The factory teams are coming. Toyota might enter Le Mans with a hybrid car. The future of Le Mans will go through a time with the sound of Scaletrix cars...
Toyota say that Le Mans is unfinished business. However, they also say that they won't do it while they are still in Formula 1.



Toyota and Le Mans

With Audi having now become the first automobile manufacturer to win the Le Mans 24 Hours with a diesel engine, the next big target for the car manufacturers is to win the French endurance classic with a hybrid car. The word in Japan is that Toyota may soon be embarking on that challenge with a Japanese-based programme. On July 15-16 Toyota is entering a racing version of its Lexus GS450 hybrid touring car in the Tokachi 24 Hour race in Japan which features a petrol engine and an electric motor which are used alternately. The project is being run by Sard, a longtime Toyota partner in racing. One of the aims of the programme is to obtain technical feedback from the racing cars to see if it can be used on mass-production vehicles in the future with the main aim being to make the hybrid systems smaller, lighter and more efficient.

That sounds good,Will this be the same car or a compleatly diferent one?
And What class?

sounds good :)

A flat tire off a porsche cost them a first place finish awhile ago

That sounds good,Will this be the same car or a compleatly diferent one?
And What class?
We don't know yet. If they stay in F1, they probably won't be aiming for a big, expensive LMP project. But a decent GT1 entry wouldn't be out of range. Maybe Lexus will be making a GT1 while Toyota takes care of the big stuff. There are rumours about a Prius GTP, but with the 2010 regulations, it could be entered in any of the classes depending on the power. E.g the new Carrera GT-based Le mans car will be competing in the biggest class, even though it's based on a road car.

By the way, Honda and Zytek are also working on hybrid LMP1 cars too. After diesel, hybrid will be the next challenge.

We don't know yet. If they stay in F1, they probably won't be aiming for a big, expensive LMP project. But a decent GT1 entry wouldn't be out of range. Maybe Lexus will be making a GT1 while Toyota takes care of the big stuff. There are rumours about a Prius GTP, but with the 2010 regulations, it could be entered in any of the classes depending on the power. E.g the new Carrera GT-based Le mans car will be competing in the biggest class, even though it's based on a road car.

By the way, Honda and Zytek are also working on hybrid LMP1 cars too. After diesel, hybrid will be the next challenge.

For a second there I though you said Zyek, as in the member with the great avartars.

I don't see the Pirus becoming a reality, its looks like it has to much drag unless they radicly change the body and the center of gravity would be to high.

For a second there I though you said Zyek, as in the member with the great avartars.

I don't see the Pirus becoming a reality, its looks like it has to much drag unless they radicly change the body and the center of gravity would be to high.The Prius is among the most aerodyamic road cars with a Cd of only 0.26. The Porsche Carrera GT has a Cd of 0.39.

^Oh, it still looks like it won't handle and it really dosn't look like a race car.
Really whos gonna suport a car that dosn't look the part.

http://img48.imageshack.us/img48/8629/priusracecar8tg.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

^It just said that the batteries won't last one lap, after that you are left with a "racing car" that has only 145 hp from a 1.5 l engine that looks like a semi riced Prius.
I think the Lexus version or a totaly new one would be good, but kill that thing.

^Oh, it still looks like it won't handle and it really dosn't look like a race car.
Really whos gonna suport a car that dosn't look the part.It will probably get an aero package, a big spoiler to raise the cd to 0.50 and air inlest here and there. It will probably also get a mid mounted engine. It will look nothing like the road car when it's converted into a pure bred racing car. But it's just a rumour. Toyota went farther than anyone else in 1998-1999 with their TS020. The regulations required the car to be based on a road car, so they simply made two street legal TS020's... So a Prius would be a pretty damn consertaive solution for a brand that made such an expensive and revolutionary trick.

TS010, TS020, ...Prius GTP? That's a hell of a step down, so it will hopefully remain as a rumour. But the 2010 regualtions is all about making the cars reflect the brands road cars as much as possible, and since Toyota are going to try a hybrid, a race car based on the Prius wouldn't be a bad marketing strategy. The million dollar questions is whether the car will be as good as the marketing strategy behind it.

What would be faster on a track, a GS450H or The Prius Sprint car

The Lexus IS500

Cool news...
Why don't they join both F1 and LeMans ?

Cool news...
Why don't they join both F1 and LeMans ?It's expensive. A project like the R10 costs 98 million Euros per year, and I don't even want to think of the price of a Formula 1 car. It's probably also a question of resources and development.

By the way, how would a hybrid work in a race like Le Mans? As far as I've understood, the electric engine only runs at low speeds while the real petrol engine does the job at high speeds/full throttle. So the electric engine would just be adding weight without being functional anywhere but the pit lane.

Wow, motorsport never ceases to amaze me.



Just more hippies and boring fuel consumption races, what happened to loud, roaring petrol race engines guzzling fuel like it's from their momma's tit?