Skip advert
Advertisement

Toyota GR010 Le Mans Hypercar contender revealed

Toyota Gazoo Racing ready to continue WEC winning streak with all-new GR010 Le Mans Hypercar racer

Toyota Gazoo Racing has officially revealed its all-new Le Mans Hypercar class contender, the new GR010. It is the first of this year’s new Hypercar class racers to be revealed in detail and represents not just a physical manifestation of Toyota’s commitment to endurance racing, but also a preview of the road-going GR Supersport it remains committed to releasing to the public.

Advertisement - Article continues below

As an all-new racer under the Le Mans Supersport regulations its peak power is restricted to the class maximum of 671bhp. How teams have reached this maximum figure though is where the new regulations allow distinction between teams. In Toyota’s case its 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol engine, mounted behind the driver, produces this maximum 671bhp figure, which is then supplemented by a 269bhp electric motor on the front axle, making the GR010 four-wheel drive.

In order to produce no more than its allowed 671bhp at any one time, clever engine management systems modulate the petrol engine’s output as the front-mounted electric motor delivers power to the front wheels. When the battery’s energy has been depleted, or at speeds of under 75mph where the electric motor is not allowed to be utilised, the petrol engine’s full 671bhp is then available.

Skip advert
Advertisement
Advertisement - Article continues below

> Peugeot Hybrid4 500kW Le Mans Hypercar class racer technical details revealed

That V6 engine is not related to any current road-car engine according to Gazoo Racing, and has instead reached that engine capacity given the extra headroom Hypercar class regulations allow in overall weight, keeping the powertrain within a comfortable operating window. The powered electric front axle has been developed in partnership with Japanese automotive supply giants Denso and Aisin. 

As a result, compared to Toyota’s LMP1 TS050 racer, the new GR010 has 32 percent less power and weighs an extra 162kg overall. This will translate to a four to five second per lap rise in time around standard WEC circuits, and up to ten seconds on Le Mans’ Circuit de la Sarthe.

> Toyota GR Yaris 2020 review - a true homologation superstar

Despite changes to the regulations that now don’t require manufacturers to create a road-going version of their Le Mans Hypercar racer, Toyota has confirmed that it will continue with the development of its road-going homologation, the GR Supersport. This ironically makes it the second road-going homologation model that Toyota has developed needlessly after a last minute rule change within the motorsport’s governing body. A similar fate befell the GR Yaris, who’s WRC tenure was cancelled after the WRC rearranged its planned rule changes, making Gazoo Racing’s 2021 GR WRC car irrelevant when a new hybrid class is introduced from 2022. The brilliance of the respective road car however doesn’t make this a problem for performance car types, mind. 

The Toyota GR010 will race against fellow Le Mans Hypercar class rivals from Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus and ByKolles this year, with Porsche, Peugeot and Audi all confirming entries in the LMDh class from 2022 onwards, which altogether will make for one of the most diverse and competitive fields underpinned by manufacturer funding since the golden ages of endurance racing.

Skip advert
Advertisement

Recommended

Toyota 222D – dead on arrival
Toyota 222D
Features

Toyota 222D – dead on arrival

This 750bhp rallying MR2 could have seen Toyota conquer the stages, but instead fate intervened
21 Mar 2024
Porsche 911 GT3 R & Porsche 911 GT3 Cup – driving Stuttgart's track-only racers back-to-back
Porsche 911 GT3 R & Porsche 911 GT3 Cup
Features

Porsche 911 GT3 R & Porsche 911 GT3 Cup – driving Stuttgart's track-only racers back-to-back

What’s more exciting than a 911 GT3? A racing one. Or two of them. This year Porsche’s 911 GT3 R will tackle Le Mans, and its GT3 Cup car will race on…
9 Mar 2024
Toyota’s GR division hasn’t given up on combustion engines just yet
Toyota GR86
News

Toyota’s GR division hasn’t given up on combustion engines just yet

Toyota’s Gazoo Racing division will continue to investigate hydrogen-fuelled engines for road-going performance cars, as well as developing pure elect…
3 Dec 2023
Toyota's FT-Se sports car could make production
Toyota FT-Se sports car concept
News

Toyota's FT-Se sports car could make production

Pure-electric GR-badged two-seater is a concept for now – but a production version hasn’t been ruled out
3 Dec 2023
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

The new Mercedes-AMG G63 has arrived, and it still has a V8
Mercedes-AMG G63
News

The new Mercedes-AMG G63 has arrived, and it still has a V8

Some of Affalterbach’s range-toppers are swapping eight cylinders for four, but the AMG G-class retains its V8 for 2024
26 Mar 2024
Land Rover Defender OCTA: twin-turbo V8 and McLaren-style suspension tech for hot off-roader
Land Rover Defender OCTA – front
News

Land Rover Defender OCTA: twin-turbo V8 and McLaren-style suspension tech for hot off-roader

The OCTA promises to be the fastest, toughest and most capable Defender yet when it launches later this year
26 Mar 2024
The new Toyota GR Yaris costs £44,250 – too much for a hot supermini?
Toyota GR Yaris Gen 2 – front
News

The new Toyota GR Yaris costs £44,250 – too much for a hot supermini?

Our early impressions of the Gen 2 GR Yaris suggest that it’s an improvement in every area that counts, but can it be worth £18k more than an i20 N?
27 Mar 2024