Toyota to Return to Le Mans in 2010?

[Kitdy]

According to the newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun, Toyota is planning a return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2010 with a hybrid car.

The date is not yet exact, but plans do exist within ToMoCo's racing division to field a car to win Le Mans overall.

I think this is great news for Le Mans and could potentially be very exciting to see Toyota duke it out with the likes of Audi and Peugeot. Toyota definitely wants to be seen as a promoter of, and master of green technology.

A current problem for them is the relative heaviness of the batteries.

I wonder how the rules will allow for a hybrid to race. Will it recharge during pitstops? How will the rules limit the batteries? The logistics are quite complex.

I found this story on Planetlemans.com and was impressed to see the pic they used of the GT-One was a pic from UCP.

[Ferrer]

So the Prius is going to be 2010's pace car?

[NSXType-R]

Originally Posted by Ferrer

So the Prius is going to be 2010's pace car?

No, they'll be fielding it.

Yeah, I wonder how they'll rewrite the rulebooks to add in hybrids.

Are they even allowed? Does it really give a performance advantage?

[Wouter Melissen]

A hybrid Panoz was qualified at Le Mans in 1998, but withdrawn for the race. There are no clear rules about hybrids yet. Zytek (who also built that Panoz) have been in discussion about hybrids for a while with the ACO. The problem is that electric motors can not be limited/governed.

[NicFromLA]

I think hybrid technology is great for luxury cars; smooth, quite, torquey. But I think its a bust for sports cars. I think the Greenest way to race or drive sports cars is ethanol and maybe even bio-diesel. I'd love to see Audi and Peugeot's diesel racers use bio-diesel this race season.

[RacingManiac]

Perhaps this will be with the use of some form of KERS instead of a full-hybrid? The ACO rule(like the F1 rules), have indicated the interest in incorporating KERS into future prototypes....

And Toyota have already has their success with the GT500 Supra based hybrid in the Japanese 24 hours race...

[culver]

I know the Chrysler Patriot was designed with the intent of running LeMans but I'm not sure if it ever actually raced. It was a very unusual gas turbine powered, mechanical hybrid. Ah, back when Chrysler was innovative and wasn’t screwed over by MB. Hopefully they can return to those days (if they don't die first).

[RacingManiac]

I think it was vetoed by ACO due to safety concern of the possibility colleteral damage in the event of an accident and its flywheel were to escape the car......it is said the flywheel stores enough kinetic energy equal to that of a loaded truck travelling at 100mph....

[2ndclasscitizen]

While it's certainly an interesting idea, it's gonna take some serious work from Toyota to make it work. I remember them running a Prius at Bonneville and the electric motor burned out very quickly, so they'll need a heavy duty motor.

[The_Canuck]

Sorry they couldn't win one F1 race, but they're coming to the 24hours with a hybrid in two years?

[RacingManiac]

Originally Posted by The_Canuck

Sorry they couldn't win one F1 race, but they're coming to the 24hours with a hybrid in two years?

Well as far as Hybrid goes they are on top of that game, and they have had success at Le Mans before(2nd like what, 3 times), and they have as I said, won endurance races with a Hybrid already. And most recently they just finished Targa Newfoundland with a GS450H in top 5 in its class I believe....

[kingofthering]

Originally Posted by The_Canuck

Sorry they couldn't win one F1 race, but they're coming to the 24hours with a hybrid in two years?

Yep, like racingmaniac said, they have the experience + funds. Heck, the last time they did it, they were 1st until they blew a tire towards the end.

[The_Canuck]

Experience? Perhaps, but compared to say, Audi, or even Pescarolo? Not really...

[Ferrer]

Originally Posted by The_Canuck

Experience? Perhaps, but compared to say, Audi, or even Pescarolo? Not really...

Audi entered in 1999 and they won the next year. I don't think experience is a problem if you can "buy" it.

And compared to Pescarolo, Toyota's resources are so vast that they wouldn't be a threat at all.

[RacingManiac]

Originally Posted by The_Canuck

Experience? Perhaps, but compared to say, Audi, or even Pescarolo? Not really...

Toyota has been going to Le Mans since mid-80s, they have came 2nd in 92, 94, and 99. Audi's first year is in 1999, their success in 2000 came quite a lot easier than when Toyota were racing, as in 2000 Audi and Cadillac were the only factory program running, where as in early 90s and 80s Toyota were always running against Porsche's, Peugeot's, Jaguar's and Mercedes' factory effort....The reason why Pesca is successful now is because the lack of factory effort, when Peugeot enters last year, they effectively ended that, with Audi coming to LMS as well there will be little chance for privateers to shine...with the 2010 rule set to appeal to manufacturers with more marketable image for the prototypes we can anticipate another possible resurgence of manufacturer involvement....which means it again will not be easy for Toyota....