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Toyota has announced a return to the world's most famous endurance race. Next year, the Japanese carmaker will enter the top LMP1 class at Le Mans with a completely new sports car.
The new team will be based at Toyota Motorsport's headquarters in Cologne, with the new prototype expected to start its pre-season testing early 2012. And while scant information has been provided, all we know is...it's a hybrid petrol powertrain.
Gallery: Toyota sportscars at Le Mans
The chassis will be developed by the Germany-based team, while that hybrid drivetrain will be engineered by Toyota back in Japan. And Le Mans is just one of a number of races the team will enter, so expect more details as and when we get them.
Tadashi Yamashina, Toyota motorsport chairman, said: "By using our hybrid technology this time will be a completely new challenge.
"In addition, we aim to learn from the experience of competing in such a challenging motorsport environment to enhance our production car technology", he added.
That's right, if the LMP1 Toyota is a success at Le Mans, you could see some tech trickle down into the company's production line. We've only got one thing to say: build the new Supra. Now.
Toyota's history at Le Mans stretches back to the 1980s, and in the 90s fielded the immensely quick GT-One - one of which was driven by Martin Brundle - that set a lap record around the Circuit de la Sarthe.
Excited by Toyota's re-entry into Le Mans, web badgers?
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What do you think?
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wantangbob commented on this article
at 12:05 pm on 14 October 2011
First!! The car certainly looks interesting, but can there really be a truly 'sporty' hybrid on the road? At least it might mean Toyota start to build interesting cars
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8thgear commented on this article
at 12:54 pm on 14 October 2011
So it got KERS from F1 ? There's no other point in a hybrid racing car. Storing more energy in batteries than needed to help you in one lap is an utterly pointless waste of weight. Using the engine's power to charge batteries is along the same line: let the engine turn the wheels instead. So all you're left with is using the electric engine under breaking to charge a tiny battery and let it run the opposite way for accelerating. KERS at Le Mans = Nice. Hybrid at Le Mans = marketing gimmick.
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Enzo3185 commented on this article
at 03:32 pm on 14 October 2011
Come on!! Toyota spends lots and lots of money in "no-winning-at-LeMans" and still come back for more?? I think that Audi and Peugeot's diesels will be a great headache to this hybrid racer, KERS techology and diesel racing sounds more interesting, let's see if Toyota finally could have more sporting credentials than rallyes and drifting championships.
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LeBonkers commented on this article
at 03:46 pm on 14 October 2011
Well old-school TRD fans like my uncle can rejoice at Toyota's comeback into motorsport. And I hope they commit to this. Building interesting cars is important. VERY important. And next, Formula 1! I'd rather see Toyota than some new "private" teams.
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Abarth52 commented on this article
at 05:48 pm on 14 October 2011
This is awesome, c'mon Porsche and Nissan, the sooner you join the more ill go in future years!
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