Three weeks ago, the team enjoyed a winning debut for its TR010 HYBRID at Imola to take the early lead in both the manufacturers’ and drivers’ World Championships. Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryō Hirakawa won in Italy in their #8 TR010 HYBRID, while the sister #7 car of Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries made it a double podium with third place.
The team takes that momentum into the second of eight rounds this season, at Spa, which is a favourite for many drivers and fans. It winds through the Ardennes forest on a 7.004 km layout consisting of fast, undulating sectors at the beginning and end, separated by a tighter, more technical sector two.
As well as being a final competitive opportunity to optimise team operations prior to the Le Mans 24 Hours on 13-14 June, the Spa event also helps engineers and drivers to prepare the TR010 HYBRIDs. High-speed corners like Eau Rouge-Raidillon, Pouhon and Blanchimont, as well as the long flat-out Kemmel Straight, require car set-ups similar to the Circuit de la Sarthe.
Spa is one of TOYOTA RACING’s two home races in WEC, alongside Fuji Speedway, and the team has a strong record there. In its 13 races in Belgium, it has achieved four pole positions, eight wins and a total of 14 podiums.
Cheering on the team’s bid to add to those successes will be a large contingent of employees from TOYOTA RACING GmbH, the team’s operational base just 120km away in Cologne. Colleagues from Toyota Motor Europe in Brussels, Toyota’s European headquarters, will also add their support.
In addition to the current generation of Hypercars, the latest engine technology will be showcased at Spa as well. A hydrogen-engined GR Yaris - which has all the sound and sensations of a combustion engine with near-zero tailpipe emissions - will complete parade laps of the legendary Spa circuit on Saturday lunchtime, shortly before the 2pm race start.
Quotes:
Kamui Kobayashi (Team Principal and driver, car #7): “We made a great start to the season in Imola thanks to a big effort from the whole team. Now we want to keep this momentum going throughout the season, and Spa is another important race for us. As well as being one of our home races, it is a big step in our Le Mans preparations. The TR010 HYBRID looked strong in Imola which gives us encouragement, but we need to push hard again to get the maximum performance at Spa.”
Mike Conway (Driver, car #7): “I love racing at Spa, it’s one of the highlights of the WEC season. In the past, we’ve gone well there and, considering we made such a positive start to the season at Imola, I’m optimistic we can fight at the front again. But we saw at Imola how close the Hypercar field is, so we can’t afford to make any mistakes or leave any performance on the table.”
Nyck de Vries (Driver, car #7): “I’m excited to race again at Spa, particularly because it’s one of the home races for the team and for me personally, as it’s the closest to where I’m from the Netherlands. There’s always a big crowd at Spa and a special atmosphere, so I’m expecting another great event. Hopefully we can put on a fantastic show for all our fans.”
Sébastien Buemi (Driver, car #8): “Spa is a really special circuit, great fun to drive and very challenging. It’s such a historic place, all the legends of our sport have raced there and there are so many memories, including a lot of wins for our team. It still puts a smile on my face to drive a Hypercar flat-out around there, and I can’t wait to get started.”
Brendon Hartley (Driver, car #8): “I think for almost every driver, Spa is one of the most challenging and rewarding circuits. It’s an old-school circuit, with undulations and some fast corners. You need to be precise and committed; it’s a real drivers’ track. Our season started really well with victory on the TR010 HYBRID’s debut. We’ll be pushing to keep that form going at Spa and then into Le Mans.”
Ryō Hirakawa (Driver, car #8): “We couldn’t have asked for a better start to the season and now we are hungry to win more races. Spa is a really fun circuit to drive and I enjoy racing there. But it’s tricky for the set-up of the car, because you have to compromise between top speed on the fast parts and downforce in sector two. This is similar to Le Mans, so it’s a good preparation for us.”
