TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s preparations for the 84th running of the Le Mans 24 Hours began with a busy and constructive first day of action at the Circuit de la Sarthe.
Following several days of build-up for the third round of the 2016 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), the two TS050 HYBRIDs finally hit the track in anger, with a four-hour practice session followed by first qualifying.
With the focus on race set-up, the majority of today’s sessions were dedicated to fine-tuning the TS050 HYBRIDs, which showed its potential by setting TOYOTA’s fastest lap time at Le Mans since returning in 2012.
That honour went to Stéphane Sarrazin in the #6 car which he shares with Mike Conway and Kamui Kobayashi on his way to provisional third on the grid, one place ahead of the #5 of Anthony Davidson, Sébastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima.
Rain showers throughout afternoon practice allowed testing of all types of Michelin tyre, providing useful information on their behaviour in different track conditions. The team’s main task was aerodynamic and mechanical set-up work.
A productive afternoon was halted early when Stéphane made contact with the barrier late in the session, causing damage to the front bodywork. The pit crew worked hard in the break to have the #6 ready for the beginning of qualifying.
With 60 cars fighting for position on the 13.629km Circuit de la Sarthe, traffic was regularly a factor in qualifying, although conditions stayed dry throughout the two hours.
Just like in the 5 June test day, the TS050 HYBRID showed a significant improvement on 2015, setting a best lap time 2.806secs faster than last year’s best TOYOTA qualifying lap, despite the 10% reduction in fuel consumption required by regulations.
Qualifying continues on Thursday with another pair of two-hour sessions (19.00 & 22.00). The starting grid is decided by the fastest single lap from any of the qualifying sessions.
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