INDIA in F1

Tag: WEC

  • The 24 hours of Le Mans postponed to Aug 21, 22

    The 24 hours of Le Mans postponed to Aug 21, 22

    Le Mans, 4 March 2021: The Automobile Club de l’Ouest, organiser of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, in liaison with the World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) and the Fédération Internationale Automobile (FIA), has postponed the 89th 24 Hours of Le Mans, originally planned for 12–13 June 2021. Now it is planned to be held from August 21 and 22.

    After finishing 4th and fifth in the Asian Le Mans, Indian team of Narain Karthikeyan, Arjun Maini and Naveen Rao are planning to take part in the  24 hours Le Mans this year. However, the list of participants will be announced on March 9.

    The ACO has made this decision early in the season to give competitors, partners and spectators as much visibility as possible and to maintain the current FIA WEC calendar. The dates of the other races and events to be held at the Le Mans Circuit remain unchanged at the present time. The ACO is working closely with the organisers of the various events that could be impacted by this change. 

    This year’s race will see the new Hypercars make their on-track debut and the ACO thus remains extremely keen to have fans attend.

    Information on tickets and full details on the race format will be released at the end of April.  

    Pierre Fillon, President of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest: “Although it was a tough decision to make, it is the right one. Holding the 24 Hours of Le Mans behind closed doors for the second year running would be unthinkable. We are therefore doing all we can to avoid that happening and to give competitors a clear view of the whole season. We are working very hard to put on a safe event, with all the necessary health precautions in place. This year’s race promises to be another thriller as the new Hypercar class makes its debut.” 

  • Historic Sebring pole for Toyota Gazoo Racing: WEC

    Historic Sebring pole for Toyota Gazoo Racing: WEC

    TOYOTA GAZOO Racing will start the 1000 Miles of Sebring from pole position after a clean sweep of the front row in qualifying for the sixth round of the 2018-2019 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).

    The team maintained its perfect record in WEC qualifying this season, with the #8 TS050 HYBRID of World Championship leaders Sébastien Buemi, Kazuki Nakajima and Fernando Alonso going fastest in qualifying with an average of 1min 40.318secs, earning the additional point for pole position in the process.

    The #7 TS050 HYBRID of Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and José María López completed an all-TOYOTA front row with second place, 0.485secs behind.

    Fernando set a new official qualifying record at Sebring International Raceway with his 1min 40.124secs lap, beating the previous record set by Audi in 2013 by 3.762secs. Friday’s race gives both cars the chance to set a new race record at the famous venue, which has hosted endurance racing since 1950.

    Sébastien Buemi (centre), Kazuki Nakajima and Fernando Alonso (left) after taking pole on 14 March 2019. A Toyota Gazoo Racing image

    Qualifying took place in darkness, adding an additional challenge for the drivers, alongside the constant battle to find clean space on the 6.019km track that is notorious for heavy traffic due to the proximity of the walls and the unforgiving kerbs.

    The night proved to be a frustrating one for the #7 car, which had topped two of the three practice sessions in the run-up to qualifying. Mike was first behind the wheel but could not match the #8 car’s pace on his flying laps, while José faced traffic on his first lap and made a small error on his second before holding his nerve in the closing seconds to record a competitive time.

    The #8 car had a less dramatic and more successful session, with Fernando immediately writing his name in the Sebring record books with his first flying lap before Kazuki found space among the traffic and secured pole position.

    TOYOTA GAZOO Racing will therefore go into the 1000 Miles of Sebring with the ideal platform from which to challenge for a fifth one-two finish of the season to extend its World Championship lead, which currently stands at 29 points.

    Mike Conway (TS050 HYBRID #7): “I found the car a little bit difficult in the night. It was hard to put a lap together so in the end I had two scrappy laps. We start second which isn’t bad for a long race tomorrow. We’ve got to execute our race well and make the right calls on strategy. Hopefully we can come home with a good result.”

    José María López (TS050 HYBRID #7): “I am happy for the team to get a one-two with a good margin; the cars are looking very strong. Our car had shown good pace all weekend but qualifying is just one lap in the night. I knew I had to put together an exceptional lap and I went for it. On my first lap another car blocked me and on my second lap I pushed too hard and went wide. Then my last attempt was not enough for pole but we are looking strong for the race.”

