TOYOTA GAZOO Racing HANDBOOK FIA WORLD ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP 2017
About TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Toyota consolidated all of its motorsports activities under TOYOTA GAZOO Racing in 2015. While competing again in the World Rally Championship after an 18-year hiatus this year, Toyota will continue its involvement in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) and the 24 Hours of Le Mans race as opportunities for furthering its hybrid technology. True to Toyota founder Kiichiro Toyoda s belief that motorsport activity is essential for the evolution of car making and the development of the auto industry, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing embraces the ideals of racing as a means for making better cars and creating automobile enthusiasts. TOYOTA GAZOO Racings aims to contribute to making better cars under the slogan, the road strengthens people and people strengthen the cars, an embodiment of the idea that motorsports provides a complex set of variables that push cars, as well as people, to their limits, and that these people will in turn be driven to create better cars. In this past season of the WEC, we fell short of our greatest goal, which was to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Taking our shortcomings seriously, we solemnly promise to examine and remedy them and try again to win. It has been decided that we will be competing with three cars in rounds two and three, to be held at Spa-Francorchamps and Le Mans, respectively. We ask for your continued support of TOYOTA GAZOO Racing for 2017, as we take on the WEC and the 24 Hours of Le Mans! 2 3
4 TOYOTA TS050 HYBRID 2017 Specs Type Bodywork Windscreen Gearbox Gearbox casing Drive shafts Clutch Differential Suspension Springs Anti roll bars LMP1-H (Le Mans Prototype - Hybrid) Carbon fibre composite Polycarbonate Transversal with 6 gears, sequential Aluminium Constant velocity tripod plunge-joint drive shafts Multidisc Mechanical locking type Independent front and rear double wishbone, pushrod-system Torsion bars Front and rear Steering Hydraulically assisted Brakes Callipers Dual circuit hydraulic braking system, Akebono mono-block light-alloy brake callipers front and rear Brake Discs Carbon ventilated front and rear Wheels RAYS magnesium alloy Front wheels 13 x 18 inch Rear wheels 13 x 18 inch Tyres Michelin radial Front tyres 31/71-18 Rear tyres 31/71-18 Length 4650mm Width 1900mm Height 1050mm Fuel capacity 62.5litres Powertrain TOYOTA HYBRID System - Racing (THS-R) Engine V6 DI(direct injection) twin-turbo Engine capacity 2.4litre Power 368kw / 500PS Fuel Petrol Valves 4 per cylinder Hybrid power 368kw / 500PS (front and rear combined) Overall maximum power (engine and hybrid motor) 735kw / 1000PS Battery High-powered lithium-ion battery Front hybrid motor AISIN AW Rear hybrid motor DENSO 5
7Drivers Mike Conway Kamui Kobayashi José María López 6 7
7Drivers New Trio Features Three-time World Touring Car Champion Mike Conway / Kamui Kobayashi / José María López Mike Conway and Kamui Kobayashi, whose victory at the 6 Hours of Fuji turned out to be the only WEC win for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing last season, will be joined by Argentinian José María López, who holds three consecutive drivers world titles for the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC). Conway s background includes test-driving in Formula 1, four wins in the IndyCar Series, the top formula car series in the United States, and solid achievements in WEC s LM P2 class. Conway was brought on board in 2014. Kobayashi made his debut as a regular driver for the WEC last season. In last year s 6 Hours of Fuji, Kamui, taking the last stint of the race, finished with an astonishingly close 1.439 second lead, showing his prowess as a driver who has taken a podium finish in F1. The new trio Mike, Kamui, and WEC rookie José María Lopez, a.k.a. Pechito are faced with the dual challenge of winning the drivers title, lost last year by a small margin, and victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Mike Conway Birthday Aug.19,1983 Nationality British Height 1.73m Weight 64kg José María López Birthday Apr.26,1983 Nationality Argentine Height 1.74m Weight 69kg Kamui Kobayashi Birthday Spt.13,1986 Nationality Japanese Height 1.68m Weight 57kg 8 9
8Drivers Sébastien Buemi Anthony Davidson Kazuki Nakajima 10 11
8Drivers Solid Trio to Avenge 2016 Loss at Le Mans Sébastien Buemi / Anthony Davidson / Kazuki Nakajima Ex-F1 drivers Sébastien Buemi, Anthony Davidson and Kazuki Nakajima will be teaming up together for the third year this season for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing. Davidson and Buemi together are responsible for bringing home to Toyota both the WEC Drivers and Manufacturers titles in 2014, winning four of the eight races. Buemi was also crowned champion in this past season of FIA Formula E, a formula car series for electric vehicles that he participates in alongside the WEC. Kazuki Nakajima has also entered the SUPER FORMULA and SUPER GT series of his native Japan, concurrently with the WEC. He has been crowned Drivers Champion twice in the SUPER FORMULA series, which is known as one of the most competitive formula car series in the world. The trio displayed outstanding teamwork at last year s Le Mans 24 Hours, leading the race until being felled by technical trouble in the very last lap. They will strive to get that win at Le Mans this year, with the new TS050 HYBRID. Kazuki Nakajima Birthday Jan.11,1985 Nationality Japanese Height 1.75m Weight 62kg Anthony Davidson Birthday Apr.18,1979 Nationality British Height 1.66m Weight 56kg Sébastien Buemi Birthday Oct.31,1988 Nationality Swiss Height 1.75m Weight 68kg 12 13
