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At 2:30 pm local time on Sunday, September 20, the 88th Le Mans 24-hour race reached the finish line and TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s TS050 HYBRID No. 8 achieved its third consecutive victory. The No. 7 TS050 HYBRID car, which raced from pole position to the top of the first half, caught up with him and won the podium in third place despite being withdrawn due to problems. As a result, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing confirmed the team champion without waiting for the final race.
The No. 8 TS050 HYBRID of Sebastian Buemi, Kazutaka Nakajima and Brendon Hartley took the lead in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), taking a victory five laps of second place.
Buemi and Nakajima have won for the third year in a row, joining a three-game winning streak that only seven have achieved so far in Le Mans’ 97-year history. Hartley also won Le Mans for the second time since 2017.
The TS050 HYBRID No. 7 of Mike Conway, Kamuwei Kobayashi and Jose Maria Lopez started from pole position and were racing towards the middle of the race with the goal of their first victory, but they suffered problems with the exhaust system. Being retired. However, in the second half, he showed a splendid catch-up and won the podium in 3rd place.
With this victory in Round 7 of the 2019-2020 WEC season, which is competing in all eight races, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing placed 57 irreversible points behind Rebellion in second place in the battle for the team title, making the final race was completed. Without waiting, I confirmed this season’s team champion. This will be TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s third title after the 2014 and 2018-2019 seasons.
The TS050 HYBRID, a 1000 horsepower all-wheel drive racing car that became the last male figure at Le Mans, has set a new standard in terms of efficiency and performance on the salt circuit. Despite a 35% reduction in fuel consumption compared to the first generation LMP1 hybrid vehicle boarded in 2012, the lap time improved by about 10 seconds per lap. In pole position for the fourth year in a row and victory for the third year in a row, the course record was also set during qualifying and final races.
The GR Super Sport (working name), which is directly affiliated with Le Mans, was first unveiled to the public before the start of the final race, with the knowledge gained through the development of the hybrid racing car. Based on the model under development, the custom open-spec vehicle conducted a demo race around the circuit and then held a ceremony to return the winning trophy just before departure.
Except for about 10 laps 6 hours after the start, the No. 7 TS050 HYBRID ran first for most of the first half of the race, and when the race returned, the gap to second place widened to more than 1 lap . It was there. However, immediately after 12 hours, before 3:00 a.m., the No. 7 car, which Kobayashi was driving, suffered a decrease in production and had to be repaired in the garage. The No. 7 car, which was hit by exhaust manifold damage, took 30 minutes to repair, and Kobayashi returned to the field in fourth place, 6 laps behind the leader and 4 laps behind Rebellion No. 3 in third.
On the other hand, car 8 suffered problems such as tire punctures and brake line damage in the early stages, and although it lost time due to two unplanned pit stops and 10 minutes of repair, it continued to fight without giving up, car 7 was in second place before getting into trouble.
In the second half of the race, the No. 8 car widened the gap to second place and lower, and Buemi, Nakajima, and Hartley continued to circle while controlling the pace, eventually widening the gap to 5 laps. Nakajima, who served as an anchor driver for the third year in a row, passed the finish line of the 2020 Le Mans 24-hour race on top. He consolidated his position as the most successful Japanese rider at the Salt Circuit.
Conway, Kobayashi and Lopez’s No. 7 car tried to catch up after returning to the race, but aerodynamic performance deteriorated due to a hit and damage to the vehicle floor. However, Car 8 continued to catch up with the podium goal, and rival Rebellion Car 3 crashed with only an hour left and was forced to pit repair, moving up to third place. Although he was within 6 laps of the winning No. 8 car, he was within one lap of the Rebellion’s No. 1 car in second place and won the podium in third place.
With the sum of points from the victory of the Car 8 driver, the battle for the drivers’ title will move to the final round of the 2019-2020 season in Bahrain on 14 November. It is possible to score up to 39 points in the 8-hour race in Bahrain, but the current leader No. 8 and No. 2 No. 7 are just 7 points behind, and will face the final race with the title.
