Hartley praises ‘phenomenal’ team effort
Brendon Hartley has helped Toyota Gazoo Racing (TGR) to a historic one-two finish at the Le Mans 24 Hours despite both the team’s hypercars having to battle with fuel issues.
The Kiwi driver won the race last year with teammates Sebastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima, but they had to settle for second spot this year behind Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Jose María Lopez.
The result was a fourth consecutive victory for TGR at the Circuit de la Sarthe in France as the team gave a debut to the GR010 Hybrid racing car.
Hartley was in the number-eight car, pictured, which completed 369 laps, two fewer than the winners.
An incident-packed 24 hours began on a wet track and Buemi dropped to the back of the field on the first racing lap after being hit by a rival.
The team managed to drag themselves back into contention despite also suffering a damaged wheel rim following contact with a lapped car and a puncture.
Conway, Kobayashi and Lopez were in the number-seven car and led the field from pole, even though they had to contend with two punctures of their own.
The GR010 Hybrids established a clear lead over the chasing pack, even though Hartley’s vehicle also had to replace its front end at one stage following a drop in aerodynamic performance caused by minor damage.
The final quarter of the race tested nerves on the TGR team as an issue with the fuel system of the number-eight car prevented it completing full stints and it had to keep returning to the pits earlier than planned.
With no prospect of a quick repair, the drivers had to activate a specific setting at defined points around the track to return the vehicle to normal stint lengths and keep their closest rival at bay. The number-seven car also developed a similar issue.
Hartley says Le Mans always brings something crazy and this year was no different.
“Right from the first lap we were dealing with issues,” he explains. “The way the team pulled together to get this one-two was phenomenal, we had to manage the issue and at one point we weren't even sure we would get to the end.”
Akio Toyoda, team founder, celebrated the win as the Wordl Endurance Championship plans to introduce 100 per cent renewable fuel for next season.
“We are moving towards carbon neutrality through motorsport and we can make an effort to expand the options,” he says.
“We believe that we can speed up technological development through motorsport, because it is a place for serious competition.”
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