9Drivers A Third TS050 HYBRID, Mission: Le Mans Stéphane Sarrazin / Yuji Kunimoto / Nicolas Lapierre The decision was made to enter a third TS050 HYBRID in hopes of ensuring victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.* The team consists of veteran Stéphane Sarrazin, 26-year-old Japanese driver and champion of Japan s top formula car series, Yuji Kunimoto, and Nicolas Lapierre, who returns to the team after three years. Sarrazin is a seasoned veteran with backgrounds in a range of competitions, from F1 to WRC. In the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Sarrazin won the pole position three years straight, between 2007 and 2009. Lapierre joined the team at the outset of Toyota s WEC campaign in 2012, and has six victories with the team so far. Additionally, Lapierre took the title in 2015 and 2016 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the LM P2 class. Kunimoto s racing career has been based in Japan with Toyota, as part of the Toyota Young Driver s Program. Kunimoto was Drivers Champion of SUPER FORMULA, Japan s most competitive formula car series. This season will mark his debut in the 24 Hours of Le Mans race. *Only entering two races, the 6 Hours of Spa, and round three, Le Mans 24 Hours. Nicolas Lapierre Birthday Apr.2,1984 Nationality French Height 1.70m Weight 69kg Stéphane Sarrazin Birthday Nov.2,1975 Nationality French Height 1.80m Weight 69kg Yuji Kunimoto Birthday Spt.12,1990 Nationality Japanese Height 1.68m Weight 62kg 14 15
Toyota and the WEC Again in 2017, Toyota will participate in the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) series the race is part of. This year, Le Mans celebrates its 85th edition and features cars that represent the pinnacle of automotive technology. Today, Le Mans and the WEC have also become fiercely competitive arenas for hybrid cars developed to deliver unprecedented levels of performance. As the international pioneer of hybrid car technology with its Prius models, Toyota focused its attention on the Le Mans and WEC races as an opportunity to further develop its hybrid technology for higher efficiency and power output. In 2012, Toyota returned to Le Mans for the first time in 13 years to compete with its hybrid racing car model TS030 HYBRID" mounting its THS-R(TOYOTA HYBRID System - Racing) power system. This TS030 HYBRID battled head-to-head with other hybrid racing cars developed by the world's leading automakers. Particularly in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the longest race in distance and time in the WEC series and one where the highest possible levels of performance were necessary from the hybrid system in order to be competitive, Toyota focused on developing its hybrid system and its race car to new heights amid the fierce competition with the rival machines. These efforts paid off in 2014, when the Toyota TS040 HYBRID was able to claim the title of No. 1 hybrid racing car in the world by winning the WEC series championship title. In 2016, with the aim of reaching new levels of hybrid technology and winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Toyota introduced the new model TS050 HYBRID with a thoroughly redesigned powertrain. That car ran stunningly in the lead of that year's 24 Hours of Le Mans race until just before the finish, when technical trouble took it out of the race just minutes before what would certainly have been Toyota s long-awaited first Le Mans victory. Determined to turn that disappointment into the seeds of new growth, Toyota has further refined and strengthened the TS050 HYBRID to compete in the 2017 WEC and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. 2012 2014 2015 2013 2016 16 17
History of TOYOTA HYBRID System - Racing (THS-R) The core technology of the hybrid cars that Toyota builds for the world markets is the TOYOTA HYBRID System, or THS. From the secondgeneration Prius model, this system had evolved to become the THS-II. Since then improvements have continuously been made to improve not only system efficiency but also to increase powertrain performance. And as the system evolved through each new generation, importance is also placed on the pure driving enjoyment it brings to the car. In 2012, Toyota took the Prius THS and modified it for racing. The result was the THS-R (TOYOTA HYBRID System Racing) that Toyota first used in competition on the racetrack. The experience gained from competing in the harsh conditions of the race arena went into determined development efforts to achieve high levels of performance, and in a short time a big boost in performance was achieved. Racing on the circuit demands hard braking from speeds of more than 300 km/h, which produces huge amounts of deceleration energy. This energy, which would normally be lost as heat, however, the hybrid race machine that Toyota uses in the LM P1-H class of the World Endurance Championship (WEC) and the 24 Hours of Le Mans adopts kinetic energy recovery technology that enables the conversion of that energy into acceleration force for the electric motor. Since then, Toyota has