Toyota LMP1 Hybrid Racer to spearhead Toyota's return to Le Mans

Toyota’s racing division, Toyota Motorsport, announced that it will enter the 2012 World Endurance Championship which, for the first time, is organized both by FIA and ACO, the club that runs the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and the Intercontinental Le Mans Series. This means that the Toyota LMP1 Hybrid Racer will compete in Le Mans, marking the Japanese carmaker’s return to the historic race for the first time since 1999.

Toyota will develop the brand-new, petrol-electric hybrid racer that will compete in the top LMP1 class. The chassis will be built by Toyota Motorsport in its Cologne, Germany headquarters, which previously served as its Formula 1 base, while the hybrid powertrain will be engineered in Japan.

Toyota’s head of motorsport activities, Tadashi Yamashima, commented: “We have competed in Le Mans before, but by using our hybrid technology, our participation in 2012 will be completely new. We want to make history in the Le Mans 24 Hours, as well as in the FIA World Endurance Championship, through the use of our hybrid technology.”

Source: Toyota