Toyota holds up in Practice
Toyota shows promise in Practice right behind Audi in Le Mans dress rehearsalAfter writing off its only monocoque in testing before the Spa six-hour race, Toyota has finally managed some decent lap time with the TS 030 Hybrid LMP1 cars at last weekend's practice session on the Le Mans circuit.
Predictably, Audi ended the session with all four cars in the top ten however the two Toyota cars, which finished fourth and fifth fastest, split the Team Joest Audis (in the top three positions) from the Audi Sport North America R18 ultra.
Fastest lap time by the Toyota team was in the #7 TS 030 with 3:27.298 -- just over a second behind the #3 R18 ultra on 3:27.204. Fastest driver was Allan McNish in the R18 e-tron quattro with 3:25.927, however the Audi driver was impressed with the competition.
"The Toyotas amazed me," said McNish. "At top speed they are really much quicker than us." Fortunately the Scotsman managed his fastest lap before making a mistake at Tertre Rouge and hitting the barriers at the corner.
Both Toyota and Audi are running hybrid cars. Toyota's entries are actually the first hybrid sportscars approved this year by the ACO (Automobile Club de l'Ouest) for the Le Mans race but Audi quickly followed with diesel hybrid candidates.
The Audi e-tron cars use a V6 diesel engine and regenerative system to power an electric motor. Under braking power is generated at the front axle and returned to the front at speeds above 120km/h, while the diesel unit powers the rear wheels.
Toyota's system uses a naturally aspirated 3.4-litre V8 petrol engine and Nisshinbo capacitor-based hybrid set-up with energy regeneration and motors at the front (Aisin AW brand) and rear (DENSO). Drive is sent to the rear wheels.
Toyota will also compete in the newly-formed World Endurance Championship with one car. Toyota last raced at Le Mans in 1999 with three GT-One cars entered in the LMGTP class, designated TS020, before turning to Formula One in 2000.
Visit motoring.com.au again for our coverage of this year's 24 Heures du Mans.
Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at the carsales mobile site
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
