Toyota Makes History with Fourth Successive ‘24 Hours of Le Mans’ Victory

Toyota recently celebrated another spectacular result with a one-two victory in the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans. Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and José María López won at Le Mans for the first time in the No. 7 GR010 Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV). The World Champions started from pole position and led for the majority of the race, completing 371 laps and securing the fourth consecutive victory for GAZOO Racing (GR) at the legendary Circuit de la Sarthe.

Last year’s winners - Sébastien Buemi, Kazuki Nakajima and Brendon Hartley - completed a perfect result for the team by finishing second in the No. 8 GR010 HEV. GR has now won all four races of the 2021 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) so far during the new GR010 HEV’s debut season.

An incident-packed 24 hours began on a wet track, with Conway leading the field in the No. 7 GR010 HEV. Rain in the sixth hour caused several incidents, including a 20-minute safety car, but López maintained the lead while Hartley followed in second in the No. 8 GR010 HEV. The two vehicles continued to lead the race, with slow zones and safety cars contributing to a fluctuating gap as the GR team held a clear lead over the chasing pack.

As the race entered its final 12 hours, Kobayashi had stretched the No. 7 GR010 HEV’s lead to just over half a minute, with Hartley chasing in the No. 8 GR010 HEV. Despite some technical challenges, close communication between the drivers and race engineers on both vehicles ensured the team maintained their lead, with Kobayashi and Nakajima crossing the line together to make hypercar history at Le Mans.

“To Kamui, Mike and José; congratulations - the No. 7 crew finally got to the end of the 24 hours and took the checkered flag to the highest step of the podium,” said Akio Toyoda, President, Toyota Motor Corporation. “100% renewable fuel is expected to be introduced in the WEC next season. As we move towards carbon neutrality through motorsport, we are more committed than ever to expanding our existing options. We believe that we can speed up technological development through motorsport, because it is a place for serious competition, and will continue our efforts. To our fans; thank you for your unwavering support and loyalty.”

Over the years, Toyota has been participating in many different forms of motorsports, including Formula One, the World Endurance Championship (WEC) and the Nürburgring 24 ‎Hours endurance race. Toyota’s participation in these events was overseen by separate entities within the company until April 2015, when Toyota established GR ‎to consolidate all of its motorsports activities under one in-house brand. Representing ‎Toyota’s belief that ‘the roads build the people, and the people build the cars’ - GR highlights the role of motorsports as a fundamental pillar of Toyota’s commitment to ‎making ‘ever-better’ cars. Harnessing years of experience gained under the extreme conditions of various motorsports events, GR aims to forge new technologies and solutions that bring the freedom, adventure and joy of driving to everyone.