Le Mans Classic – Kazuki Nakajima at the wheel of his father’s Toyota 85C

In 2022, Group C celebrates its 40th anniversary. To mark the occasion, Peter Auto, the organizer of the Le Mans Classic (June 30-July 3) has brought together an extraordinary field of prototypes on the Circuit des 24 Hours of Le Mans. Parmi la cinquantaine de voitures annoncée, figure une Toyota 85C, qui sera pilotée par le jeune retraité Kazuki Nakajima.

The three-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Toyota between 2018 and 2020 will take his place in the cockpit of the very first Group C imagined by the Japanese manufacturer for the Le Mans event in 1985. At the time, his father Satoru Nakajima associated with Kaoru Hoshino and Masanori Sekiya. It is also the latter, winner in 1995 on a McLaren F1 GTR, who will return to service as a teammate at the Le Mans Classic.

© TGR

“It is a great honor to drive the Toyota 85C, which holds a special place in the history of Toyota and my family, declared the 37-year-old Japanese. I was born a few months before my father drove this car, so I'm too young to have seen it in competition, but I've heard a lot about it.

Group C was a legendary era for our sport and I have always dreamed of driving a Group C car. So I would like to thank the owner, Mr. Kunie and Toyota Gazoo Racing for giving me this incredible opportunity. Although I know the Circuit de la Sarthe very well after 10 editions of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, it will be a new adventure to discover the circuit in a classic car like this, so I am really looking forward to it.

Having Sekiya san as a teammate is a real privilege and I'm sure I will learn a lot from him. Beyond our race, I am delighted to live Le Mans Classic for the first time as I have heard so much about this event and how many fantastic cars were there. »

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