Toyota Gazoo Racing have become the first to reveal a Le Mans Hypercar ahead of the 2021 FIA World Endurance Championship.
The all new car is the next step evolution to the Toyota TS050 Hybrid LMP1 with a twin-turbo V6 3.5-litre internal combustion engine – a significantly increase from the 2.4-litre engine the LMP1 car ran. This engine increase is just one of the many changes coming in the new Hypercar era.
The Toyota GR010 was launched in its 2021 livery which utilised the ‘GR’ lettering from the Gazoo-Racing sporting sub brand subtly in its design. The look of the car is similar to that of the GR Super Sport road-going hypercar that was demonstrated at the 2020 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Remaining consistent from last year, the driver line-ups in the #7 and #8 entries will remain unchanged. Reigning World Endurance Drivers’ Champions Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Jose Maria Lopez will race in the cockpit of the #7, whilst Brendon Hartley, Sebastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima will be onboard the sister car. Nyck de Vries remains as the team’s test and reserve driver after being appointed last year, but the announcement made no comment about young Japanese driver, who has been affiliated with the brand, Kenta Yamashita.
“It has been a tremendous effort from the team in Higashi-Fuji and Cologne, as well as our suppliers and partners, to develop and produce this new car, despite the difficult global circumstances,” Team Director Rob Leupen said. “The Le Mans Hypercar category represents a new era, with a different philosophy and new competitors; we are looking forward to this challenge.
“Over our nine years in WEC we have achieved a lot, but are not complacent. We always challenge ourselves to improve our technology and our processes to continuously perform better.
“We look forward to finally showing our new car to the fans and being part of this new, exciting era.”
Credit: Toyota Gazoo Racing 
Credit: Toyota Gazoo Racing
