Toyota GAZOO Racing returns to action just a month after its heartbreaking Le Mans 24 Hours, determined to respond with a strong result in the 6 Hours of Nürburgring, the fourth round of the 2016 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).
Victory for the #5 car was taken away due to a mechanical failure just minutes before the chequered flag at Le Mans, after the TS050 Hybrids showed themselves capable of beating rivals Audi and Porsche.
Victory for the #5 car was taken away due to a mechanical failure just minutes before the chequered flag at Le Mans, after the TS050 Hybrids showed themselves capable of beating rivals Audi and Porsche.
This weekend’s race, just an hour’s drive away from the team base in Cologne, presents the perfect opportunity to prove that point again, and push memories of Le Mans into the distance by challenging for victory.
The #5 crew of Anthony Davidson, Sébastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima have suffered misfortune in all three races so far in 2016. The standings do not reflect their competitive performances and the target is to reach the podium on Sunday.
Stéphane Sarrazin, Mike Conway and Kamui Kobayashi, in the #6 TS050 Hybrid, finished second at Le Mans to stay in contention for the drivers’ World Championship and, like their sister car, they aim for a first win of the season.
A different TS050 Hybrid is in action this weekend, compared to the low-downforce version used so effectively at Le Mans. Due to the Nürburgring’s shorter and tighter character, an ultra-high-downforce aerodynamic package will make its debut.
Updated front and rear bodywork has been developed in the wind tunnels at Toyota Motorsport GmbH in Cologne to generate additional downforce at the cost of top speed, a combination which is better suited to the demands of the upcoming WEC circuits.
When practice begins on Friday, the team’s priority will be to analyse the new package and fine-tune it for the 5.137 km Nürburgring Grand Prix track, which this year reverts to the tighter, Formula 1-specification Veedol Chicane.
