Toyota Gazoo Racing won the 87th Le Mans 24 Hours with a one-two finish at the Circuit de la Sarthe following a dramatic final hour of the 2018-2019 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) season.
But those bare facts do not reflect the true drama of the closing stages, which denied the #7 what seemed a certain victory in front of 252,500 spectators.
On the 367th lap, with a lead of over two minutes, data on the #7 car indicated a puncture and Jose pitted to replace the tyre. A sensor issue resulted in the wrong tyre being identified, meaning Jose left the pits still with a deflating tyre.
That necessitated a slow lap back to the pits when all four tyres were changed, handing an unassailable lead to Kazuki in the #8.
Other motorsport records were rewritten too; Kazuki became the first circuit-racing World Champion from Japan and Fernando is the second driver to win four-wheel world titles in two different disciplines, having previously been crowned Formula One champion.
The #7 car had started the race from pole position following Kamui's fastest qualifying lap, with the #8 starting just behind.
That set the scene for an exciting and close battle for overall victory between the two 986bhp TS050 Hybrids, with momentum swinging one way and then the other.
After 12 hours the two Toyotas were separated by only 8.6 seconds. In the night, the #7 seized a decisive advantage as the sister car faced an aerodynamic imbalance. That was caused by bodywork damage due to the rigours of a tough, flat-out contest although the cars were always on the same lap.
As the final hours approached, the gap remained relatively stable around two minutes and the focus switched to bringing the cars home safely. All appeared to be going to plan until the #7 experienced its dramas and Kazuki took the lead with less than an hour to go.
