Mexican Mission for Toyota GAZOO Racing

Aug 28, 2017 17:38 JST

Source: Toyota Motor Corporation

Toyota City, Japan, Aug 28, 2017 - (JCN Newswire) - Toyota GAZOO Racing kicks off the second half of the 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) season this weekend with a trip across the Atlantic for round five, the 6 Hours of Mexico.

2017 WEC Round 5 Preview

http://www.acnnewswire.com/topimg/Low_ToyotaGAZOO82817.jpg
2017 WEC Round 5 Preview

The team has won two of the four races so far in 2017 and continues to challenge Porsche for the manufacturers' World Championship. Going into the Mexican round, Toyota is 39.5 points behind in second, with a maximum of 44 points available each race weekend.

The #7 TS050 Hybrid of Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Jose Maria Lopez has been on pole position three times this season and the crew travels to Mexico targeting a first win of the year.

In the #8 TS050 Hybrid, Sebastien Buemi, Anthony Davidson and Kazuki Nakajima are fighting for the drivers' World Championship following victories at Silverstone and Spa. They are 30 points behind the #Porsche 2 crew in the standings.

At 2,285 m above sea level, the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez has much thinner air than most circuits, making it harder to generate downforce. So, as at the previous race at the Nurburgring in mid July, the team will use its high-downforce aerodynamic package.

The 4.304 km circuit in Mexico City rejoined the WEC calendar in 2016 after a 25-year absence. Toyota GAZOO Racing earned a return to the podium in that race with its #6 car, which completed a remarkable recovery after missing most of practice due to an accident and subsequent monocoque change.

This year's race represents Hisatake Murata's first as Team President and the team is determined to start the non-European leg of the season with a positive result for both cars, prior to trips to the United States, Japan, China and Bahrain.

Hisatake Murata, Team President:
"I am looking forward to the Mexico race; it is my first race as Team President so I would like to uto prepare our TS050 Hybrids for Mexico and the other non-European circuits, which suit our car quite well. We are still fighting for both World Championships so we know it is important to score a lot of points in every race. That is our clear target for Mexico."

Mike Conway (TS050 Hybrid #7):
"I really enjoyed racing in Mexico last year. It's a tight and twisty track which makes it challenging with the traffic and overtaking is difficult, but I like the flow of the corners. I'm looking forward to the crowd because they are really enthusiastic and to see the stadium section full of fans is brilliant. I am sure it will be another close fight with Porsche and I hope we can come out on top."

Kamui Kobayashi (TS050 Hybrid #7):
"I am happy to be racing again in WEC after a long summer break. Mexico is the start of the second half of our season, so it is important for the team to perform well and score good points for the manufacturers' World Championship. I think the car will be stronger than at the Nurburgring so I am optimistic we can challenge at the front."

Jose Maria Lopez (TS050 Hybrid #7):
"After our pole position and podium at the Nuburgring, we are really looking forward to Mexico. Based on last year's race in Mexico I think the track suits our car really well, so I'm very much looking forward to it. As it's a Latin place and not far from Argentina I think we will see many enthusiastic fans as well and I love the atmosphere with those guys."

Sebastien Buemi (TS050 Hybrid #8):
"Mexico is a track which I really like so I am looking forward to going back there. The straight there is really long and it creates good overtaking possibilities. The stadium is also a great part of the circuit; when you enter it and see all the fans sitting in the grandstands it just feels amazing. After Nurburgring and Le Mans I really want to bounce back and fight for the win in Mexico."

Anthony Davidson (TS050 Hybrid #8):
"We are expecting to be in the fight for victories throughout the rest of the season, starting in Mexico. I didn't race there last year as I had a rib injury so it will be my first proper taste of the circuit. We had a strong car there in 2016 and I think we will be even stronger this year. I want to race at the front and earn as many points as possible for the World Championship."

Kazuki Nakajima (TS050 Hybrid #8):
"Last year was my first visit to Mexico so I spent some time relaxing there after the race and I discovered I really enjoyed the atmosphere of the country. It's a nice place to be and also the track is an interesting one. We are still challenging for both World Championships so we want a clean race and two cars on the podium. We will push as hard as we can for this."

Toyota GAZOO Racing in 6 Hours of Mexico:2016 #5: Qualifying 5th; Race DNF. #6: Qualifying 6th; Race 3rd.

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

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

Fujitsu and Oracle collaborate to deliver sovereign cloud and AI capabilities in Japan
Apr 18, 2024 11:14 JST

More Latest Release >>