Toyota Wins Le Mans With Help From Ex-Formula 1 Driver CarBuzz News Features New Cars Used Cars Sell My Car Shopping Tools Car Reviews Car Finder Compare Cars Best Cars Car Dealerships Used Car Reviews Car Advice Home News Toyota Wins Le Mans With Help From Ex-Formula 1 Driver
Toyota Wins Le Mans With Help From Ex-Formula 1 Driver
Jun. 12, 2022 5:26 PM ET by Chase Bierenkoven Motorsport / 8 Comments And they did it from pole position. The layperson might know Toyota Gazoo Racing because of the brand's street cars, like the Toyota Supra. Feelings about that car are still mixed to this day, even with its new manual transmission. But no one can deny the presence of Gazoo Racing at Le Mans. Toyota Gazoo Racing is now tied with Audi for the most consecutive Le Mans wins in history, a record currently held by Porsche with 7 wins in a row. Today, the #8 Toyota crossed the finish line twenty-four hours after starting on pole position. This win at Le Mans means that Toyota has now won an astonishing 5 times in a row at Le Mans. At the wheel was ex-Formula 1 driver Brendon Hartley. " Yeah, I was overwhelmed with emotions when I crossed the line. The whole race you try not to think about the finish. We've all seen what can happen on the last laps even in the last couple of years, four or five years ago with Toyota. So, really crossing that line, all the emotions come out. Yeah, it's a great feeling," said Hartley. 24H Le Mans Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota Gazoo Racing Hartley was joined in victory by his two teammates, Sebastien Buemi and Ryo Hirakawa. "To join this legend, you know (becoming the fifth Japanese driver to win at Le Mans). To be honest, I still cannot believe we realized my dream. Yeah, my dream came true. I hope there is more to come to catch up to these legends," said Hirakawa. Hirakawa is also new to the team, having only joined Buemi and Hartley this year. Five consecutive wins at Le Mans is incredible, but for Hirakawa to join Toyota Gazoo's Hypercar class team only this year and to win? Incredible. "It's hard for me to speak right now. It's an amazing feeling, especially with Ryo and Brendon," said Buemi. 24H Le Mans Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota Gazoo Racing An issue with Gazoo's other car, #7, meant that the car piloted by Hirakawa, Hartley, and Buemi was clear to win. Despite the #7 car's issues, it still managed to stay in second place, crossing the line just ahead of Glickenhaus' #709 car. At multiple points during the race, both Toyota Gazoo cars were fighting for the front position. During the first 12 hours of the race, the lead changed hands between both cars on several occasions. Still, the hybrid unit issue for the #7 car meant an advantage of almost an entire lap for Hartley, Hirakawa, and Buemi. Should Toyota be able to continue this dominance into next year's race, the team will be one step closer to beating Porsche's record for the most consecutive Le Mans victories. 24H Le Mans Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota Gazoo Racing Join The Discussion
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Toyota GR Supra Chase Bierenkoven Associate Editor Shortly before applying to law school, Chase decided to take a chance on pursuing his dream job: playing with cars and getting paid for it. Law school was just a means to an end, after all. His first writing job was freelance and barely paid his grocery bill. It quickly turned into a full-time position, eventually leading Chase to join CarBuzz in 2022. Chase now tests cars, and sits comfortably at the news desk when he's not in the driver's seat. In his spare time, Chase can be heard trying to play guitar, or out enjoying Colorado's natural splendor in his BMW M3. Contact Chase @bierenkoven @cbier823 LoginSign Up Home News Features Car Reviews Car Advice 2021 CarBuzz Awards New Cars Used Cars Future Cars Compare Cars Sell My Car Car Dealerships Buy Here Pay Here Used Car Reviews Popular Tags Cars # Video # TOP # Spy Shots # Reveal # Rumor # Auto Show # Supercar # Tuning # Car Culture # Industry News # Motorsport Acura Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Bollinger Bugatti Buick Cadillac Caterham Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Fisker Ford Genesis GMC Hennessey Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Karma Kia Koenigsegg Lamborghini Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lordstown Lotus Lucid Motors Maserati Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Pagani Polestar Porsche Ram Rimac Rivian Rolls-Royce Spyker Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo By Make Acura Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Bollinger Bugatti Buick Cadillac Caterham Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Fisker Ford Genesis GMC Hennessey Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Karma Kia Koenigsegg Lamborghini Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lordstown Lotus Lucid Motors Maserati Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Pagani Polestar Porsche Ram Rimac Rivian Rolls-Royce Spyker Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo By Car Type SUVs Crossovers Sedans Coupes Trucks Sports Cars Wagons Vans Hatchbacks Convertibles Small Cars Luxury Cars Electric Cars Hybrid Cars Future Cars By Price Up to $15K $15K - $25K $25K - $35K $35K - $45K $45K - $55K $55K - $75K $75K - $100K $100K - $200K $200K - $300K Above $300K Back To Top