24h Le Mans
43 teams (fielding 61 cars) competed in the 87th 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Super Finale of the FIA WEC 2018-19 World Endurance Championship. There were winners, of course, but also mechanical glitches, track incidents and early retirements. Joy for some, disappointment for others... Here’s a summary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing team, which ran in the LMP1 class.
Class: LMP1
Car: #7 Toyota TS050 Hybrid
Drivers:
This car clinched pole position in the 87th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans with a time of 3:15.497 clocked by Kamui Kobayashi during the second session. In the race, the #7 Toytota TS050 Hybrid held the lead for the better part of the race, but in the 367th lap the car's data reported a flat tyre. José María López, at the wheel at the time, went to the team's pit to learn a sensor problem caused an error in identifying the tyre in question. The Argentinian driver restarted with a new tyre, but it quickly continued to report a loss of pressure. He was forced to do a slowed lap and return to the pit for four new tyres, costing him the lead. The trio Conway/Kobayashi/Lopez crossed the finish line in second place. "It is extremely difficult and frustrating to go after the win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, we knew that. This is the fourth time I've tried. Maybe next year," commented Kobayashi.
Car: #8 Toyota TS050 Hybrid
Drivers:
Last year's winning car qualified in second position with a time of 3:15.908 clocked by Kazuki Nakajima during the second session. In the race, Sébastien Buemi, Kazuki Nakajima and Fernando Alonso were hoping not only to win the race, but also become FIA WEC world champions. The three drivers kept up with their teammates in the sister car, and took advantage of the #7 Toyota's flat tyre problems to slip into the lead, win the race for the second year in a row and win FIA Endurance LMP Drivers Trophy. They won the 2019 24 Hours with a lead of only 16.972 seconds on the other TS050 Hybrid. "This year, luck decided the outcome, not performance. It was a difficult race and it's incredible what happened to the #7. Having experienced something similar in 2016, we know how it feels in that moment and we feel for them. Thanks to our car, we are also world champions and are very proud, especially after a long and challenging season during which we were often neck and neck with our sister car," said Nakajima.
PHOTO: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES DU MANS. The #7 and #8 Toyota TS050 Hybrids fielded by Japanese team TOYOTA GAZOO Racing.
