WEC manufacturers – a rich history in endurance racing: Toyota
In the first of a short series, we look at the endurance history of each of the WEC's manufacturer partners. We begin with Toyota.
Toyota’s involvement in endurance racing dates back to the late 1960s, with its first-ever prototype racing car – the iconic 7 – winning the Fuji 1000km in 1968 and 1969. But it wasn’t until the mid-1980s that the Japanese car giant tackled the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the first time.
At first, Toyota entrusted its efforts to the TOM’S and Dome teams for its first crack at the legendary race in 1985. Two years later came the first official Toyota entry, the 87C.
In the years that followed, Toyota became one of the mainstays of the Group C era, taking runner-up finishes at Le Mans in 1992 and 1994 – the latter after gear linkage failure in the last 90 minutes cruelly robbed it of what would have been a well-earned victory.
After several years’ hiatus, further disappointment was to come when Toyota joined the GT-Prototype bandwagon in the late 1990s and produced the stunning TS020 (often known as the GT-One which was, in fact, the name of the road car), which earned pole position and could have won in 1999 but for a series of tyre blowouts that affected all three cars.
The TS020 was then retired as Toyota embarked on a Formula 1 programme for much of the 2000s – and it wasn’t until 2012 that its successor, the TS030 HYBRID, hit the track.
Making its debut at Le Mans in 2012, the TS030 HYBRID immediately took the fight to the dominant marque of the era, Audi, and became a bedrock of the reborn FIA World Endurance Championship. The reworked TS040 HYBRID duly beat Audi and newcomer Porsche to the coveted WEC title when it arrived on the scene in 2014.
Still, success at Le Mans remained beyond reach, with an electrical problem putting paid to Toyota’s chances of claiming top honours at La Sarthe that same year, despite another pole position. The TS050 HYBRID likewise came heartbreakingly close to winning at Le Mans on its debut in 2016, the #5 car grinding to an agonising halt on the start/finish straight just before the final lap.
It was one of the most dramatic chapters in Le Mans history, and one that no doubt serves as motivation for Toyota to one day capture the prize that has eluded it for more than 30 years.
