Lopez excited to realise Le Mans “dream” in WEC
Already a three-time World Champion in touring car racing, José María López is relishing his fresh start in the FIA World Endurance Championship with Toyota, describing the opportunity to race at the 24 Hours of Le Mans as a “dream.”
López came close to reaching Formula 1 in 2010 but was thwarted when the team he was due to drive for folded before making it to the grid. After returning to race in his homeland and launching a successful career in touring cars, the Argentinian has competed against many of his WEC rivals – including new Toyota team-mates Sébastien Buemi and Stéphane Sarrazin in Formula E – but is now looking forward to getting behind the wheel of the updated Toyota TS050 HYBRID in anger.
“Racing at Le Mans has always been a dream, so I'm really happy to be part on this new period with Toyota,” he said.
“No doubt, it is something that fills the hole that F1 left on me. Being able to drive the fastest car today after a F1 is really nice and the WEC cars are this for sure.”
Endurance racing will require a very different approach than López is used to, but he didn’t walk into a works LMP1 drive on reputation alone.
Having passed through Toyota’s rigorous selection process, López is confident that he will be up to the task when the season gets underway at Silverstone in April.
“There were very intense days of testing, like a job interview. Well, much harder than that!” he said.
“They assess the speed, consistency, regularity, the wear you create in the tyres, what you know about set-up, the feedback, the relationship with your engineers, with the drivers, if you are really a team player – a lot of things!
“The competition will be intense and there will be a lot for me to understand, but for sure I will be a quick learner. The endurance element will be very interesting and it will be great to be part of this really high level competition.
“I watched some action from since it started on the TV and I have always been impressed. It is a championship which has good standing and reputation. The level in it is fantastic; the drivers, the teams, the manufacturers, right down to the engineers and mechanics.”
Toyota is searching for its first WEC title since 2014 and López has wasted no time getting himself embedded in the team as the team prepares for another season-long battle with Porsche.
“We are in the development period for this year's car, so until Silverstone we will do lots of testing,” he added.
“There is a big push and the work is very interesting and intense. It’s a big year and I am really up for the fight.”