    Kazuki Nakajima (TS050 HYBRID #8): “Thanks to Fernando, after his mega lap the job I had to do was just to put a good lap together; it took away a lot of pressure from me. It’s always very tricky to drive at night with these cars but I was happy with the car and the result. It is nice to start the race from the front but we still have a long way to go and we know that to finish a race here without trouble is always a challenge.”

    Fernando Alonso (TS050 HYBRID #8): “It’s great to have the new qualifying record here at Sebring. It felt good to get a lap with low fuel and new tyres; I enjoyed it a lot. At night this circuit is very challenging as it’s not easy to see all the reference points but I had a good lap. I thought a 1min 39secs lap might be possible but I lost a couple of tenths here and there so didn’t quite make it.”

    Free Practice 3 results:
    1st #7 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing 1min 41.448secs 27 laps
    2nd #8 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing +0.653secs 29 laps
    3rd #10 DragonSpeed (Hedman/Hanley/van der Zande) +2.708secs 22 laps
    4th #1 Rebellion (Jani/Beche/Senna) +3.106secs 22 laps
    5th #3 Rebellion (Berthon/Laurent/Menezes) +3.259secs 28 laps
    6th #11 SMP (Aleshin/Petrov/Hartley) +4.951secs 21 laps
    Qualifying results:
    1st #8 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing 1min 40.318secs
    2nd #7 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing +0.485secs
    3rd #3 Rebellion (Berthon/Laurent/Menezes) +2.545secs
    4th #17 SMP (Sarrazin/Orudzhev/Sirotkin) +2.624secs
    5th #11 SMP (Aleshin/Petrov/Hartley) +2.687secs
    6th #1 Rebellion (Jani/Beche/Senna) +2.697secs
  • Toyota Gazoo Racing confirms Alonso for Le Mans 24 Hours and Endurance Worlds

    Toyota Gazoo Racing confirms Alonso for Le Mans 24 Hours and Endurance Worlds

    Alonso image courtesy Toyota Gazoo Racing team

    TOYOTA GAZOO Racing confirmed the name of Formula One double champion Fernando Alonso in the line-up as it announced its drivers for the 2018-19 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) season on Tuesday.

    The team has officially submitted its entry to the Automobile Club de l’Ouest and will participate in all eight rounds of the 2018-19 season with two hybrid-powered race cars as it targets victory in the Le Mans 24 Hours and the WEC World Championships.

    TOYOTA GAZOO Racing will again utilise its 1,000hp TS050 HYBRID car, which won five of nine races in 2017. Development of hybrid technology remains an integral element of TOYOTA’s participation in endurance racing as part of the company’s commitment to making ever-better road cars.

    The driver line-ups for the two TS050 HYBRIDs are now confirmed, with the #7 car competing with an unchanged line-up of Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi, and José María López.

    The #8 TS050 HYBRID features a revised driver line-up, with Sébastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima joined by two-time Formula 1 World Champion Fernando Alonso.

    Fernando, 36, will make his LMP1 race debut at Spa-Francorchamps in May and will compete in all rounds of the 2018-19 season which do not conflict with his existing Formula 1 obligations.

    Anthony Davidson, who won five races in 2017 alongside Sébastien and Kazuki, will remain an important member of the team, bringing his World Championship-winning experience to a new role as Reserve and Development Driver.

    Two-time Le Mans winner Alex Wurz will continue as Team Advisor and Ambassador having made a significant contribution since taking the position in 2016.

    Akio Toyoda（President, TOYOTA Motor Corporation） 
    “I am looking forward to seeing how much TOYOTA GAZOO Racing will grow when our drivers and all team members take what they have learned thus far in endurance racing and add to it what they will gain from Fernando’s experience. The entire team is excited about this opportunity for growth. Through the challenge of WEC endurance races and, among those, on the grueling roads of the Le Mans 24 Hours, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing will do its best, together with Fernando, to outdrive the competition.”

    Hisatake Murata（Team President） 
    “This WEC season is unique because it features two editions of the Le Mans 24 Hours so we are all looking forward to it. I believe we have an extremely strong driver line-up with real strength in depth. Fernando is a rookie in WEC but he brings speed and experience gained from many years at the top of his sport. We are all excited to work with him but endurance racing is a team effort and we know all of our drivers are performing to a very high level. I would like to thank Anthony for his professional approach in difficult circumstances; he remains a strong part of our driving line-up and he will be busy this season.”

