Team Toyota Gazoo campaigning two TS050 HYBRID vehicles
Team Toyota Gazoo is running two TS050 HYBRIDS in the 84th running of the Le Mans – 24 hours. Race preparations began with a constructive and busy first day of action at the Circuit de la Sarthe.
Following several days of preparation, the two TS050 HYBRIDS hit the track for some fine-tuning and ended up showing its potential by setting Toyota’s fastest lap time at Le Mans since returning in 2012.
The #6 car piloted by Stephane Sarrazin, which is shared with Mike Conway and Kamui Koboyashi secured a provisional third on the grid, one position ahead of the number #5 Toyota Hybrid shared between Anthony Davidson, Sebastian Buemi, and Kazuki Nakajima.
The weather in during afternoon enabled the team to test several different types of Michelin tires to determine their behavior on the course. The afternoon session also enabled the team to work on aerodynamic and mechanical settings.
Afternoon testing was almost halted when Stephane made contact with a barrier late in the session, causing some damage to the front bodywork. However, accident damage fixed by the pit crew during the break before the start of qualifying.
6f0 cars starting the qualifying session on the 13.629 km Circuit de la Sarthe. Traffic conditions were the only thing affecting qualifying. It didn’t rain so the course was dry throughout the two -hour session.
In a carry-over from previous testing, both TS050 HYBRIDs registered a significant improvement over 2015 results. The best results from qualifying were 2.806 seconds faster than last year’s best Toyota qualifying lap. This was despite a 10% reduction in fuel consumption required as a result of new regulations.
Qualifying continues today with another pair of two-hour sessions. The starting grid is decided by the fastest single lap from any of the qualifying sessions.
We will keep you posted.
Source: Toyota