Indianapolis 500). Toyota’s efforts finally paid off at its 20th attempt to win the iconic French endurance race with a one-two success for Alonso/Buemi/Nakajima (winners) and Conway/Kobayashi/López (runners-up).
2019: fortun-eight! After securing his second Le Mans pole position, Kobayashi and his teammates Conway and López led from the start… until the final hour. A tyre problem forced López to make an impromptu pit stop that cost the #7 crew a deserved triumph. Toyota claimed another one-two but Buemi, crowned once again with Alonso and Nakajima, sportingly paid tribute to his unlucky stablemates after the race.
2020: triple 8 for Buemi and Nakajima. Once again, Kobayashi demonstrated that he was a master of the art of qualifying by winning the inaugural Hyperpole. The circuit record holder and his habitual teammates dominated the first half of the race, but a turbo problem resulted in a half-hour pit stop. After suffering a brake line problem early in the race, Buemi and Nakajima celebrated their third back-to-back victory, this time partnered by New Zealand’s Brendon Hartley. The #7 TS050 Hybrid finished on the third step of the podium. At the post-race press conference, Mike Conway was already looking forward to next year to finally secure the win that has eluded the #7 for the last two years. A glance at Toyota’s history at Le Mans shows that perseverance will eventually pay dividends.
Post scriptum – a message from Akio Toyoda, President of Toyota Motor Corporation: I had promised the WEC team to stand on the podium with them this year, but I couldn’t fulfil this promise again. But in my heart, I was in both Le Mans and Turkey [Toyota also won the World Rally Championship in Turkey on Sunday]. It was our third straight victory in Le Mans. It’s not that the winning #8 TS050 Hybrid was trouble-free. It had to come back to the pit due to brake cooling trouble. I am very sorry for Mike, Kamui and José who drove the #7 car. But we will keep challenging to make ever-better cars so that our drivers can feel comfortable and confident to drive towards victory. I appreciate all of your continued support.
PHOTOS: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 24 HOURS OF LE MANS. Top: the TS050 Hybrid at the foot of the podium in 2020. Middle: the chequered flag signals Toyota’s maiden win in 2018 for #8, followed home by the #7 car. Bottom: the pit lane celebrates the 2019 triumph.
