Toyota Unveils GR010 Hybrid Le Mans Hypercar
Toyota Gazoo Racing is the first constructor to unveil its Le Mans Hyperclass prototype, the GR010 Hybrid. Designed over the last 18 months by teams based in Germany and Japan, the prototype is the racing version of a road-going hypercar that Toyota plans to launch in the near future.
As Toyota Gazoo Racing is the reigning champion in the FIA World Endurance Championship and the defending Le Mans winner, having won the legendary 24-hour race all three times since 2018, there are big expectations for this new prototype.
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Under the hood, the GR010 Hybrid Le Mans Hypercar prototype has a twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 sending 500 kW (about 670 horsepower) to the rear wheels. A motor provides an additional 200 kW (about 268 horsepower) to the front wheels, thus giving the GR010 Hybrid an electric AWD system.
The new Hypercar prototype formula, which replaces the outgoing LMP1 class, limits total power output to 500 kW, which you’ll note is exactly the amount produced by the twin-turbo V6 even before accounting for the electric motor. Toyota says that to meet the regulations, the car’s onboard electronics automatically reduce engine power based on the amount of electric boost being provided.
Compared to the Le Mans-winning TS050 Hybrid, the GR010 Hybrid is longer, wider, and taller, as well as 357 pounds heavier and 32 percent less powerful. Obviously, none of these things are conducive to going fast, but the new regulations were intended to help save costs, with Le Mans lap times estimated to be about 10 seconds slower.
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Indeed, the new Hypercar class has done well to attract new competitors. Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus, ByKolles Racing, and Alpine will all challenge Toyota Gazoo Racing in the 2021 championship, and more manufacturers will join in the coming years. Additionally, organizers will balance the power of cars on a race-to-race basis, targeting identical performance in the pursuit of closer and more entertaining racing.
As it did in the LMP1 class, Toyota will field two cars in the World Endurance Championship. Defending champions Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayshi, and José María López will drive the No. 7 GR010 Hybrid, while Sébastian Buemi, Kazuki Nakajima, and Brendon Hartley will drive the No. 8 car. Toyota Gazoo Racing also continues to employ Nyck de Vries, the 2019 Formula 2 champion, as its test and reserve driver.
The GR010 Hybrid Le Mans Hypercar prototype’s first big race will be at the 1000 Miles of Sebring on March 19, so expect Toyota Gazoo Racing’s competitors to unveil their own cars fairly soon.
Kurt Verlin was born in France and lives in the United States. Throughout his life he was always told French was the language of romance, but it was English he fell in love with. He likes cats, music, cars, 30 Rock, Formula 1, and pretending to be a race car driver in simulators; but most of all, he just likes to write about it all. See more articles by Kurt.