been working to develop and perfect this technology. The 2012 race machine TS030 HYBRID had a naturally aspirated V8 engine linked to the hybrid system that featured a capacitor, as opposed to the batteries on the production models, as the electrical storage device. However, in accordance with a regulation change, the 2016 race model TS050 HYBRID mounted a newly developed six-cylinder 2.4-liter directinjection twin turbo engine. As with the production models, this was coupled with a high power lithium ion battery that enabled longer periods of electrical discharge to complete the new-generation THS-R hybrid racing system. For 2017, the same basic system is adopted, but with improvements in the engine s thermal efficiency and an electric motor that is more compact and efficient, the overall performance of the THS-R has been increased. 18 19
Looking back on the 2016 battle for the 24 Hours of Le Mans It was with great determination that the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing team decided to take on the challenge of the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans. And as soon as the race started the new Toyota TS050 HYBRID" machine with its newly developed hybrid powertrain began to show its prowess. In the early stages of the race, car No. 6 was running strongly from its 3rd position start on the grid. It held its own in a close fight with its rivals for the lead. Then, with the timing of its pit stops, the TS050 HYBRID surprised everyone with its advantage. While the rivals were able to run 13 laps on one fueling, the TS050 HYBRID proved capable of outdoing the field running one lap more, a 14th lap. It was clear that Toyota's hybrid system build around a newly developed direct-injection V6 2.4-liter engine employing turbo-charging technology boasted excellent fuel efficiency. With this advantage, the two Toyota TS050 HYBRID machines were dominating the race, and on the 81st lap the No. 6 Toyota (driven by Kamui Kobayashi) recorded the fastest lap of the entire race. Also, on the 315th lap, the No. 5 Toyota (Anthony Davidson) succeeded in taking back the lead by catching its rival that had moved ahead of it due to pit timing and pass it on the straight. With this, the superiority of its aerodynamics package that had been specially developed for the Le Mans race and the strength of the powertrain had been proved unquestionably. Continuing to hold the lead, the No. 5 car entered the final stages of the race with Kazuki Nakajima in the driver's seat, powering on toward the victory checkered flag. But trouble struck with the pipe connecting the engine's turbocharger and intercooler with just three minutes remaining in the race. Nakajima stopped the car once and then made an effort to restart and get to the finish. However, because he failed to finish the last lap within the regulation time limit of six minutes, No. 5 was unable to officially finish the race. Meanwhile, car No. 6 tried desperately to catch up, but suffered a collision with a rival car that sent it off the track, and due to the lost time spent in repairing the damage, it finished the race in 2nd place. 20 21
About WEC 2017 WEC Schedule WEC is the acronym for the FIA World Endurance Championship, which is an endurance race series that includes the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a race hailed as one of the three greatest car races in the world. The history of this series traces its roots back to the World Sports Car Championship launched in 1953, and changes in its name and regulations, it continued until 1992. The current WEC was started in 2012 and enters its sixth season this year. The races of the series are each six hours long, with the exception of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The cars competing in the WEC are divided into two types, sports prototype cars and grand touring cars (GT cars) and these are divided into four classes based on regulations concerning the car and drivers, etc., and each of these classes is competed for driver and manufacturer titles, etc. The names of the classes are LM P1 and LM P2 for the sports prototype cars and LM GTE-Pro and LM GTE-Am for the GT cars. Each car bears stickers showing the class it is participating in. Also, the carmaker-based teams competing in the LM P1 class are required to enter hybrid cars, which to be competitive must mount systems with the most advanced hybrid technologies. The 2017 season will see nine races competed in nine different countries. The season opener takes place at the Silverstone Circuit in the UK in April and continues 4.14 16 6 Hours of Silverstone through its first half with races around Europe including the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France with its long tradition. The second half of the season 5.4 6 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps takes the series to North America and Asia before ending with the final round in Bahrain at the Bahrain International Circuit in November. 6.14 18 24 Hours Le Mans Category Le Mans Prototype 1 (LMP1-H / LMP1) P1 HY Le mans Prototype2 (LMP2) P2 7.14 16 6 Hours of Nurburgring 9.1 3 6 Hours of Mexico 9.14 16 6 Hours of Circuit of The Americas Le mans Grand Touring Endurance Pro (LMGTE Pro) Le mans Grand Touring Endurance Am (LMGTE Am) 10.13 15 6 Hours of Fuji 11.3 5 6 Hours of Shanghai 11.16 18 6 Hours of Bahrain PRO AM 22 23
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