Hisatake Murata TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WEC Team Representative:
This time, I realized once again that the challenge of the Le Mans 24-hour race is a very difficult task that requires real durability. We went into the race with steadfast determination towards the dream of winning Le Mans for the third time in a row in the TS050 HYBRID, and we overcame the adversity that hit Car 8 in the early stages with teamwork. The whole team did a great job. However, it is also true that we were aiming for a 1-2 finish. I am so sorry for the Car 7 drivers, mechanics and engineers who performed wonderfully. We are one team. His repentance is also the repentance of the entire team. We weren’t able to directly share the happy and sad things we experienced at Le Mans this year with our fans on the field, but we hope to see you next year. Congratulations to Rebellion for second place. He was pushed many times. It is a really respectable team. We are also grateful to ACO for giving us the opportunity to challenge Le Mans despite these difficult global situations.
TS050 HYBRID Car # 7:
(Mike Conway, Kamuwei Kobayashi, José María López)
Final result: 3rd place (6 laps behind the top), 381 laps, 35 pit stops, grid: 1st, best lap: 3: 19.357
Kamu Kobayashi (Car 7):
The 3rd place result is not what we wanted or expected. We were very fast here at Le Mans again this year, but the racing is cruel. We fought well and the team repaired the vehicle at midnight with quick work. This is the first time that I have had problems, but I was very unlucky that it was during such an important race. However, this can happen at Le Mans. Congratulations to Car 8 and to the team that completed the race with two tough jobs.
Mike Conway (car 7):
The goddess of victory at Le Mans did not smile at us again this year. We are pleased that TOYOTA GAZOO Racing has won the championship for the third time in a row, but from the perspective of the 7 car, it seems that we have missed the victory again. It’s also a shame that this has changed the situation in the championship battle. I suffered two major injuries in one race. We are always here to have a good race, but there always seems to be something in the way. That said, it was good for the team that Car 8 won, and they had a great fight.
José María López (Car 7):
First of all congratulations to the team and the crew of Car 8. Winning such an important race three times in a row is a great achievement for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing. The team has been working hard day and night for this race. Everyone, including Mike and Kamuwei, did a great job and I think I was a part of that. This time we were unlucky and we didn’t get the results we wanted for car 7. It’s a shame I couldn’t win because it was so fast, but I will keep challenging.
TS050 HYBRID Car # 8
(Sebastián Buemi, Kazutaka Nakajima, Brendon Hartley)
Final result: 1st place, 387 laps, 36 pit stops, grid: 3rd, best lap: 3: 19.762
Kazutaka Nakajima (car 8):
It’s exceptional to be able to win the last Le Mans in the TS050 HYBRID, and it’s great to have won the third title in a row. Our race today was a bumpy ride, but everyone, including the Auto 7 crew, did a great job. For whatever reason, it seems like we are luckier than other cars. When car 7 was in trouble, it was about winning the race as TOYOTA GAZOO Racing, so it became a very difficult race after that. That is why I was able to achieve victory and I am very happy to be part of this team.
Sebastian Buemi (Car 8):
I feel great. My teammates and the team have achieved such wonderful results. Here at Le Mans, the racing process changes rapidly. When the race started, I felt all kinds of disasters hitting me, including slow zone times, tire punctures, and brake cooling issues. But then all of a sudden things got better and we took the lead, and soon we were five laps behind. This year’s Le Mans reminded us that the race doesn’t know what will happen until the end.
Brendon Hartley (car 8):
I am proud of my teammates and the whole team. When I joined this team, it was a learning series. Thanks to Cebu (Buemi) and Kazuki, we can now drive this complex race car faster. Today I had some problems at the beginning, but thanks to the best mechanics and engineers who supported me, it was a perfect race after that. Everything went well and I am very grateful to TOYOTA GAZOO Racing.
Final result of day 7 of the 24 hours of Le Mans of the WEC (LMP1 class)
Category: F1 / Toyota / Le Mans 24 hour race / WEC (FIA World Endurance Championship)
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