TOYOTA RACING was denied victory in the closing minutes of a dramatic Lone Star Le Mans, round five of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) in Austin, Texas.
Brave overtaking, bold strategy and strong teamwork saw Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries comfortably lead the race, when a hydraulic issue forced the #7 TR010 HYBRID into retirement with just 11 minutes to go.
Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryō Hirakawa fought for much of the race for a podium in their #8 TR010 HYBRID before suffering their own misfortune, prior to an exciting fightback which earned sixth.
“That was a brutal finish for the team,” commented Hartley. “We definitely had the pace to have two cars on the podium today, so it hurts to give it away. Séb did a great last stint to bring our car back to sixth but I’m massively disappointed for the team that car #7 had the issue when it was in a dominant position to take the victory.”
Despite missing out on a better result, TOYOTA RACING nevertheless extended its lead in the manufacturers’ World Championship to nine points. The #7 crew remains tied on points at the top of the drivers’ standings with three races remaining, while the #8 crew has closed to within 11 points.
From seventh and ninth on the grid, Nyck and Sébastien moved into the top six in the early laps before adopting different fuel strategies. The #8 made its first pit stop early to gain time on a clear track, and both ran in the top three in the first two hours.
A safety car at the midway point reset the strategies and reduced the gaps. After the restart, Nyck made three bold overtakes into turn one to battle into the lead. Kamui took over and held the lead under pressure from the two Alpines approaching the last hour.
The #8 was a strong podium contender and Ryō ran third with 90 minutes remaining, until a drive-through penalty for pit lane speeding dropped him to seventh. Further misfortune was created by a virtual safety car (VSC) soon after. Having taken a fuel stop under racing conditions moments earlier, the #8 dropped to 14th when its rivals gained time by pitting under the VSC.
A safety car automatically followed and, when the race resumed with 45 minutes to go, Nyck set new fastest laps to build a gap at the front. He was within touching distance of victory when a hydraulic issue affected his power steering and forced the #7 into the garage with just 11 minutes to go.
Sébastien recovered some points for the team with a determined final stint. He delivered an overtaking masterclass, passing multiple rivals to move back into the points and finish sixth.
TOYOTA RACING will aim to bounce back from the disappointment at its home race in three weeks. The 6 Hours of Fuji takes place on 27 September.
Lone Star Le Mans Race Results
1st #50 Ferrari AF Corse 167 laps
2nd #38 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota +4.471secs
3rd #35 Alpine Endurance Team +6.116secs
4th #007 Aston Martin THOR Team +9.045secs
5th #36 Alpine Endurance Team +10.885secs
6th #8 TOYOTA RACING +21.389secs
DNF #7 TOYOTA RACING
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