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Toyota continues to lead manufacturers’ championship in GR010 Hybrid Electric Hypercar
GAZOO Racing earned a dramatic double podium finish in the 6 Hours of Monza recently during the exciting fourth round of the 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). The team’s Toyota GR010 Hybrid Electric Hypercar were strong contenders for victory during an incident-packed race at Monza Circuit, which is known as the ‘Temple of Speed’, before going on to achieve second and third place.
Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley, and Ryo Hirakawa finished just 2.762 seconds behind the eventual winners in the No. 8 GR010 Hybrid Electric Hypercar to claim second place. Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi, and José María López clinched a podium finish of third in the No. 7 GR010 Hybrid Electric Hypercar. The valuable points gained by GAZOO Racing mean Toyota leads the manufacturers’ championship by 15 points going into the final two races.
The two GR010 Hybrid Electric Hypercars were part of a close race from the very beginning. Two full course yellows during the opening 30 minutes saw all Hypercars make fuel stops, before a new strategy elevated Buemi into second and López into third. The complexion of the race changed after two-and-a-half hours when an accident from a GT competitor necessitated a safety car and closed up the field. All Hypercars pitted, and Mike Conway was able to take the lead in the No. 7 GR010 Hybrid Electric Hypercar thanks to a shorter pit stop. The top three Hypercars were separated by only a few seconds going into the final two hours, with their positions alternating at each pit stop as a result of the teams changing tires at different intervals.
Over the years, Toyota has been participating in many different forms of motorsports, including Formula One, the World Endurance Championship (WEC), and the Nürburgring 24 Hours endurance race. Toyota’s participation in these events was overseen by separate entities within the company until April 2015, when Toyota established GR to consolidate all of its motorsports activities under one in-house brand. Representing Toyota’s belief that ‘the roads build the people, and the people build the cars,’ GR highlights the role of motorsports as a fundamental pillar of Toyota’s commitment to making ‘ever-better’ cars. Harnessing years of experience gained under the extreme conditions of motorsports events, GR aims to forge new technologies and solutions that bring the freedom, adventure, and joy of driving to everyone.
The penultimate round of the 2022 season takes place during the second week of September in Japan with the 6 Hours of Fuji. GAZOO Racing has won seven of its last eight races at Fuji Speedway and expects to challenge for another victory during the team’s home race.
Race Notes:
• No. 8 GR010 Hybrid Electric Hypercar (Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa)
o Position: 2nd
o Laps & Gap: 194 laps +2.762 secs
o Best Lap: 1:37.847
• No. 7 GR010 Hybrid Electric Hypercar (Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and José María López)
o Position: 3rd
o Laps and Gap: 192 +2 laps
o Best Lap: 1:37.787