Cologne, Germany,
15
April
2017
|
10:00
Europe/Amsterdam

SILVERSTONE POLE FOR TOYOTA GAZOO RACING

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing will start the 6 Hours of Silverstone from pole position after a one-two in qualifying for the first round of the 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).

Mike Conway and Kamui Kobayashi earned pole position with a combined average lap time of 1min 37.304secs in the #7 TS050 HYBRID they share with José María López. That was achieved via the fastest lap ever recorded by an LMP1 car at Silverstone in WEC.

The pole-sitting #7 crew will start next to their sister car after Kazuki Nakajima and Anthony Davidson set the second quickest time, in the #8 they race alongside Sébastien Buemi.

That meant TOYOTA locked out the front of the grid for the first time since Bahrain in 2013, while the team’s 11th pole position in WEC is its first since Fuji in 2014.

Qualifying took place in sunny but cool conditions, with track temperatures of just 17°C. Kamui and Kazuki took the wheel of their respective cars at the start, with Kamui setting the fastest lap of the session at his first attempt.

Mike took over the #7 but needed two flying laps to secure pole position, and the World Championship point that comes with it, after his first lap was disallowed due to a track limits violation. Like Mike, Anthony also took on new tyres and delivered a tidy lap to complete an all-TOYOTA front row.

While the team is very satisfied with the performance of its high-downforce TS050 HYBRID in qualifying, the main target remains Sunday’s race and it now focuses its efforts on optimising its strategy as it targets for a perfect start to the season.

 

TS050 HYBRID #7 (Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi, José María López)

Free practice 3: 4th (1min 40.656secs). 20 laps

Qualifying: 1st (1min 37.304secs average)

Mike Conway (TS050 HYBRID #7): “I am happy to get pole. It’s a strong start. Hopefully we can keep that pace in the race but it will not be an easy battle I’m sure. I was disappointed with the first lap which got deleted, but that’s the way qualifying goes sometimes. The second lap was enough to get pole by a decent margin, I just made it a little harder for myself.”

Kamui Kobayashi (TS050 HYBRID #7): “I am really pleased with my lap; it’s difficult to see how we could have gone quicker. The car was brilliant today and everyone in the team did a great job. Thanks to the team for their hard work over the winter to prepare a very quick car; I just did the final part of the job with my lap today. To have pole position for the start of the season is fantastic; it’s the best position to start the race.”

 

TS050 HYBRID #8 (Sébastien Buemi, Anthony Davidson, Kazuki Nakajima)

Free practice 3: 1st (1min 39.476secs). 27 laps

Qualifying: 2nd (1min 37.593secs average)

Anthony Davidson (TS050 HYBRID #8): “It’s been a good day and great to see both TOYOTAs on the front row. It’s been a long time since we saw that. It was a great performance and a testament to the team’s hard work over the winter in Higashi-Fuji and Cologne so a big thanks to them. Now we have the hard work tomorrow when we expect a tougher challenge.”

Kazuki Nakajima (TS050 HYBRID #8): “It has been a very positive day for the team. It was an amazing lap from Kamui; I don’t know how he managed it. Personally it was nice to drive in qualifying, especially here at Silverstone which is one of my favourite circuits. Tomorrow is the day that counts so that has been our focus all weekend. We have been quite happy with the long runs so hopefully we are strong.”

 

Free practice 3 results:

1st #8 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing 1min 39.476secs 27 laps

2nd #1 Porsche (Jani/Lotterer/Tandy) +0.747secs 29 laps

3rd #2 Porsche (Bernhard/Bamber/Hartley) +0.897secs 26 laps

4th #7 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing +1.180secs 20 laps

5th #28 TDS (Perrodo/Vaxiviere/Collard)+4.629secs 26 laps

6th #26 G-Drive (Rusinov/Thiriet/Lynn) +5.009secs 27 laps

 

Qualifying results:

1st #7 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing 1min 37.304secs

2nd #8 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing +0.289secs

3rd #1 Porsche (Jani/Lotterer/Tandy) +1.311secs

4th #2 Porsche (Bernhard/Bamber/Hartley) +1.759secs

5th #26 G-Drive (Rusinov/Thiriet/Lynn)+7.083secs

6th #36 Alpine (Lapierre/Menezes/Rao) +7.129secs

 

A German translation of this press release is available on www.RacingByTMG.com. High-resolution copyright-free photos are available for editorial use at www.toyota-motorsport-photos.com.

 

About TOYOTA GAZOO Racing in the World Endurance Championship:

TOYOTA first competed in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) in 1983, marking the start of a long period of participation in endurance racing. Since 1985, TOYOTA cars have raced in 18 Le Mans 24 Hours races, achieving a best result of second place on five occasions. TOYOTA entered the revived WEC in 2012, combining the expertise from TOYOTA Higashi-Fuji Technical Centre, where the hybrid powertrain is developed, with TOYOTA Motorsport GmbH’s support and facilities for chassis development. The multi-national team is based in Cologne, Germany and includes engineers from TOYOTA’s motorsport and hybrid department, who deliver technology and know-how back into road car development. Since 2012, TOYOTA has earned 11 pole positions and won 11 races, finishing on the podium a total of 31 times. In 2014, the team won the drivers’ and manufacturers’ World Championships with the TS040 HYBRID while a year later TOYOTA celebrated 30 years since its first Le Mans entry. TOYOTA Motorsport GmbH combines its role in the WEC project with its other activities, such as the supply of a World Rally Championship engine for TOYOTA’s return to the category in 2017, as well as its engineering services business and customer motorsport activities.