Toyota Racing pushes limits of hybrid technology at Le Mans

Toyota Racing is pushing the performance and economy limits of hybrid technology as it prepares to conquer the Le Mans 24-hour endurance classic this weekend.
The team's two all-wheel-drive TS040 Hybrid race cars will be searching for maximum outright speed while carefully conserving fuel and tyres as it targets victory against strong competition from Audi and Porsche.
Qualifying began on Wednesday night, but multiple accidents and stoppages led to red flags that cut the planned two-hour on-track action to just 46 minutes, preventing the Toyota Racing team from completing its planned program ahead of the two remaining qualifying sessions.
The starting grid will be decided by the fastest single lap from any of the qualifying sessions.
Toyota Racing arrives at Le Mans - world renowned as the most demanding sports-car race... for man and machine - with a 48-point lead in the World Endurance Championship after dominating the first two races at Silverstone (England) and Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium).
Expectations are high with the two cars setting the fastest lap times in official testing at the famous 13.629km Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans on June 1.
The #7 TS040 Hybrid, a fourth-place finisher last year, will be driven by Alex Wurz, Stéphane Sarrazin and Kazuki Nakajima while the #8 car, the 2013 runner-up, will be in the hands of Anthony Davidson, Nicolas Lapierre and Sébastien Buemi.
Frenchman Lapierre relishes the opportunity to perform in front of his home crowd, describing Le Mans as the track that gives him the most pleasure as a driver.
"I know every centimetre of it and every time I come back to Le Mans it is very special," Lapierre says. "It is so specific and so different from the other circuits that you can only have special feelings.
"Coming to this race as World Championship leader and having a great car this year, the logical ambition is to win.
"But I also know this race is not a standard race. The Le Mans 24 Hours requires you to stay humble. Even if we do everything well, you have to beware of the unexpected."
Wurz, who has won twice at Le Mans, is determined to finish on the top step of the podium again, but knows the 24-hour race is tough and unpredictable.
"Le Mans feels like nothing else you have driven before because it is ultra-high speed on average and has no real run-off areas," Wurz says. "I expect it will be a tough race, Le Mans always is, but I have high expectations."
This year is the 16th time Toyota cars have entered the Le Mans classic, the biggest prize in international sports-car racing.
Over the past 15 attempts, starting in 1985, 40 separate cars have raced, with a best finish of second place on four occasions - 1992, 1994, 1999 and 2013.
A true endurance event, Le Mans is more than the challenge of a 24-hour race. In total, there is almost 35 hours of driving, including practice sessions and qualifying.
The race starts at 3pm CEST) on Saturday June 14.
After Le Mans, there are five more rounds in this year's championship:

• Sept 20 Six Hours of Circuit of the Americas (USA)
• Oct 12 Six Hours of Fuji (Japan)
• Nov 2 Six Hours of Shanghai (China)
• Nov 15 Six Hours of Bahrain
• Nov 30 Six Hours of Sao Paulo (Brazil)