Toyota said it did not want to use other evo Jokers, already "spent" during the past season. For the 2022 season there was also a modification to the prototype tyres: changed from 14 inches to 13.5 front and 15 rear, change that had not been counted as an evo Joker because of the change in the rules to align it with the LMDh one.
“Toyota’s job is to make changes”
Said Toyota Gazoo Racing Europe’s Technical Director, saying they will make changes to the GR010 ahead of 2023, but the car will remain the same as it was in previous seasons. Therefore there’ll be evolutions made on the level of reliability and ease of maintenance of the car that will not be put on track before January.
The History
The history of Toyota’s GR010 Hybrid begins in 2018, the year in which FIA and ACO introduce the new regulation replacing the LMP1: the LMH. Toyota, to continue to compete in the World Endurance Championship, adheres to the rules and presents a road type of prototype, the GR Super Sport. This car will then be developed so that it can run on track according to LMH regulations.
In 2020, the prototype was completed and enters the Paul Ricard circuit led by Sebastian Buemi, Mike Conway, Brendon Hartley and José María López.
The Team
Toyota Gazoo Racing is the name of the team that runs these two cars, this is a brand used by Toyota to compete in many championships, not just in the WEC. Founded in 2007, as an experimental team, today has 5 divisions around the world that compete in Rally championships, Endurance and sports prototypes. They count 19 titles in Rally, 10 titles between drivers and manufacturers, in the WEC and two victories at the Dakar Rally.
The Drivers
The drivers who have just finished the season with Toyota Gazoo Racing in the Hypercar category are: on board the #7 Mike Conway, Kamuy Kobayashi and Jose Maria Lopez and on board the #8 Sebastian Buemi, B. Hartley and R. Hirakawa.
The Engine and the TS050 Hybrid
The GR010 HYBRID is a completely new car compared to the LMP1 TS050 Hybrid, the engine is similar: a V-6, which has a displacement of 3.500cc compared to the old 2.400, with a new 7-speed transmission with 680 HP.
The hybrid system is mounted, as per regulation; on the front axle is developed by Aisin and Denso has a power of 277 hp and has a battery charging system that takes place during braking, guaranteed by a brake-by-wire system.
We find a hydraulic braking system in the rear, different than that of the LMP1.
The BOP
With the reduction of costs and the entry of the Balance of Performance, Toyota is forced to focus on some parts and performance of the car in a completely different way than before. In addition to reducing the number of car parts, Toyota can no longer afford to focus more on the car’s power due to the BOP.
Therefore Toyota preferred to focus more on the driveability of the car and not exclusively on the performance of the car.
Also the speed of the Hypercars has been modified to increase safety towards the drivers, in fact, the lap times are considerably slower than those of the old LMP1.
What is Balance of Performance?
The Balance of Performance is, literally, a balance of performance that is applied in the categories Hypercar, LMGTE Pro and LMGTE Am with the aim of allowing manufacturers of different levels to compete in the same category. The bop is provided for by technical regulations but can be modified through specific decisions of the WEC Committee.
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Written by Camilla Coletta, Translated by Cristina Mazzotti
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