At one of the most prestigious automotive races in the world, flanked by the likes of luxury brands Audi, Porsche, and Ferrari, Toyota
just won its fifth straight race. The 24 Hours of Le Mans, often shortened to just “Le Mans,” is an endurance-based sports car race and the world’s oldest active endurance racing event. The race first took place in 1923 and has long been ruled by luxury brands, but Japanese automaker Toyota has made a real name for itself as an underdog-turned-champion since first entering the race in 1985.
Toyota first came to Le Mans with the goal to claim the second-ever overall win from a Japanese manufacturer. That dream was finally realized in 2018 when Toyota claimed the title with their TS050s hybrid sports racing cars.
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. Toyota’s start at Le Mans
In 1985, Toyota entered the 53rd annual 24 Hours of Le Mans Endurance Championship. The TOM’s 85C-L that raced was equipped with a 2090cc and Turbo engine, but it wasn’t until 1992 that the brand scored its first-ever podium finish.
A Toyota TS010 unit finished in a long-desired second place and continued to finish in the top five in 1993, 1994, 1999, and 2013.
While Toyota did not win the 2016 race, it went down in history as a landmark moment for the brand. The two TS050Toyota qualified 3rd and 4th behind two Porsche 919 hybrids.
Driver Kazuki Nakajima had a lead over Porsche but was experiencing acceleration problems. Because it was unable to complete the final lap in the required amount of time, the car was not classified in the race results and did not earn championship points.
Toyota’s path to victory at Le Mans
Finally, in 2018, Toyota not only won the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but they were the second Japanese manufacturer to ever win the race after Mazda took home the title in 1991.
According to Motorsport.com
, Toyota won the race again in 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022. This year’s Toyota team completed a 1-2 finish. Its two remaining Hypercar rivals are Glickenhaus and Alpine, but the relatively clean race remained a secure win for Toyota.
The only speed bump Toyota encountered on the way to victory was around the 16-hour mark when driver Jose Maria Lopez had to perform a full power cycle to get the car going again and lost a lap. Beyond that, there were only minor issues like a slightly slow changeover from drivers Buemi to Hartley.
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