Toyota Motor Corporation

07/04/2022 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 07/04/2022 02:01

6 Hours of Monza: PreviewTOYOTA GAZOO Racing ready for new challenges

Fresh from its fifth consecutive Le Mans 24 Hours win, and the second with its GR010 HYBRID Hypercar, the team begins the concluding half of the 2022 WEC season at the renowned 5.793km parkland circuit near Milan, known as the 'Temple of Speed'.

Victory at Le Mans for Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa, in their #8 GR010 HYBRID, rocketed the trio back into the World Championship fight and they travel to Monza just three points behind the leading Alpine drivers.

Reigning World Champions Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and José María López, who share the #7 GR010 HYBRID, finished a close second at Le Mans and are also still in title contention. They need a strong second half of the season, however, to overhaul a 20-point deficit in the championship race.

As well as an exciting title contest, the final races of the 2022 season see a new Hypercar contender enter the fray. Starting in Monza, Peugeot will compete with two cars to make it a fight between four manufacturers for top-class honours.

Toyota and Peugeot have regularly competed against each other in endurance racing, dating back to Toyota's first Le Mans in 1985 when a TOYOTA TOM'S 85C car finished 12th, five places ahead of the highest-placed WM Peugeot.

In 1992, the two manufacturers fought for the World Sportscar Championship crown. Geoff Lees and Hitoshi Ogawa made history in the first race, at Monza, when they won Toyota's first World Championship race on the way to runners-up spot in the standings for Toyota Team TOM'S.

That same year, Toyota battled Peugeot at Le Mans, each seeking a maiden victory. The French team finished ahead, with Masanori Sekiya, Pierre-Henri Raphanel and Kenny Acheson earning Toyota's first-ever podium at Le Sarthe with second place.

The last contest between the two in the top class of endurance racing took place at Le Mans in 1993, a race also won by Peugeot. After a 29-year break, that rivalry will resume this week in Monza for one of the most anticipated WEC races of recent times.

Fans have the first chance to see all Hypercars in action on Friday afternoon when practice begins with a 90-minute session. A busy Saturday sees two further practice sessions before the starting grid is decided during 10 minutes of qualifying in the evening. A 38-car field will take the green flag for the 6 Hours of Monza at midday local time on Sunday.