Toyota Announces Factory LMP1 Hybrid For 2012

Auto Racing | admin-t | October 14, 2011 at 4:42 pm

After months, and almost years of speculation, Toyota officially announced its prototype comeback on Friday, confirming that the Japanese manufacturer will mount a factory effort in next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans and other select rounds of the FIA World Endurance Championship.

Designed in-house by Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG) in Cologne, Germany, the bespoke LMP1 gasoline-powered hybrid, depicted in an official rendering to be a coupe, is scheduled to be on track early next year ahead of an extensive test schedule.

While few details have been released, including the magnitude of the program or the official team name, Friday’s news nonetheless marks Toyota’s return to top-level sportscar racing for the first time in 13 years when it ran the GT-One at Le Mans in 1999.

“Toyota Motor Corporation has entered Le Mans before but by using our hybrid technology this time will be a completely new challenge,” said Tadashi Yamashina, Toyota Motor Corporation Senior Managing Officer and TMG Chairman. “We want to write a new page in the history of the Le Mans 24 Hours, as well as in the FIA World Endurance Championship, through our use of hybrid technology.

“In addition, we aim to learn from the experience of competing in such a challenging motorsport environment to enhance our production car technology. Le Mans is a legendary race and I would like to thank the ACO and the FIA for their constructive and positive cooperation over the last few months.”

Toyota’s confirmation of a factory WEC program comes on the heels of Porsche’s commitment to build a new factory LMP1 contender for 2014. It is also the first auto manufacturer to officially commit to fielding a hybrid, as Peugeot has yet to reveal a time line for its new 908 Hybrid4 concept that unveiled earlier this year.

With Audi and Peugeot, both employing diesel technology in LMP1, Toyota will also become the first legitimate full factory squad to utilize a gasoline-powered engine. This comes following last week’s news of a seven-percent reduction in performance for the diesel-powered cars for 2012.

“Seeing another major manufacturer coming back to our event is always a great source of satisfaction,” said ACO President Jean-Claude Plassart. “But above all, this entry is powered by a hybrid engine, which underlines the relevance of the work that the Automobile Club de l’Ouest had done on its regulations to open the door to new technologies.

“This incredible technological challenge shows yet again that in the mind of all the major players in the world automobile industry, the Le Mans 24-Hours event is still the benchmark test bed in motor racing.”

Toyota entered the water in prototype racing this year with a customer engine program for Rebellion Racing, which clinched the European-based Le Mans Series LMP1 championship. The Anglo-Swiss team plans to continue next year with the 3.4-liter V8 powerplant, although with further developments.

It’s unclear, though, if TMG’s new factory program will utilize the same powerplant for its factory LMP1 hybrid.

Further details of Toyota’s efforts are expected to be released in the coming weeks.

Share|