2013 Toyota TS030 Hybrid Le Mans car
Toyota's TS030 Hybrid 2013 Le Mans 24 hour and World Endurance Championship contender is revealed
Toyota has unveiled its 2013 Le Mans contender. The TS030 Hybrid will compete in the 2013 World Endurance Championship, battling hybrid-powered Audis. The R18 TDI helped Audi win the series – as well as collecting the medals at the headline day-long race in France – in 2012. Neither Toyota LMP1 car finished the 2012 Le Mans 24-hour race, thanks to a retirement and a crash, so the company will be hoping for better results in 2013, the TS030 enjoying powertrain, chassis and aerodynamic improvements. Its 3.4-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine produces 530bhp, with a 300bhp supplement from the super capacitor-based hybrid setup. A two-car team will be run throught the 2013 World Endurance Championship season, the dates of which are below. Car number seven will be driven by Alex Wurz, Nicolas Lapierre and Kazuki Nakajima, with Anthony Davidson, Stephane Sarrazin and former F1 driver (and 2013 Toro Rosso reserve) Sebastien Buemi in TS030 number eight. 2013 World Endurance Championship rounds (races last six hours unless stated) April 14, Silverstone, UKMay 4, Spa-Francorchamps, BelgiumJune 22, Le Mans 24 hours, FranceSeptember 1, Sao Paulo, BrazilSeptember 22, Austin, USOctober 20, Fuji, JapanNovember 10, Shanghai, ChinaNovember 30, Bahrain
