Toyota Racing readies hybrid for the Le Mans 24 Hour

• Toyota Racing to make motorsport history with two hybrid-powered race cars entered for the Le Mans 24 Hours
• TS030 HYBRID cars competing in the elite LMP1 class, using new powertrain developed specifically for motorsport
• Hugely experienced international driver line-up, including Britain’s Antony Davidson
• Yamaha Motor Europe supporting a cleaner approach to racing as official supplier of 16 electric paddock scooters for team use

Toyota Racing will write a new chapter in the history of hybrid motorsport next week when it takes part in the 80th running of the Le Mans 24 Hours (13 – 17 June).

The team is fielding two TS030 HYBRID cars in the elite LMP1 class, equipped with Toyota’s new THS-R (Toyota Hybrid System – Racing) powertrain, developed specifically for motorsport.

The race will mark the culmination of an intense period of preparation, during which the new technology has been tested and refined ready to take on one of motorsport’s greatest challenges.

A key decision has been to fit a Denso rear hybrid motor within the gearbox casing. The car also makes good use of regenerative braking, with energy recovered and stored in super capacitors, located in the cockpit. This can then be used to provide extra boost on the exit from corners (up to 500Kj between braking zones, as dictated by competition rules).

The hybrid powertrain has been produced by the Toyota’s motorsport division at Higashifuji in Japan, and the TS030 HYBRID chassis has been developed and manufactured by Toyota Motorsport (TMG) in Cologne, Germany.TMGis the team’s home base and also provides the on-track personnel.

Since it first turned a wheel on 13 January, the TS030 HYBRID has completed 18 test days, most of them at Paul Ricard in France, but also at MotorLand Aragon (Spain), Magny-Cours (France) and Le Mans itself.

Despite the challenges of optimising such new technology, and the loss of one chassis in a testing accident, progress has been rapid and Toyota Racing heads for Le Mans with the aim of continuing its development programme while at the same time proving the performance potential of the THS-R system.

The environmental dimension of Toyota Racing’s participation at Le Mans will be further supported by Yamaha Motor Europe, which will be providing 16 EC-03 electric scooters for team use in the race paddock. This partnership sees Yamaha become an official supplier to Toyota Racing.

A talented driver line-up mixes proven Le Mans experience, natural speed, consistency and strong team spirit.

The number 7 car features two-time winner Alex Wurz (Austria), former Sebring 12 Hours winner Nicolas Lapierre (France) and ex-Formula 1 driver Kazuki Nakajima (Japan).

In the number 8 car, three-time Le Mans pole position winner Stéphane Sarrazin (France) joins multiple endurance winner Anthony Davidson (Great Britain) and Formula 1 young gun Sébastien Buemi (Switzerland).

Davidson acknowledges the scale of the challenge but is fired up to do well: “To succeed here you need to be on top form, it’s as simple as that. The test day gave us plenty of encouragement and we have to continue in this direction in order to be well prepared for the race. I am a positive and realistic guy; I hope we will have the car to fight at the front but I also know that 2012 is our first year so we have many things to learn.”

Yoshiaki Kinoshita, Team President, said:“This is a learning year for Toyota Racing but nevertheless we set ourselves high standards, so we want to prove the performance potential of the hybrid system and the TS030 HYBRID.

“We know it is not easy to face such experienced opponents and we face a steep learning curve, but the ultimate medium-term target for this project is to win Le Mans so we aim to take a big step in this direction in 2012.”

Action begins on Wednesday 13 June with practice (4 to 8pm local time) and first qualifying (10pm to midnight) followed on the following day by second qualifying (7 to 9pm) and final qualifying (10pm to midnight). Following a Saturday morning warm-up (9 to 9.45am) the race begins at 3pm.

Takeshi Uchiyamada, Toyota’s Executive Vice President of Toyota Motor Corporation and the hybrid power pioneer responsible for the Toyota Prius, has the honour of the ceremonial flag-waving to get the race under way.

Source Toyota

 

I'm just glad to see another major manufacturer step up after the withdrawal of Peugeot. Looks like they got a number of former Peugeot drivers. Hopefully they'll be able to fight with Audi, but it'll probably take them another year to really be able to compete for a win.

 

The car is 10mph faster than the Audi down the straights, is allowed a larger fuel cell, but has yet to successfully complete a 24-hour shakedown test. I think next year they can realistically beat the Audi (their factory is said to be 30 years ahead of Audi's), but this year will be more of a test. If one of their cars completes the race, I think they'll be more than pleased considering how little time & testing they've managed for this car.

In a few years, we'll have Audi, Porsche, and Toyota legitimately battling it out for Le Mans...can't wait!

 

On the surface, the car looks like it was a Peugeot.

 

Yes.

 

Anyone find it strange that a company that produces no performance cars (yes I am including the LFS/ISF) is entering Le Mans? Well, there was Peugeot...

 

Find it strange that Porsche - with the stronget Le Mans history of any manufacturer, 16 overall wins, etc., etc. - will have had a 16 year absence by the time they finally return in 2014? Hopefully I will be there to see it in person in 2 years..

Le Mans is my favorite race of the year, and my favorite series/type of racing to watch, so I welcome some (potential) competition for the 4 rings in the absence of Peugeot.

 

Also my favorite race of the year. Glad to see Toyota in the running. Do you guys use any cool sites or apps for behind the scenes stuff? We had the gps app for the 24h of the 'ring that was cool so I figured there must be stuff for this as well?

 

Got the world the Carrera GT. Sometimes money is spent for the greater good...

 

While in Formula 1 Toyota had an engine failure rate in the single digits. Not in a season, their entire span of competing. In 2009 they had no engine failures. Was the car fast? No.

Toyota's F1 complex in Germany is ridiculous, that's where teams send their cars to figure out what's wrong with them.

So you can only imagine what kind of things are going on, if Toyota is using that complex to build the TS030s.