Toyota Gazoo Racing is officially going for its fifth win at the 90th running of the Le Mans 24 Hour in two weeks.
In doing so, Toyota is putting its unbeaten run on the line, but this year's Le Mans is simply too good to miss. Toyota Gazoo Racing won its first Le Mans in 2018 and won every subsequent race since. During those four years at the top, it also set the fastest lap record, and it was the first team to win the inaugural Hypercar class last year with the GR010 Hybrid.
Toyota Gazoo Racing is already off to a good start. Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi, and Jose Maria Lopez won the recent 6 Hours of Spa in the #7 GR010 Hybrid. The first round of the 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship did not go their way, however. At the 1,000 Miles of Sebring, Conway, Kobayashi, and Lopez ended in 36th place.
Le Mans is the third round of the 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship. It's the Monaco of endurance racing, which means millions of eyeballs tune in to watch the race. And now that Toyota's GR department has several cool cars like the GR Corolla in the pipeline, endurance racing is once again a real marketing tool.
Because Le Mans is so long, teams are also awarded double points, which means Toyota could shoot straight to the top of the leader board if it wins.
The competition will be tough this year, but not as tough as it will be in 2023 and 2024. BMW is scheduled to enter Le Mans in 2023, while Lamborghini will make its debut in 2024.
"I will never forget the feeling last year when our #7 car won Le Mans. Kamui, Jose and me had been fighting for such a long time to achieve that, always pushing and preparing ourselves for the big race. It's an incredible emotion to stand on the top step of the podium for the first time but when you've experienced that once, you want to be back there again. It will be harder than ever because the competition is very close this year in Hypercar, but I know how strong this team is and I am sure we can fight for victory again," said Mike Conway.
"Le Mans is the big target for the whole team and we have prepared intensively to be ready for the challenge," said team principal, Kamui Kobayashi. "Even though we have won the race for the past four years, there are always difficulties, and situations when we need to solve problems. That happened in the race last year but, thanks to the efforts of the team and drivers, we found a solution and finally the #7 car won the race. Mike, Jose, me and the whole #7 crew had waited a long time for that moment, so it was very special, particularly because the #8 crew made it a one-two. This season we have also had some difficulties and it was a pity for the #8 to retire in Spa. The engineers have looked in detail at the issue and we believe it will not happen again. So I am sure we are ready for Le Mans; we go there with confidence and optimism. I am sure we will be part of an exciting race for the fans."