Car Racing News: Toyota Overcomes Ferrari’s Pace at Imola 6 Hours
In a thrilling WEC (World Endurance Championship) race at Imola, Toyota Gazoo Racing Europe emerged victorious despite lacking outright pace compared to the dominant Ferrari 499P LMH. According to David Floury, the technical director at Toyota Gazoo Racing Europe, the win was achieved through strategic execution and the heroic driving of Kamui Kobayashi in the final hours.
“If you look at pure pace on fastest lap time, Ferrari is four tenths faster than us,” Floury admitted. “We won without being fastest, so it was won on strategy and team execution.”
The Japanese squad’s GR010 Hybrid may have lacked the outright speed of the Ferrari, but Kobayashi’s fuel-saving efforts and the team’s flawless strategy proved crucial in securing the victory. Floury praised the driver’s “fantastic job saving energy while staying in front” as rain started to fall in the closing stages.
A Reversal of Fortune
The result marks a reversal of fortune for Toyota, who had a disappointing start to the 2023 WEC season at the Qatar 1812Km round, where they finished fifth, a lap behind the winning Porsche Penske Motorsport entry.
Floury hinted that the playing field in the Hypercar class is yet to be fully leveled, with significant discrepancies in straight-line speed between the cars. He described the 5-6km/h difference in top speeds between the 499P and the GR010 as “big in a BoP (Balance of Performance) world.”
Upcoming BoP Changes
The introduction of a new “power gain” component in the BoP, set to be implemented later this year, aims to more accurately match the acceleration and top speeds of the Hypercar cars. This system was trialed by some manufacturers during the pre-Qatar Prologue test and is eagerly awaited by the teams.
As the WEC season progresses, the battle between Toyota and Ferrari promises to be a closely fought one, with both teams pushing the limits of performance and strategy to secure victories. Fans of endurance racing can look forward to more thrilling races to come.
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