It was close, but no cigar for Toyota Gazoo Racing at Le Mans. Picture: Toyota
A few years ago things did not look good for the future of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and world series endurance racing in general.
Manufacturers were not supporting the events and the world had to deal with the impact of the Covid pandemic. This iconic event faced the axe. But this year comprehensively proved that not only is the 24 Hours of Le Mans alive and well, but also, only world series endurance racing can dish up the excitement and drama we saw unfold last weekend.
The Citizen Motoring attended the event as guest of Toyota South Africa Motors as Gazoo Racing entered two GR010 HYBRID hypercars.
Qualifying did not go to plan for the Japanese team. As reigning world champions, they had to start outside the top eight after missing out on the Hyperpole shoot-out. The #8 GR010 HYBRID of Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa suffered with traffic throughout. Hartley was one of many leading Hypercar competitors who were unable to show their true performance and this meant they would start from 11th on the grid.
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Meanwhile, Kamui Kobayashi set the fourth fastest qualifying lap in the #7 GR010 HYBRID he shared with José María López and Nyck de Vries. But their lap times were deleted for causing a red flag at the end of the session. They had to start from 23rd which was the rear of the Le Mans Hypercar field.
In ever-changing weather, where it would be raining hard at one part of the circuit and sun sunning at others, this race was always going to come down to pit stop strategy. Plus a bit of luck with the safety cars deployed several times over the course of the 24 hours.
The complexion of the race changed midway through hour seven when a safety car brought the leading Hypercars together at the front. #8 led the race from the ninth to the 18th hour following Hirakawa’s strong performance in the rain, dropping down the order only as a result of differing pit stop strategies, while the #7 held third.
A close battle between Cadillac, Ferrari, Porsche and Toyota Gazoo Racing saw the momentum ebb and flow depending on traffic, slow zone timings and race incidents. After a 19th-hour safety car the top seven at Le Mans were separated by a mere four seconds.
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Hartley took the #8 into the lead with some hot laps, but then suffered a cruel blow with two hours to go. He spun after a push by the #51 Ferrari and dropped down to sixth.
The team’s victory hopes therefore rested with the #7 and López whose blistering pace had already recovered substantial time following two earlier punctures. He kept up the pressure and overtook the #51 Ferrari for second before moving into the lead inside the last two hours.
But #7 still needed a fuel stop and López started the last 30 minutes with a 40-second deficit. Initially he closed the gap, but with laps running out, the task proved insurmountable. He brought the #7 home in second behind the winning #50 Ferrari and Buemi took the flag moments later in fifth.
Toyota Gazoo Racing did not win the 24 Hours of Le Mans. But more than 300 000 spectators witnessed an unforgettable weekend of racing. It cannot be put into simple words. What an experience!
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