Kiwi racer's version of Toyota hypercar revealed

In pulling the wraps off the new Le Mans racer that Brendon Hartley will compete in, the make has dropped more hints that the road-going version is nearly ready.

 BRENDON Hartley’s new Toyota-provided company car for 2021 has been fully revealed – and it’s a world away from your usual fleet hack Camry or Corolla.

The Kiwi racer has imparted excitement about the GR010 Hybrid, not only Toyota’s new Le Mans Hypercar and World Endurance Championship challenger but also the racing version of a road-going version for public consumption.

Hartley’s car has numbers on the door and nose ad will be tested in the upcoming 2021 FIA World Endurance Championship – whether he ever achieves the road legal version, called the Toyota GR Super Sport, that’s based on the same mechanicals, is as yet unclear. 

The GR Super Sport production car was shown off during celebrations surrounding last year’s Le Mans 24-Hours and has also been previewed by a concept, immediately below. 

The Palmerston North-born and raised driver is pretty fizzed about the competition car, which has only just been fully unveiled by the Toyota Gazoo Racing equipe he now competes with.

The racing car runs a 500kW twin-turbocharged 3.5-litre V6 and a 200kW electric motor. The petrol engine sends drive to the rear wheels via a seven-speed sequential gearbox, while the electric motor powers the front wheels.

 “Fans are going to be pleasantly surprised with the GR010 Hybrid; it looks like a mix of an LMP1 and a road car,” said Hartley, who came to Toyota’s sports car racing team a year ago after a hugely successful career with Porsche, for which he won world endurance titles and the Le Mans race, as well as a stint in Formula One, with the then Torro Rosso team.

“Endurance racing has always been a proving ground for new technology and now it is even more road car relevant; the GR010 Hybrid previews a car which the end user will experience on the road.

“It’s great to drive too, particularly with the hybrid four-wheel-drive which is a nice sensation from a driver’s perspective.” 

The new car has a clear family resemblance to the outgoing TS050 Hybrid LMP1 that claimed the 2018-19 and 2019-20 WEC drivers' and manufacturers' titles, as well as three consecutive Le Mans 24 Hours victories in 2018-20.

But Toyota Gazoo Racing Europe technical director Pascal Vasselon has stressed in an interview with British motorsport magazine Autosport that few components have been retained from its predecessor.

"Except the generic parts like switches, sensors and such, there are hardly any carry-over parts between the two cars because the regulation philosophy is very different," he said. "It is a completely new car."

 Hartley says the big difference when considering his new ride with the TS050 Hybrid is the extra weight and a bit less horsepower and downforce, changes enforced by new rules.

“But it’s still just as much fun to drive. We have a fun challenge ahead of us to extend the Toyota Gazoo Racing legacy at Le Mans and in WEC by continuing our winning run.”

The powertrain is supported by an arsenal of chassis technology, including a mechanical locking differential, independent double wishbone suspension, push-rod dampers and a set of carbon-ceramic brake discs with mono-block calipers.

As the new FIA regulations limit the car’s power output to 500kW, Toyota has had to employ some electronic wizardry to keep the car legal. So, the ECU limits the petrol engine’s power according to the amount of assistance the electric motor can supply. When the battery pack has been depleted, the engine supplies its maximum output.

The striking new look of the racing prototype reflects the appearance of its inspiration, the GR Super Sport hypercar which made its public debut during a demonstration run and ceremonial trophy return at the 2020 Le Mans 24 Hours and is currently in development.

Toyota Gazoo Racing enters its ninth season in WEC with the same driver line-up it fronted for the 2019-2020 campaign.

Newly-crowned world champions Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and José María López will drive the No.7 GR010 Hybrid while Sébastien Buemi, Kazuki Nakajima and Brendon Hartley race the No.8 car. Nyck de Vries continues in his role as test and reserve driver.

They have already started an intense programme of developing the car, with two three-day tests already completed as the team adapts to new regulations which are a significant shift in terms of performance and philosophy.