Toyota ready for 24 Hours of Le Mans

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing is united and ready to compete for Le Mans 24 Hours honours after concluding its on-track preparation programme for the 92nd running of the legendary event, the fourth round of the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).

The reigning World Champions completed an intensive programme of optimising its two GR010 HYBRID Hypercars for the challenge ahead, when they take on 21 Hypercar rivals in a twice-round-the-clock battle with competitors from Alpine, BMW, Cadillac, Ferrari, Isotta Fraschini, Lamborghini, Peugeot and Porsche.

A difficult qualifying means the #7 and #8 GR010 HYBRID crews start from 23rd and 11th respectively but the team showed its determination in Thursday’s two free practice sessions. It made the most of the final opportunity to adjust set-ups and plan strategies for the race, which starts at 4pm local time on Saturday.

 “We had two really smooth sessions,” commented Hartley. “Maybe not being in Hyperpole allowed us to focus purely on our race car without distraction.

“It was a constructive day and I feel like we can challenge in the race. We are not the fastest car, but it is very close between five or six manufacturers.

“We are in for an amazing race. Now it’s up to us to use all our experience and put it all together. We are going to give it our all.”

With the true performance hierarchy within the Hypercar class yet to become fully clear, many uncertainties remain. TOYOTA GAZOO Racing is ready to meet that challenge and be part of an exciting spectacle for the 300,000-plus crowd.

Third practice, which took place over three hours in 20°C temperatures on a cloudy Thursday afternoon, saw the team concentrate on long stints, comparing the characteristics of the two compounds of Michelin tyres as well as different set-up options.

Despite a red flag midway through, the session ran smoothly and both cars completed productive programmes. Kamui’s lap late in the session earned fifth for the #7 GR010 HYBRID while Sébastien set the best time for the #8 and ended the session in eighth.

The second night session of the week brought the curtain down on free practice. Light rain began at points around the 13.626km Circuit de la Sarthe early in the one-hour fourth practice, meaning Brendon’s early fastest lap stayed at the top of the timing sheets throughout. José’s first-stint time put the #7 in 10th as the top 11 were covered by less than a second.

After 16 hours of on-track running at La Sarthe so far this month, the team has the data and experience to plot its race challenge. Those plans will be finalised on Friday while mechanics carefully rebuild the GR010 HYBRIDs to be in peak condition for the longest race of the season.

Friday also sees all 186 participants joining the traditional drivers’ parade through the city of Le Mans. TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s drivers will not only meet the fans, but they will also showcase new technology, with the #7 crew traveling in a hydrogen fuel cell Hilux pick-up prototype which produces no tailpipe emissions.

Three-time Le Mans winner, and current TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Europe Vice Chairman, Kazuki Nakajima has been named Grand Marshal for this edition and he will play a key part of Saturday’s official grid and start ceremonies. The race begins at 4pm local time on Saturday.

Le Mans 24 Hours – Free Practice 3
1st #50 Ferrari AF Corse (Fuoco/Molina/Nielsen) 3min 27.283 secs 38 laps
2nd​ #6 Porsche Penske (Estre/Lotterer/Vanthoor) +0.108secs​​ 35 laps
3rd​ #15 BMW M Team WRT (Vanthoor/Marciello/Wittmann) +0.149secs 34 laps
4th​ #3 Cadillac Racing (Bourdais/van der Zande/Dixon) +0.188secs 27 laps
5th​ ​#7 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing +0.520secs 43 laps
6th​ ​#2 Cadillac Racing (Bamber/Lynn/Palou) +0.962secs 37 laps
8th​ #8 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing +1.359secs 39 laps

Le Mans 24 Hours – Free Practice 4
1st #8 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing 3min 29.451secs 16 laps
2nd​ #50 Ferrari AF Corse (Fuoco/Molina/Nielsen) +0.076secs​​ 12 laps
3rd​ #20 BMW M Team WRT (Van der Linde/Frijns/Rast) +0.109secs 10 laps
4th​ #93 Peugeot TotalEnergies (Vergne/Jensen/Müller) +0.145secs 11 laps
5th​ #15 BMW M Team WRT (Vanthoor/Marciello/Wittmann) +0.189secs 12 laps
6th​ ​#35 Alpine Endurance Team (Chatin/Habsburg/Milesi) +0.294secs 12 laps
10th #7 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing +0.733secs 16 laps

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