TOYOTA GAZOO Racing (TGR) has pulled off another outstanding first-place finish at the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship’s (WEC) 6 Hours of Monza. Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and José María López, in the No. 7 GR010 Hybrid Electric Hypercar, saw off an intense challenge from staunch competitors to attain top podium position for the third time this season in front of a 65,000-person crowd. This win, TGR’s fourth of the season, also extends the team’s World Championship lead to 26 points.
Conway led the 36-car field into an intense opening lap from pole position. He consistently fought for first place amidst strong opposition, exerting pressure on the leaders as the first round of pit stops approached at the one-hour mark to eventually regain his lead.
López joined the battle, pushing past competitors and setting new fastest laps twice in the process. His efforts in the fourth hour paid off, and he handed over the No. 7 GR010 Hybrid Electric Hypercar to Kobayashi with a significant advantage.
Kobayashi's skills were put to the test during the thrilling final 90 minutes of the race when a safety car eliminated the 45-second gap between him and the contending vehicle. Following a remarkable pit stop by the mechanics that allowed him to rejoin the track ahead of his rival and set the fastest lap, Kobayashi finally pulled clear to secure victory with a 16.520-second lead.
Koji Sato, President of Toyota Motor Corporation and Chairman of TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Europe, commented: “In the 2023 WEC season’s fifth round, the 6 Hours of Monza, the No. 7 GR010 Hybrid Electric Hypercar secured victory from pole position. The Monza fans cheered us on throughout the race and we were able to compete in an electrifying atmosphere. The last four weeks, in which we all worked together as one to move forward and showcase our true performance capabilities, were very important to us. Thanks to these efforts, we were able to compete as a cohesive team at Monza. Mike, Kamui, and Jose kept calm and steady throughout the race, and I am proud of all the team members at the track who worked hard for this win. In the next round at Fuji, we will continue do our best under the leadership of Kamui. My heartfelt gratitude goes out to everyone who supported us.”
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 TGR, 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,’ TGR 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 various motorsports events, TGR aims to forge new technologies and solutions that bring the freedom, adventure, and joy of driving to everyone.
The penultimate round of the 2023 FIA WEC season takes place on 10 September in Japan with the 6 Hours of Fuji. TOYOTA GAZOO Racing has won eight of its last nine races at Fuji Speedway and is poised to contend for another victory in their home race.
Race Notes:
• No. 7 GR010 Hybrid Electric Hypercar (Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and José María López)
o Position: 1st
o No. of Laps: 200
o Best Lap: 1:36.696
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Formula E and the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) have today revealed the next generation of race car, the new all-electric GEN3 Evo, capable of 0-60mph in 1.82s.
Leveraging a roster of innovative technical upgrades, the GEN3 Evo unveiled at H.S.H Prince Albert II’s Private Car Collection will debut in Season 11 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship where some of the world’s greatest manufacturers and drivers race wheel-to-wheel in iconic locations around the globe.
Developed by specialists from Formula E and the FIA, the latest GEN3 Evo edition marks a significant leap in electric racing technology, with acceleration 0-60mph 30% faster than a current F1 car, and 36% faster than the GEN3 car.
Capable of accelerating nearly a full second faster than its predecessor – the GEN3 – that was the world’s first race car designed for street racing, it sets an even higher standard in performance, sustainability, and efficiency. The GEN3 Evo serves as a formidable ambassador for the future of motorsport, embodying cutting-edge advancements and a commitment to environmental responsibility.
On Saturday, April 27th, Abu Dhabi will host a groundbreaking event, welcoming 10,000 spectators to witness the inaugural ASPIRE Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League (A2RL) at the iconic Yas Marina Circuit. This brand-new autonomous racing competition marks a significant milestone in motorsport history, billed as the largest league of its kind globally.
Eight teams will compete: Code19 Racing (one of the first independent autonomous racing entity from the USA), Constructor University (based in Germany and Switzerland), Fly Eagle (representing Beijing Institute of Technology from China and Khalifa University from the UAE), HUMDA Lab (a member of the Széchenyi István University Group from Hungary), KINETIZ (a collaboration between Singapore Nanyang Technological University and Kintsugi based in the UAE), PoliMOVE (representing Politecnico di Milano from Italy), UNIMORE (also from Italy - University of Modena and Reggio Emilia), and Technical University of Munich - TUM (from Germany), vying for a substantial prize purse of US$ 2.25 million.
Aston Martin’s new Vantage GT3 continues its hunt for glory in the world’s two most prestigious endurance racing series, as the FIA World Endurance Championship [WEC] and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship [IMSA] resume this weekend.
The WEC begins its European leg on Sunday with the 6 Hours of Imola (ITA), and an inaugural visit to one of the continent’s best-known circuits, before heading to Spa-Francorchamps (BEL) on 11 May, and then the 24 Hours of Le Mans on 15-16 June. Meanwhile IMSA heads to the world famous Long Beach street track for its first sprint race (100 minutes) of the season. A second-place finish in the brand-new LMGT3 class for the Heart of Racing (HoR), and third for D’station Racing, made Aston Martin the only one of the nine GT manufacturers present to score a WEC double podium finish at the season-opening 1812km of Qatar in March. It means both teams arrive in Italy in strong form.
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