Toyota Racing’s TS030 Hybrid driven by Alex Wurz and Nicolas Lapierre, led from start to finish for the team’s first victory in just its third race with a dominant performance in the Six Hours of Sao Paulo at Interlagos, the fifth round of the FIA World Endurance Championship which took place in Brazil. Alex and Nicolas started from pole position as the #7 Toyota car maintained its record of having led every race in which it has competed, and also sealed Toyota’s first victory in an FIA world championship race since the 1999 Rally of China.
This victory completes a remarkable journey for the THS-R (Toyota Hybrid System - Racing). The project to develop a hybrid system for motorsport began in 2006 under Hisatake Murata, now Hybrid Project Leader at Toyota Racing. The project created history in July 2007 when a Toyota Supra became the first-ever hybrid winner, in the Tokachi 24 Hours. The pioneering super capacitor technology has been extensively developed, reducing weight and increasing power, leading to the unique powertrain in the TS030 Hybrid.
Yoshiaki Kinoshita, Team President of Toyota Racing said, “This is an incredible day for all of us. To stand on the top step of the podium has been our dream and to achieve this in only our third race is a dream come true. Thanks to everyone involved in this project; so much hard work has gone into this and victory makes it all worthwhile. Thanks also to Audi for a clean fight; we really enjoyed competing with them and they were very fair. It’s not only a fantastic result for Toyota Racing, it also shows how exciting the FIA World Endurance Championship is.”
Hisatake Murata, Hybrid Project Leader said, “The project to develop a hybrid system for motorsport started back in 2006; at the time it seemed like an almost impossible task. But thanks to the dedication of my colleagues at Motor Sport Division, Toyota Motor Corporation’s Hybrid Department, Toyota Motorsport GmbH and ORECA, we have turned this dream into a reality. Today the system performed flawlessly and it was very clear how the 300hp of boost made a real difference to our lap times. The hydraulic braking and energy recovery worked in perfect harmony so I am very proud of what we have achieved. To win against tough, experienced opposition like Audi with such an advanced technology is a great credit to everyone involved.”
Toyota Racing Team Driver, Alex Wurz added, “I am proud to be a Toyota driver. Toyota has developed this incredible hybrid technology and I think we have shown it today. Our Toyota Hybrid System - Racing has been simply outstanding. I like Interlagos, a circuit that is really special for me, so it is a great feeling to win here with Toyota Racing in only our third race. Thank you to the entire team and Nicolas for doing a great job. It was not easy and we pushed like crazy. The key was certainly the tyre management and we were able to make the difference in the second stint thanks to our Michelin tyres. Our team President said at Le Mans “you watch, we push”. We will continue in this way during the following races.”
Toyota Racing’s next action comes at the Bahrain International Circuit for the Six Hours of Bahrain on 29 September when Wurz and Lapierre will again be driving the Toyota Hybrid #7 TS030.
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