    Fernando Alonso 
    “I am very excited to participate in the Le Mans 24 Hours for the first time. It is a race which I have followed closely for a long time and it has always been an ambition of mine to participate. Endurance racing is a different discipline compared to single-seaters and I enjoyed my first taste of it at Daytona. I am looking forward to working together with, and learning from, Sébastien and Kazuki, who are both very experienced endurance drivers. It will be a steep learning curve for me but I am ready for this challenge and I can’t wait to get started.”


    Fernando Alonso in TS050 HYBRID

    Full text of Akio Toyoda statement: 
    “I want to drive an LMP1 car…”
    “I want to race in Le Mans…”
    “I want to win…”

    To Fernando Alonso, I say thank you so much for choosing Toyota as a partner for making your Le Mans dream come true.

    I am extremely thrilled that Fernando, who has battled it out in numerous races and seen things that nobody on our team has ever experienced, will be driving for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing.

    I believe that having Fernando get behind the wheel for our team will only make our cars better.

    I am looking forward to seeing how much TOYOTA GAZOO Racing will grow when our drivers and all team members take what they have learned thus far in endurance racing and add to it what they will gain from Fernando’s experience. The entire team is excited about this opportunity for growth.

    Through the challenge of WEC endurance races and, among those, on the grueling roads of the Le Mans 24 Hours, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing will do its best, together with Fernando, to outdrive the competition.

    And, toward our ultimate aim of providing our customers with ever-better cars, I hope we will be able to race with shared aspirations at heart.

    We welcome Fernando and, together with Sebastien, Kazuki, Mike, Kamui and José for a total of six drivers, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing will go all out toward achieving all of our goals.

    I look forward to everyone’s support of TOYOTA GAZOO Racing this season as well.

    Thank you.

    Driver Profiles: 

    Sébastien Buemi 
    Born 31 October 1988, Aigle, Switzerland
    Le Mans debut 2012
    Le Mans starts 6
    Le Mans best result 2nd (2013)
    WEC starts 43
    WEC wins 10
    WEC best season 1st (2014)

    Kazuki Nakajima
    Born 11 January 1985, Okazaki, Japan
    Le Mans debut 2012
    Le Mans starts 6
    Le Mans best result 4th (2013)
    WEC starts 37
    WEC wins 7
    WEC best season 2nd (2017)

    Fernando Alonso
    Born 29 July 1981, Oviedo, Spain
    Le Mans debut 2018
    Le Mans starts 0
    Le Mans best result n/a
    WEC starts 0
    WEC wins 0
    WEC best season n/a

    Mike Conway
    Born 19 August 1983, Sevenoaks, Great Britain
    Le Mans debut 2013
    Le Mans starts 4
    Le Mans best result 2nd (2016)
    WEC starts 37
    WEC wins 2
    WEC best season 3rd (2016)

    Kamui Kobayashi
    Born 13 September 1986, Hyogo, Japan
    Le Mans debut 2013
    Le Mans starts 3
    Le Mans best result 2nd (2016)
    WEC starts 26
    WEC wins 1
    WEC best season 3rd (2016)

    José María López
    Born 26 April 1983, Río Tercero, Argentina
    Le Mans debut 2017
    Le Mans starts 1
    Le Mans best result n/a
    WEC starts 8
    WEC wins 0
    WEC best season 6th (2017)

    About TOYOTA GAZOO Racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship: Toyota first competed in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) in 1983, marking the start of a long period of participation in endurance racing. Since 1985, Toyota cars have raced in 19 Le Mans 24 Hours races, achieving a best result of second place on five occasions. Toyota entered the revived WEC in 2012, combining the expertise from Toyota Higashi-Fuji Technical Centre, where the hybrid powertrain is developed, with Toyota Motorsport GmbH’s support and facilities for chassis development. The multi-national team includes engineers from Toyota’s motorsport and hybrid department, who deliver technology and know-how back into road car development. Since 2012, Toyota, the 2014 manufacturers’ and drivers’ World Champion, has participated in 48 WEC races since its debut in 2012, earning 14 pole positions, winning 16 times and finishing on the podium a total of 41 times.

    eom/Toyota Motor Corporation release