Toyota GAZOO Racing All Set for Silverstone

Apr 10, 2017 18:00 JST

Source: Toyota Motor Corporation

Toyota City, Japan, Apr 10, 2017 - (JCN Newswire) - Toyota GAZOO Racing begins its challenge for the 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) with a new car and revised driver line-up for the season-opening 6 Hours of Silverstone this weekend.

2017 WEC Round 1 Preview

A heavily-modified TS050 Hybrid, featuring upgraded hybrid powertrain plus mechanical and aerodynamic updates, will make its competitive debut in the first of nine endurance races which will decide the 2017 championship.

With only two aerodynamic packages permitted in 2017, Toyota will bring the high-downforce version of the TS050 Hybrid to Silverstone, where it has finished on the podium in each of its five previous visits so far.

The 5.901km Silverstone circuit, one of the most historic on the WEC calendar having been opened in 1948, is famed for its sweeping corners which put a premium on downforce rather than outright top speed.

With around 35,000km of pre-season testing under its belt, including the two-day Prologue event at Monza earlier this month, the team heads to Silverstone ready to take on LMP1 rivals Porsche in a two-way battle for World Championship honours.

Behind the wheel, three-time World Touring Car champion Jose Maria Lopez makes his Toyota race debut in the #7 TS050 Hybrid alongside Mike Conway and Kamui Kobayashi, race winners and title contenders in 2016.

In the sister car, the #8, Anthony Davidson, Sebastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima are reunited for a third consecutive season. Anthony and Sebastien have driven together since 2013 and won the 2014 title wearing the #8.

Home heroes Anthony and Mike have enjoyed their share of success at Silverstone down the years and both are previous winners of the Richard Lloyd Trophy, presented to the highest placed member of the British Racing Drivers' Club.

Track action begins on Friday with two 90-minute sessions, while a final hour-long practice on Saturday morning takes place before qualifying. The six-hour race, which last year saw 1,144km completed by the winning car, begins at midday on Sunday.

Toshio Sato, Team President:

"The start of a new WEC season is always an exciting time and we will travel to Silverstone with plenty of hope and expectations. I would like to thank the team for their strong effort over the winter to introduce our updated TS050 Hybrid and prepare it for the new season. It is a very intense period for the whole team but I am proud of our preparations and I believe we have done everything in our power to be ready. Now we will see how we compare with Porsche; we will be pushing to the maximum to get a strong result."

Mike Conway (TS050 Hybrid #7):

"Silverstone is my home race; a track I raced on many, many times. I really like Silverstone because it's fast flowing and good fun. It will be a tricky race especially with traffic but I think we have a competitive car and we arrive there well prepared. Even though it's hard to tell at the moment where we are compared to our main rival, I'm sure we will see a tough battle so I'm really looking forward to it and I'm optimistic."

Kamui Kobayashi (TS050 Hybrid #7):

"It's a great track with a lot of history, especially in endurance racing, and I enjoy racing in front of the British fans. They are real motorsport enthusiasts and we usually see a big crowd. We are here to win races so that is the target at Silverstone. It will be challenging as always in WEC but we want to show our performance after a positive winter of testing. It's gone well so I'm confident we can put on a good show."

Jose Maria Lopez (TS050 Hybrid #7):

"I am very much looking forward to my first-ever race in an LMP1 car and my first race for Toyota. Testing has gone well and I feel at home in the team already. With Mike and Kamui, I have quickly developed a strong relationship; I can't wait to race together this weekend. It's a long time since I raced at Silverstone but it will be good to go back. It's a high-speed track and I'm sure the TS050 Hybrid will be a lot of fun there."

Sebastien Buemi (TS050 Hybrid #8):

"Silverstone is a high-downforce circuit and I think our car can be strong there. I have nice memories of racing there; I had my first podium in WEC in 2013, we won the following year and I had another podium in 2015. All in all it was usually a good race for me so I hope we can repeat that again this year. I like the atmosphere as well at Silverstone; they are really enthusiastic so it's always nice to come back. It's hard to say what we can expect. Looking at the Prologue results we believe we are competitive; now we need to confirm it."

Anthony Davidson (TS050 Hybrid #8):

"There's a lot to look forward to this season. Obviously Silverstone is truly my home track as I live very close by and I've driven there in all kinds of cars over the years. It's a great circuit to drive which really highlights the performance of modern LMP1 cars, especially in the fast, flowing corners where you take advantage of the downforce. The championship battle starts in Silverstone and I believe we've got the car to fight at the front."

