Toyota Gazoo Racing head for the Lone Star Le Mans

Toyota Gazoo Racing aim to maintain the momentum of their challenge for FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) titles when the 2024 season moves to Austin, Texas for the Lone Star Le Mans at the Circuit of the Americas on 1 September.

An accomplished victory in São Paulo in the last round sees Toyota Gazoo Racing just four points behind leaders Porsche in a hard-fought battle for the manufacturers’ World Championship as they head to the United States for round six of the season. 

Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries showed the pace of their No7 GR010 Hybrid by earning pole position and leading the early stages in São Paulo before a technical issue saw them finish fourth. They will challenge for their second victory of the year in Austin, where the team has yet to win in six attempts. 

Out front in Brazil, reigning World Champions Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa won for the first time this season in their No8 GR010 Hybrid. That victory ensured Sébastien, who is tied with Brendon with the most titles on four, set a new record of 25 WEC race wins. 

The heat of a Texan summer awaits the team and drivers at the 3.4-mile Circuit of the Americas in the six-hour Lone Star Le Mans race, which returns to the WEC calendar for the first time since 2020. 

Toyota Gazoo Racing have a best finish of second place in their six visits so far to Texas, achieved in 2013 and 2020, while Brendon has won the race three times. Although the team has yet to taste victory in Austin, it has achieved two wins in the United States, at Sebring in 2019 and 2023. 

The Circuit of the Americas is, like Interlagos last time out, an anti-clockwise track, characterised by the steep hill up to turn one followed by a sequence of sweeping, fast corners which create a spectacular opening sector. 

The team made an early start to their preparations for next week’s race with a three-day test in Austin at the end of July. Track action starts on Friday 30 August with three hours of free practice in the afternoon split between two sessions. After a one-hour final practice on Saturday morning, the starting order will be decided during qualifying and Hyperpole, starting at 3.40pm local time (9.40pm BST). The seventh Lone Star Le Mans race starts at 1pm (7pm BST) on Sunday 1 September.

Team quotes

Kamui Kobayashi (Team Principal and driver, car No7): “I really enjoy racing in the United States, so I am looking forward to going to Austin again and meeting the American fans, who are so enthusiastic and welcoming. I raced there earlier in the year in NASCAR which was lots of fun, but of course the GR010 Hybrid is a very different type of car. Our test last month was a good way to start our preparation and it gave us a clear indication of what we can expect in terms of set-up and tyre characteristics. I know the team have worked hard after the test to optimise our car and give us the best possible chance in the race. It is another opportunity to score big points in the World Championship and that is our target.”

Mike Conway (driver, car No7): “My first race with Toyota was in Austin back in 2014 and it’s quite something to be going back there a decade later, after experiencing so much with this team. It doesn’t feel like 10 years! I’ve raced a lot in the US over the years and I love the atmosphere and the fans there, so I’m looking forward to going back. The competition will be tough, as always this season, but I know we will be well prepared. We need to execute a clean race and bring home as many points as we can.”

Nyck de Vries (driver, car No7): “It’s a few years since I last raced in Austin, so it was good to refresh my memory with our test there. I enjoy the track and I’m looking forward to a close race. The conditions are going to be pretty hot for the race, just like in São Paulo, so tyre degradation could be an important factor again. We need to use the practice sessions to figure out the best approach and put ourselves in a strong position for the race, when I hope we will again be in the fight at the front.”

Sébastien Buemi (driver, car No8): “It was fantastic to win our first race of the season in Brazil. Our car has been more competitive than the results suggested so I feel like we deserved that. It gives us confidence going into the last three races of the season, when of course we want to fight for more victories. Austin will be hot again, as it was for our test last month, and this will be challenging in terms of tyre management. But we showed in São Paulo that this is one of our team’s strong points, so I am hopeful again for this race.”

Brendon Hartley (driver, car No8): “I love racing in Austin, it’s a cool city and a great track; very challenging with a nice mix of fast flowing corners and tighter technical sections. I’ve been successful there in the past. I won the Lone Star Le Mans three times before so I’m obviously hoping to make it number four. It will be a tough one though because we expect the opposition to be strong again, but we showed in São Paulo what can be achieved with a big team effort and the right tyre strategy. That will be the target again.”

Ryo Hirakawa (driver, car No8): “Austin is another new circuit for me, and I am looking forward to it. It was nice to experience the track during the test and this helped me get familiar with it. It’s a challenging and fun-to-drive circuit, especially the high-speed section early in the lap. We’re getting closer to the end of the season now, so we have to keep scoring good points for the World Championship. It’s a close battle and every point can make a difference in the end.”

ENDS