Car
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Astonishing Koyabashi lap takes pole for Toyota
A new post-Mulsanne-Chicane lap record for Japanese driver Kamui Kobayashi secured pole for the #7 Toyota Gazoo Racing ahead of this weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. The 3:14.791 lap came in the first of two qualifying sessions in the sweltering heat of Thursday evening. The lap was so quick, in fact, that it broke…
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Toyota fastest in first qualifying session
The #7 Toyota Gazoo Racing TS050 of Stéphane Sarrazin, Mike Conway and Kamui Kobayashi has taken provisional pole for the 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans, with two two-hour qualifying sessions set to follow tomorrow. In LMP2, a 3:29.333 for the #28 TDS Racing Oreca of Mathieu Vaxivière, Manu Collard and Francois Perrodo was quickest, while Aston…
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Kraihamer in confident mood before qualifying
The track action for the 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans begins today. We spoke Bykolles driver Dominik Kraihamer, who is competing at Le Mans for the seventh year in succession, about his hopes for qualifying and the race itself. “Test Day went well overall,” Kraihamer said. “However, we were a little surprised at the…
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Toyota 1-2-3 at Le Mans Test Day
Toyota Gazoo Racing recorded the fastest three times of the official Le Mans Test Day in preparation for the 24 Hours of Le Mans in two weeks’ time. In LMP2, Nelson Panciatici topped the time sheets for Signatech Alpine Matmut, as the Oreca 07’s dominated the test filling the first 13 places in the standings.…
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Lopez switch raises further Toyota driver questions
José-Maria López hasn’t had the best of starts to his FIA World Endurance Championship career. The 34-year-old triple World Touring Car Champion, formerly named as a full-season driver for the #8 car alongside Mike Conway and Kamui Kobayashi, has switched to Toyota’s third car for Le Mans. López’s accident at the first round of the…
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Ferrari vs Ford – The eternal battle continues
Ford will travel to this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans as reigning champions and intend to defend their title in 2017. After their disappointing Le Mans in 2016, AF Corse Ferrari look to be on track to run the Blue Oval close at La Sarthe. At Spa, the pair of Ferraris made a great…
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Toyota fastest at Spa
The #7 Toyota Gazoo Racing TS050 topped the time sheets in both of the first two free practice sessions for Saturday’s 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. Mike Conway was the fastest man in FP1, while Kamui Kobyashi posted the fastest lap in the second 90-minute session. Toyota travelled to Belgium with both its high- and low-downforce…
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Change in regs deals initial blow to Toyota title challenge
An apparently minor change in sporting regulations for the FIA World Endurance Championship has dealt a major blow to Toyota’s quest for the FIA WEC manufacturers’ title and will put both the Japanese constructor and Porsche on their toes throughout the season. The #7 Toyota TS050 of Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and José María Lopez…
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Toyota and Porsche go toe-to-toe at Silverstone
The Porsche team will likely have left Silverstone with a smile on their face, having travelled to the UK with the low-downforce, Le Mans-spec bodywork and performing well at a track not entirely suited to a low-drag set-up. “We are even happier about today’s second and third place with such a marginal gap to the…