Kazuki Nakajima (TS050 Hybrid #8):

"Personally I like Silverstone a lot. It's a nice lay-out which is fun to drive and the combination of high-speed corners from Copse to Maggotts is one of the best sections on any circuit in the world. We go to Silverstone with the clear aim of winning the race. It's difficult to predict the competitiveness of the two LMP1 manufacturers but I'm excited by the challenge. I think we are ready to get the season started."

Toyota GAZOO Racing in 6 Hours of Silverstone:
2012 #7: Qualifying 3rd; Race 2nd.
2013 #7: Qualifying 1st; Race 4th. #8: Qualifying 2nd; Race 3rd.
2014 #7: Qualifying 1st; Race 2nd. #8: Qualifying 5th; Race 1st.
2015 #1: Qualifying 4th; Race 3rd. #2: Qualifying 6th; Race 4th.
2016 #5: Qualifying 6th; Race 16th. #6: Qualifying 5th; Race 2nd.

Contact:

Public Affairs Division
Global Communications Department
Toyota Motor Corporation
Tel: +81-3-3817-9926

Source: Toyota Motor Corporation
Sectors: Automotive

Related Press Release

Toyota Exhibiting at Beijing Motor Show 2024

April 25 2024 15:25 JST

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing takes a one-two in Croatian thriller

April 22 2024 09:47 JST

Toyota Launches All-New Land Cruiser "250" Series in Japan

April 18 2024 12:39 JST

Lexus presents Time at the 2024 Milan Design Week

April 16 2024 17:49 JST

New circuit challenge for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing

April 15 2024 16:21 JST

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing back on asphalt for Croatian challenge

April 12 2024 18:36 JST

Daihatsu and Toyota to Reform Structures towards the Revitalization of Daihatsu

April 08 2024 12:37 JST

Toyota Completes Toyota Technical Center Shimoyama Research and Development Facility for Making Ever-better Cars

April 02 2024 10:28 JST

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing roars to fourth successive Safari triumph

April 01 2024 09:47 JST

Toyota Releases Sales, Production, and Export Results for February 2024

March 28 2024 12:35 JST

More Press release >>

Latest Press Release

JCB enables JCB Contactless acceptance at Taichung MRT in Taiwan
Apr 26, 2024 10:00 JST

Mazda Production and Sales Results for March 2024 and for April 2023 through March 2024
Apr 25, 2024 18:21 JST

MHI Begins Operation of SOEC Test Module the Next-Generation High-Efficiency Hydrogen Production Technology at Takasago Hydrogen Park
Apr 25, 2024 17:45 JST

GAC Honda to Begin Sales of All-new e:NP2, the Second Model of e:N Series
Apr 25, 2024 16:50 JST

Toyota Exhibiting at Beijing Motor Show 2024
Apr 25, 2024 16:25 JST

Honda Reaches Basic Agreement with Asahi Kasei on Collaboration for Production of Battery Separators for Automotive Batteries in Canada
Apr 25, 2024 11:10 JST

UNIQLO Sponsors KAWS + Warhol Exhibition Tour, Starting in Pittsburgh
Apr 25, 2024 09:00 JST

Mitsubishi Power Begins Commercial Operation of Seventh M701JAC Gas Turbine in Thailand GTCC Project; Achieves 75,000 AOH To-Date
Apr 24, 2024 17:19 JST

MC and Denka Sign J/V Agreement in Fullerene Business
Apr 24, 2024 17:02 JST

Mitsubishi Motors Posts Record Sales in the Philippines in FY2023
Apr 24, 2024 13:56 JST

NEC Develops High-speed Generative AI Large Language Models (LLM) with World-class Performance
Apr 24, 2024 13:25 JST

Fujitsu SX Survey reveals key success factors for sustainability
Apr 23, 2024 10:25 JST

Fujitsu and METRON collaborate to drive ESG success: slashing energy costs, boosting productivity with new manufacturing industry solutions
Apr 22, 2024 16:09 JST

NEC Strengthens Commitment to Space Industry with Investment in Seraphim Space Venture Fund II
Apr 22, 2024 15:09 JST

Soft Space Launches the First and Only JCB Payment Gateway in Malaysia
Apr 22, 2024 15:00 JST

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing takes a one-two in Croatian thriller
Apr 22, 2024 10:47 JST

First-ever Mazda CX-80 Crossover SUV Unveiled in Europe
Apr 19, 2024 13:50 JST

Fujitsu develops technology to convert corporate digital identity credentials, enabling participation of non-European companies in European data spaces
Apr 19, 2024 10:17 JST

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and NGK to Jointly Develop Hydrogen Purification System from Ammonia Cracking Gas
Apr 18, 2024 17:01 JST

Toyota Launches All-New Land Cruiser "250" Series in Japan
Apr 18, 2024 13:39 JST

More Latest Release >>