New Toyota Gazoo Racing hypercar set to debut at Spa-Francorchamps

MANILA: Toyota Gazoo Racing is set to launch its all-new GR010 Hybrid Hypercar at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps round of the 2021 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) in Belgium on May 1.

A descendant of the iconic Group C period of 1980s and 1990s, the LMP1 era has come to an end, turning over the top category of the endurance racing to the Le Mans Hypercar generation.

As the reigning world champion and three-time Le Mans winner, Toyota Gazoo Racing is the first team to complete a Hypercar for  the 2021 grid. It will appear alongside other expected participants Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus. Audi, Ferrari, Peugeot, and Porsche which will join the in the coming years.

The all-new GR010 Hybrid Hypercar has undergone a vigorous pre-season testing program to gear up for its race debut. The team targets to defend its world titles and take home its fourth consecutive Le Mans 24 Hours championship with the same driver lineup.

World champions Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi, Jose Maria Lopez will be at the wheel of the #7 GR010 Hybrid, while last year’s Le Mans winners Sebastien Buemi, Kazuki Najima, and Brendon Hartley will share the #8 GR010 Hybrid.

Since October 2020, the GR010 Hybrid has already completed thousands of testing kilometers at three different circuits. As the final step of preparation for the race, the hypercar will undergo a two-day official "prologue test" at the legendary Belgian circuit on April 26 to 27. It will be the car’s first time to be on track with its competitors, giving the team a chance to assess the new vehicle in traffic and against its archrival Alpine, which will be helming an iconic LMP1 car.

The GR010 Hybrid is powered by a front motor generator unit that produces a hybrid power of 272ps and four-wheel-drive traction at speeds over 120km/h. Together with a 3.5-liter V6 engine, the car can produce a maximum power of 680ps, with no restrictions on fuel usage. Its predecessor, the TS050 Hybrid, weighs 162 kg less and generates 1,000ps, although top speeds were limited by strict per-lap fuel restrictions. Due to these changes, drivers will need to adapt their approach while engineers work on the improvements of the new Hypercar for optimum performance, especially when passing the slower LMP2 and GT cars.

Since the operational crew at the circuit will be limited to only 43, reorganization and flexibility from the mechanic and engineering crews will be needed to properly maintain their on-track support standards.

After the prologue test, the Hypercar will undergo additional practice sessions on April 29 and 30.

Since its first WEC race in 2013, Toyota Gazoo Racing has bagged five championships at Spa-Francorchamps. Despite the challenge that they expect from their equally competent rivals, the team targets to start the season with maximum points.

Photo from Toyota

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